ESA assessments

ToxicVoices · 8 November 2011 at 11:23AM

Your doctor sounds really helpful. You are capable of getting there yourself yet, it is unreasonable to expect you to get there yourself - I would find a new doctor.

Also, before my medicals, during the 'booking in' I have always been asked if I have any taxi/bus/train fares I need reimbursing for with no mention of needing any doctors letters.

wellynever · 8 November 2011 at 11:32AM

It's your doctor that is the problem i did say ask for a home visit i can tell you what you need to do for this,

Phone ATOS ask for the fax number you need for your doctor to send them a letter stating you need a home visit then get your doctor to fax that letter stating you need a home visit,

Now if your doctor will not do the above no one here can help other than tell you to change doctors,

I really wish i could offer better advice but it's now up to your doctor.

amus · 8 November 2011 at 11:35AM

gypsyjanet wrote: »

Hi , I was hoping for some positive feedback into my situation but Im quite shocked at some of the replies I have recieved . I live in a rural village miles from the Atos centre. I am not talking about a quick trip on a bus I am talking about seven changes; three buses and a train journey then a considerable long walk. Although I am not totally incapable of taking this trip it would cause me unnessasary pain and I dont see why I should be caused any pain when this whole assessment situation is a complete sham! As I understand it as soon as you are seen walking into the assessment centre you are already deemed fit for work. There are no" hire centres" for wheelchairs in my village,you have to be a complete cretin to suggest something so bloody stupid.
My consultant has given an analogy of the state my left knee is in which is the worst of the two ; " it is like a brick wall of a house with plaster on either side of the bricks, you have worn out the plaster and the brick and your knee is held together with only a thin bit of plaster!!!!
The reason my doctor will not sign me off as disabled is because with a knee replacement this problem could be remedied.The only trouble is that Im apparently too young for a replacement.
Also, I actually forgot to tell my GP that if I have to sit in a normal seat on a bus my knees lock and I cant move.
It obvious to me that I should just go and sign on job seekers and let them find me work within my capabilities as that is obviously not what Atos are about.
I am now totally depressed , thanks !

Either your Dr is useless or she doesnt think you are disabled enough to require a home visit/extra help.

Sounds a bit strange to me what she's saying, its like saying to someone who has cancer, 'yeah but if you didnt have cancer you'd be OK so I cant give you a sick note'. If you require a knee replacement and this would remedy your problem but you are too young to have a knee replacement you clearly still have a problem.

If Im completely honest though from what Ive seen more often than not when Dr's say things like this it means 'I dont think you're sick enough'.

If you fail to attend the medical examination your benefit will be disallowed.

rogerblack · 8 November 2011 at 1:20PM

gypsyjanet wrote: »

Hi , I was hoping for some positive feedback into my situation but Im quite shocked at some of the replies I have recieved . I live in a rural village miles from the Atos centre. I am not talking about a quick trip on a bus I am talking about seven changes; three buses and a train journey then a considerable long walk.

I seem to remember that if you're more than 45 minutes by public transport from the ATOS centre, they have to provide a taxi. (90 minutes both ways)

As to when you have to have an assessment - never.
The DWP can choose to on the basis of the information they hold award you ESA.
They don't even need to send you an ESA50.
Or do you mean you were on assessment rate for two years?
In which case, I'd be going through the procedure for getting compensation due to maladministration.

Has it been more than a month since the tribunal?

Atos_Healthcare_representative · 21 November 2011 at 10:01AM

Hello,

I thought it might be helpful to clarify the policy for travel arrangements if you are asked to attend an assessment.

When we arrange an appointment with you, we use a government website [text removed by MSE Team] to provide the directions from your home to the nearest Assessment Centre. These are the directions included in your letter.
Under current DWP guidelines, customers are expected to use private or public transport if the journey is not more than 90 minutes.

If the website calculates that your nearest assessment centre is more than 90 minutes away, we can usually offer an alternative, which may be a taxi or a home visit. We would contact you to discuss these options if this were the case.
You may also be able to claim for travel by taxi if your GP writes a letter explaining why your medical condition means you can’t use public transport.

It’s really important that you always get prior agreement from us before travelling by taxi or we won’t be able to reimburse you unless the healthcare professional who sees you confirms a taxi was required because of your medical condition.

When you attend your assessment you can claim the cost of public transport or fuel costs and parking from your home address. You should take receipts and bank details with you and fill in an expenses form at the assessment centre. It takes about 2 -3 weeks for expenses to be paid. Unfortunately, we are not able to pay expenses in advance so it’s best to get your own advice, as you have done, if the travel will cause you financial difficulties.
If you are not able to make your appointment, you can call us to rearrange it, but under current DWP guidelines, we are only allowed to do this once. If you can’t attend your new appointment, we send your information back to Jobcentre Plus. You then need to contact them to explain your circumstances and they will then tell you if you can rearrange your appointment again
I hope this helps.

cit_k · 21 November 2011 at 10:48AM

Atos_Healthcare_company_representative wrote: »

Hello,

I thought it might be helpful to clarify the policy for travel arrangements if you are asked to attend an assessment.

When we arrange an appointment with you, we use a government website called Transport Direct to provide the directions from your home to the nearest Assessment Centre. These are the directions included in your letter.
Under current DWP guidelines, customers are expected to use private or public transport if the journey is not more than 90 minutes.

If the website calculates that your nearest assessment centre is more than 90 minutes away, we can usually offer an alternative, which may be a taxi or a home visit. We would contact you to discuss these options if this were the case.
You may also be able to claim for travel by taxi if your GP writes a letter explaining why your medical condition means you can’t use public transport.

It’s really important that you always get prior agreement from us before travelling by taxi or we won’t be able to reimburse you unless the healthcare professional who sees you confirms a taxi was required because of your medical condition.

When you attend your assessment you can claim the cost of public transport or fuel costs and parking from your home address. You should take receipts and bank details with you and fill in an expenses form at the assessment centre. It takes about 2 -3 weeks for expenses to be paid. Unfortunately, we are not able to pay expenses in advance so it’s best to get your own advice, as you have done, if the travel will cause you financial difficulties.
If you are not able to make your appointment, you can call us to rearrange it, but under current DWP guidelines, we are only allowed to do this once. If you can’t attend your new appointment, we send your information back to Jobcentre Plus. You then need to contact them to explain your circumstances and they will then tell you if you can rearrange your appointment again
I hope this helps.

Does it just have to be a GP, why do ATOS not accept any other form of credible evidence, why only a GP? (for example, why not a consultant, or occupational health, or surgeon, or other suitable medical professional).

Prinzessilein · 21 November 2011 at 11:01AM

I have just had a look at the Transport Direct site, and entered a few transport scenarios.

I don't expect a reply from the Atos Rep - they haven't bothered answering my queries on other threads (or the many, many questions from other posters) why should this be any different.

However:

1) The site recommends I use a bus stop that closed a few months ago. Do ATOS ever check how up-to-date the site is or do they just blindly accept what the computer tells them? (*bites tongue to prevent the first response to that question*)

2) When the site recommended the correct bus stop, the time given for me to get there would make me laugh - if I didn't burst into tears first! I am disabled! I can in no way manage the jogging required to get to the bus stop in the time stated! Do ATOS add time onto the website estimations, or do they assume we are all fit? (What am I thinking?....of course ATOS thinks we are all fit!)

3) Do ATOS take into account the fact that I have a medical conditoin that means I cannot use many forms of public transport? Even if I am accompanied?

cit_k · 21 November 2011 at 1:40PM

Atos_Healthcare_company_representative wrote: »

Hello,

I thought it might be helpful to clarify the policy for travel arrangements if you are asked to attend an assessment.

When we arrange an appointment with you, we use a government website called Transport Direct to provide the directions from your home to the nearest Assessment Centre.

What the ATOS rep does not make clear, in fact, goes to pains to hide, is that transport direct is not just a 'government site' - ie independant from ATOS, so a fair method of obtaining the data, but it is actually, and I qoute transport direct

Transport Direct is operated by a consortium, led by Atos.

operated by a consortium led by ATOS.

So, in effect, spamming another one of their own sites on the forum, naughty, I would get in trouble if I spammed my own site...

So,

Prinzessilein wrote: »

I have just had a look at the Transport Direct site, and entered a few transport scenarios.

I don't expect a reply from the Atos Rep - they haven't bothered answering my queries on other threads (or the many, many questions from other posters) why should this be any different.

However:

1) The site recommends I use a bus stop that closed a few months ago. Do ATOS ever check how up-to-date the site is or do they just blindly accept what the computer tells them? (*bites tongue to prevent the first response to that question*)

2) When the site recommended the correct bus stop, the time given for me to get there would make me laugh - if I didn't burst into tears first! I am disabled! I can in no way manage the jogging required to get to the bus stop in the time stated! Do ATOS add time onto the website estimations, or do they assume we are all fit? (What am I thinking?....of course ATOS thinks we are all fit!)

3) Do ATOS take into account the fact that I have a medical conditoin that means I cannot use many forms of public transport? Even if I am accompanied?

your questions to ATOS, really can only be answered by ATOS, as they run the site in question...

Fridge3 · 22 November 2011 at 7:30PM

cit_k wrote: »

Can you get your doctor to put that in writing, somthing like

'technically it would be possible for the patient to travel by public transport, but it would be totally unreasonable medically to expect them to have to do so'

Because, that should make damning evidence if ATOS forced you to travel by public transport, if they were given a copy of a letter saying that (official, from the GP)

To be fair the doctor does appear to be sat on the fence, on one hand saying they're not disabled enough and on the other saying it's unreasonable.

If the doctor feels it's totally unreasonable why not send the letter with that view?

ESA assessments

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