The crisis loan limit is to be 2 per year as far as I can remember, For ESA the current situation is that you need to show significant deterioaration or a new condition & they will only pay you if its more than 6 months since the last WCA medical, if its an appeal you are meant to stay on the basic rate
Reconsiderations are tricky, say your money stops on 1/6/12, you are notified on 28/5/12 so you lodged a reconsideration that takes 21 days, the decision is still no so you now lodge an appeal which takes at least a week to be processed. You don't get paid unless the appeal is accepted and logged on the system so thats 4 weeks without money at the very least. if you have already had your allocated crisis loans you have no money, no way of getting money until the appeal is logged and accepted. this is going to create hell especially when you consider housing benefit & council tax benefit will have all stopped on 1/6/12 as well >angry< >thumbsdown<
Monic