Has my ESA appeal been accepted?

Hi,

Several weeks ago I received a letter and claim form regarding being switched from Income Support to ESA. I sent in the ESA claim form, expecting to receive a letter back saying that I would have to attend a medical, however, a few weeks later I received a letter saying that I had qualified for ESA and that I'd been placed in the work related activity group. No medical was required. It also gave a breakdown of how much I was going to be paid.

I decided to appeal against this decision as I felt that I met 2 of the criteria for being in the support group. I sent in my appeal along with some supporting evidence from my doctor. About a week after sending that in, I received a letter from the DWP saying that they'd received it. I didn't expect to hear anything else for quite a while, as I'm sure they have to deal with a lot of appeals.

Anyway, today I received another letter from the DWP. It didn't mention my appeal at all, but it said that the rate I was going to be paid had gone up. On the page where it breaks down the payment, it says: -

Extra Money because you are in the Support Group £34.80

So, does this mean that they have accepted my appeal? I received my first ESA payment today and it was at this new higher rate. Before I get my hopes up though, I just wanted to check with you guys in case there's a chance that this is a mistake.

Thanks!