ESA - Pathways to Work - What a waste!

mardatha

And while we bicker among ourseves, the govt gives the bankers billions without asking a single question.. People power is def the way to go when a PM starts thinking he's Marie Antoinnette....

Uncertain

mardatha wrote: »

And while we bicker among ourseves, the govt gives the bankers billions without asking a single question.. People power is def the way to go when a PM starts thinking he's Marie Antoinnette....

And look what happened to her!!

healy

angreykaz wrote: »

Hi
as i understand it if you are on high rate D.L.A CARE are you exempt from attending pathways to work interviews? thanks

Most people on high rate care DLA have to attend work focused interviews, only those with a linked claim since the introduction of ESA do not.

Molly41

Uncertain wrote: »

Sorry, but this is even more crazy!


In any case the amount of the ESA is being stopped from my (currently half) salary. Under my contract this would not happen if I was not entitled to the benefit. So, by claiming I am saving my employers some money but the only advantage I get is that the £60.50 is tax free.

Should we reach a point that my employer stops paying me, I could understand your point a little better. The state would rather I had a simple low paid job than be deemed too ill for something more demanding. Whether or not this would be in my best interest is another matter!

Does your employer deduct that money (Contribution ESA) from your wages? Is that what happens to everyone? Im also on Occupational Half-pay and this does not happen to me? I have told ESA that I currently receive half pay. I thought it was pensions that affected ESA. Im confused yet again.

I have been through a similar experience to you in that I am still currently employed. However I may not be able to return to my original job and would like to consider alternatives. However unlike you I am very grateful for my ESA and it makes a difference to me - a big difference. Im very worried about medical that Im sure I will have to attend and perhaps you should think about suspending your claim if it causing you this much angst especially as you state you dont need the money. Oh...I wish I was in that position.
Plopsky

healy

Molly41 wrote: »

Does your employer deduct that money (Contribution ESA) from your wages? Is that what happens to everyone? Im also on Occupational Half-pay and this does not happen to me? I have told ESA that I currently receive half pay. I thought it was pensions that affected ESA. Im confused yet again.

I have been through a similar experience to you in that I am still currently employed. However I may not be able to return to my original job and would like to consider alternatives. However unlike you I am very grateful for my ESA and it makes a difference to me - a big difference. Im very worried about medical that Im sure I will have to attend and perhaps you should think about suspending your claim if it causing you this much angst especially as you state you dont need the money. Oh...I wish I was in that position.
Plopsky

Pensions are reduced by ESA, if they are over £85 per week there is 50p reduction for each £ over this figure.

The reduction here is related to uncertains employment contract.

healy

angreykaz wrote: »

My Partner has been trying to get hold of his E.S.A 85 report the e.s.a. has said that they dont send it its Atos that sends it. Atos said that the E.S.A send it. please could anyone tell me who sends it. I am going round and round in circles. Thanks

As I said before it is the DWPs job to send it, maybe you missed my last reply.

Frosty-Box

Hi to all
I too work for the DWP and would like my two penneth worth. If you’re asking for an ESA85 report, that’ll tell you nothing about the Work Capability Assessment. You should be asking for a CR1 (Capability Report), which indicates to your Pathways to Work Provider what work you can do, not what work you can’t. You can request this from ATOS or the BDC or JCP Offices. Which ever you choose it can be ‘ordered’ from ATOS and sent in the post to you.
2-3 years ago the Government decided to ditch approx 30,000+ front line Civil Servants from the DWP and any central Government bodies, as it saw fit. So the axe landed and many offices of the DWP closed including JCP offices many of them rural and many city centre. No discrimination of whom, fell foul. Experienced Personal Advisors for Incapacity Benefit (IBPA’s were replaced by two new schemes:- Jobcentre Led Pathways in which customers were lucky enough to deal with the JCP IBPA’s who undertook years of relevant training to deal with those customers sick, incapacitated, and generally unwell and who physically or mentally cannot work.
Then: Provider Led Pathways, where advisors were recruited off the street and after a two week training course were set to work. Very nice people, but not a patch on the JCP Advisors, with their years of training and experience, in the Local Labour Market etc.
By splitting the ‘Led Pathways Schemes’ meant the head count of Civil Servants came down, thus saving money out of the public purse, or so it would seem. What the public wouldn’t be aware of was the money was actually shifted to the ‘Providers’ which are outside contractors as oppose to keeping it all in house under the ‘JCP’ umbrella. The Government would look good for saving public funds although in reality it wasn’t the case.
Anyway, the background out of the way, Provider Led Pathways to Work are doing their very best under the circumstances and are realising the uphill struggle that Government legislation has hounded the more experienced JCP colleagues over the years. They are constantly chasing their tails as they have no direct computer link to JCP computers and customer circumstances, thus rely on what they are told.
Incapacity Benefit has died and Employment Support Allowance was introduced in its place. Under IB, Work Focused Interviews could be waivered or deferred as the IBPA saw fit, however, under ESA since December 2008 all waivers and deferrals have been abolished , apart from those terminally ill or returning to work within 4 weeks of the WFI (Work Focused Interview) about to take place. It is imperative that if you are called for a WFI, you must attend to protect your benefit. If you don’t, your benefit will be affected, firstly by a 20% sanction, then 40% and so on, unless of course you fall under the ‘terminally ill’ or’ returning to work within 4 weeks’ bracket. In addition you must attend all WPC’s or PCA’s that you may be called for, however unfair these may seem. There is no’ get out clause’ and failure to attend will affect your benefit if no good cause has been proved. Believe me, rarely is ‘good cause’ allowed!
The JCP frontline staff has fed back to senior managers at ever opportunity about the inadequacies of legislation and processes by means of conferences, communication meetings, surveys and open talk forums, alas to no avail. The frontline staff and middle management have no power what so ever to change anything that is dictated from above. As unfair it seems sometimes to customers and staff alike. We have do deal with a raft of abuse from those genuine or not, and so it goes on. We are doing our best in difficult times and under strangling legislation to help customers, if only sometimes they would listen to what options are available to them , to make their best informed choices, whether agreeable or not.
Write to your MP? I fear it’ll get you no-where, as many MP letters arrive on my desk, I have been advised to have a standard template to reply and I doubt if even the MP has seen your complaint in the first place. Even higher up in Parliament, even lands on my desk!!
Where can we mere mortals or puppets on a string go from here??
FB xx

sharski

Couldn't have put it better myself!!

The only thing I would question are the sanction rates..

Under ESA, if you FTA your 1st WFI, you can lose 50% of any additional component on ESA & if you FTA the next WFI, the sanction will be 100% - leaving you with just the £64 odd which you get during the assessment phase.....
The 20%, 40%... etc sanction only applies to IB/IS claim that hasn't been aligned with ESA...

Hope this helps??

Frosty-Box

sharski wrote: »

Couldn't have put it better myself!!

The only thing I would question are the sanction rates..

Under ESA, if you FTA your 1st WFI, you can lose 50% of any additional component on ESA & if you FTA the next WFI, the sanction will be 100% - leaving you with just the £64 odd which you get during the assessment phase.....
The 20%, 40%... etc sanction only applies to IB/IS claim that hasn't been aligned with ESA...

Hope this helps??

you're right, I was quoting the IB/IS rate. Alas, as it's a dead benefit, where do my colleagues and I find ourselves soon? Pathways?? :rolleyes:

Good Luck to all of you, hold on tight and prepare for take off!!

FB xx

NASA_2

ESA = failed benefit.