People with health conditions that affect their ability to work may qualify for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) payments of up to £145.90 a week, depending on the outcome of their assessment.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed the broad health condition categories used when grouping ESA claimants. The benefit provides financial support for people who cannot work because of illness or disability, while also offering assistance to those who may return to employment in the future.
How ESA Claim Assessments And Payments Work
As detailed by Birmingham Live, people applying for ESA normally receive an assessment rate while their claim is reviewed. This payment period usually lasts up to 13 weeks.
Claimants under the age of 25 can receive up to £75.65 a week during this stage, while those aged 25 or over can receive up to £95.55 a week. If the assessment takes longer than 13 weeks, payments continue until the DWP makes a decision or the claim ends.
After an assessment, successful claimants are placed into one of two groups. People who may be able to return to work in the future are placed in the work-related activity group, while those who are not expected to work are placed in the support group.
The work-related activity group can receive up to £95.55 a week, while the support group can receive up to £145.90 a week. People nearing the end of life are placed in the support group.
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DWP Lists The Main Health Condition Categories Used For ESA Claims
According to DWP statistics, claimants’ main health conditions are recorded across a range of broad categories used to group ESA claims.
These include certain infectious and parasitic diseases and neoplasms, along with diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs and certain disorders involving the immune mechanism.
The categories also include endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases and mental and behavioural disorders, covering a wide range of conditions affecting physical and psychological health.
Other groups recorded by the DWP include diseases of the nervous system, diseases of the eye and adnexa, and diseases of the ear and mastoid process.
ESA Categories Cover Major Physical Health Conditions
The government statistics also classify claims linked to diseases of the circulatory system, diseases of the respiratory system, and diseases of the digestive system.
Further categories include diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue, and diseases of the genitourinary system.
These classifications are used to group the main health conditions reported by people receiving or applying for ESA.
Pregnancy, Birth Conditions And Other Health Categories Included
The ESA statistics also include categories connected to pregnancy and early development.
These cover pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium, certain conditions originating in the perinatal period, and congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities.
The DWP also records conditions under symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified, as well as injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes.
Additional categories include external causes of morbidity and mortality, factors influencing health status and contact with health services, and codes for special purposes.
Who Can Apply For ESA
People can apply for Employment and Support Allowance if they have a disability or health condition that affects how much they can work.
The benefit is available to people who are employed, self-employed or unemployed, with eligibility determined through the DWP assessment process.
The current support group rate listed by the government is up to £145.90 a week.
