Benefits warning as over 100,000 may be owed compensation of up to £11,500 – are you affected?

THOUSANDS of ill and disabled people could be owed millions back in compensation.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is calling on the government to review cases of over 100,000 Brits.

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Thousands of claimants did not receive all of the cash they were entitled to when they were transitioned on to the employment support allowance (ESA) scheme from incapacity benefits between 2011 and 2014.

We first reported this in July 2021, with some owed £5,000 in back payments.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) discovered a system error in 2016 that thousands of claimants weren’t being paid enough and reviewed 600,000 cases.

But now, the PHSO has said that some may be due extra compensation as they may have missed out on other benefits or undergone hardship as a result of the DWP’s error.

It comes after one person complained to the PHSO after she applied to the DWP for compensation in addition to £19,832 in backdated ESA.

The PHSO ruled that they had suffered considerable hardship and her health had suffered as a result of the DWP’s failures. 

As a result the DWP paid the claimant £7,500 in compensation and also pay interest on the back payment of ESA.

However, under current rules the DWP doesn’t have to contact the 118,000 ESA claimants who could now be owed cash, according to the help site Benefits and Work.

The DWP has so far paid out a whopping £589million in back payments to those affected.

People who are ill or disabled can apply for ESA help, and you could get up to £117.60 a week.

On average ESA claimants are owed £5,000 but some on a severe disability premium could be owed £11,500 each. 

The DWP will be announced the last round of back payments on Thursday, July 8, but hasn’t openly discussed giving affected customers compensation on top.

The Sun approached the DWP for a comment and we’re waiting to hear back.

How do you check if you’re affected?

If you’ve been affected and think you’re owed compensation you can make a complaint on the PHSO website.

You’re eligible for ESA if you’re under State Pension age and you have a disability or health condition that affects how much you can work.

You need to have worked either as a self-employed worker or as an employee, and you can’t get ESA if you claim Jobseeker’s Allowance or Statutory Sick Pay.

You can apply for ESA over the phone on 0800 055 6688.

The phone call usually lasts around half an hour as you have to give all your details over the phone.

You can also apply on the gov.uk website for ESA benefits – which is the quickest way to sign up for the scheme.

You’ll need your National Insurance number, bank or building society number and sort code, your doctor’s name and address, and details of your income to hand.

This entire process can take up to 13 weeks.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk