Hi, would just like to share what has happened to my son. He is now in the advanced stages of Huntington’s disease which was diagnosed 13 years ago when he was 22.
He’s been getting ESA with an extra component because he is severely disabled. A couple of days ago he received a letter from the DWP informing him change in calculation due to ‘a change in savings’ (he has very little in savings).
When comparing how his final amount has been calculated I noticed that the ‘severely disabled’ element has been dropped from his allowance. After lots of digging I find buried in the rules that you may only receive this element if no one is claiming Carer’s Allowance for your care. I had no idea that this was the case and it doesn’t seem to be well advertised! I have been claiming Carer’s allowance for about 6 years.
I assume the DWP will be looking to recover this overpayment, and I’m dreading their next letter.
Has this happened to anyone else?