Letter from the Customer Compliance Team

Breast_Cancer_Survivor

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

There aren't a great number of invisible disabled people!:D

I was referring to people that are not obviously pysically disabled, im glad you think it's amusing, let's hope you never suffer from depression or anxiety as I can assure you it isn't funny in the slightest!!

Breast_Cancer_Survivor

lil_me wrote: »

I'd make the appointment with them asap, maybe if you can communicate efficiently with your partner he could be there? He can also answer the questions about him they will possibly ask. If you keep putting it off they may stop your benefits until it is done (I have known it to happen) They don't usually come out for no reason or without some form of evidence. Based on the facts you give them it is up to them to decide if you and your partner are living 'as a couple would' this doesn't always come down to overnight stays, as an example forces employees are classed as living with their partner. The interview is usually recorded if under caution.

I only received the letter Saturday 6th June & the appointment date was Wednesday 10th between 10am & 4pm. This wasn't much notice for me to get myself prepared let alone my OT as she works fulltime & can't just drop everything to sit around for 6 hours waiting for the Compliance Officer to turn up.

I phoned the DWP on Monday 8th to explain the situation & give her the dates my OT was available, Monday 15th & Friday 19th but was told the woman only works Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays.

She called me on Tuesday & tried to get to get me to keep my appointment for Wednesday saying I didn't need my OT & couldn't a friend just sit with me instead. I don't have any friends & my family are not talking to me at the moment. She seemed frustrated so I just gave her my OT's number so she could phone to arrange a date & time herself but apparently my OT has been off sick since Tuesday.

I hope that I will not be penalised for the delay as it's not my fault the Compliance Officer doesn't work the days my OT is available or that my OT has been of sick.

Tbh I just want to get it over with now, it's starting to make me feel ill, maybe they should use another Officer that works full time.

AsknAnswer

I've noticed that you have also posted on another web forum, copying and pasting your posts here. Both on there and on here you have been given advice on your rights to have someone with you; the other forum mentions the use of welfare rights or CAB as an alternative if your Therapist can't make it. So I am not quite sure what it is that you want people to say; it appears it has already been said, several times on two seperate forums.

my OT as she works fulltime & can't just drop everything to sit around for 6 hours waiting for the Compliance Officer to turn up.

I'm sorry to be so blunt but claiming benefit is a two cut deal: your part of the deal is to make yourself available for appointments such as these, and to answer the questions which are asked of you. They haven't asked for the therapist to be present - you have.

Tbh I just want to get it over with now, it's starting to make me feel ill, maybe they should use another Officer that works full time.

Or maybe you could take up the other suggestions that have been offered, and enlist the help of another support organisation. Throwing thousands of pounds of tax payers money away to have someone work full time when it is not required is not a solution. You say your therapist is ill so whether or not the officer works full time isn't really relevant. And again - this is your part of the deal - if you want your therapist there then it is up to you to arrange for her to be there not for the DWP to ring your therapist and come to an agreement unless she is registered with the benefits agency as your legal appointee, and if you are that incapable of managing your affairs or communicating your needs then I would strongly suggest you do have someone appointed. That said, you seem to be perfectly capable of communication without a third party going by your posts on here. You are recalling dates and times seemingly effortlessly, and can state what your boyfriend helps you with etc. If you just tell the DWP that there won't be a problem.

If you are looking for a way out of this interview then I'm afraid there isn't one, not without having your benefit stopped. You won't be penalised for the delay but if it becomes a prolonged delay or if further appointments are cancelled/postponed they may well stop your benefits for non compliance.

Again, I apologise for being so blunt, but after you have already been given the answers I don't know what else it is you are hoping to hear.

mealone

AsknAnswer wrote: »

I've noticed that you have also posted on another web forum, copying and pasting your posts here. Both on there and on here you have been given advice on your rights to have someone with you; the other forum mentions the use of welfare rights or CAB as an alternative if your Therapist can't make it. So I am not quite sure what it is that you want people to say; it appears it has already been said, several times on two seperate forums.



I'm sorry to be so blunt but claiming benefit is a two cut deal: your part of the deal is to make yourself available for appointments such as these, and to answer the questions which are asked of you. They haven't asked for the therapist to be present - you have.


Or maybe you could take up the other suggestions that have been offered, and enlist the help of another support organisation. Throwing thousands of pounds of tax payers money away to have someone work full time when it is not required is not a solution. You say your therapist is ill so whether or not the officer works full time isn't really relevant. And again - this is your part of the deal - if you want your therapist there then it is up to you to arrange for her to be there not for the DWP to ring your therapist and come to an agreement unless she is registered with the benefits agency as your legal appointee, and if you are that incapable of managing your affairs or communicating your needs then I would strongly suggest you do have someone appointed. That said, you seem to be perfectly capable of communication without a third party going by your posts on here. You are recalling dates and times seemingly effortlessly, and can state what your boyfriend helps you with etc. If you just tell the DWP that there won't be a problem.

If you are looking for a way out of this interview then I'm afraid there isn't one, not without having your benefit stopped. You won't be penalised for the delay but if it becomes a prolonged delay or if further appointments are cancelled/postponed they may well stop your benefits for non compliance.

Again, I apologise for being so blunt, but after you have already been given the answers I don't know what else it is you are hoping to hear.

I am a member of the other forum too and this isnt the only poster here who googles customer compliance then posts on both forums, maybe they think thats the way to get them the answers they want. The funnist ones give diffrent senarios to see which to give in there interview:D

greatboy

hi i was in that siduation and all they wanted to know if your partner was living with you in which he wasnt i had nothing to hide told them the truth that was it there was nothing to worry

Oldernotwiser

Breast_Cancer_Survivor wrote: »

I was referring to people that are not obviously pysically disabled, im glad you think it's amusing, let's hope you never suffer from depression or anxiety as I can assure you it isn't funny in the slightest!!

I have suffered from depression and anxiety over many years as well as having survived breast cancer myself. As well as this I also care for my husband who has very severe COPD with a lung capacity of less than 20%.

I think it absolutely vital to hang onto a sense of humour thoughout it all. It's what keeps many of us going. Your situation is no worse than that of many other people.

Breast_Cancer_Survivor

AsknAnswer wrote: »

I've noticed that you have also posted on another web forum, copying and pasting your posts here. Both on there and on here you have been given advice on your rights to have someone with you; the other forum mentions the use of welfare rights or CAB as an alternative if your Therapist can't make it. So I am not quite sure what it is that you want people to say; it appears it has already been said, several times on two seperate forums.



I'm sorry to be so blunt but claiming benefit is a two cut deal: your part of the deal is to make yourself available for appointments such as these, and to answer the questions which are asked of you. They haven't asked for the therapist to be present - you have.


Or maybe you could take up the other suggestions that have been offered, and enlist the help of another support organisation. Throwing thousands of pounds of tax payers money away to have someone work full time when it is not required is not a solution. You say your therapist is ill so whether or not the officer works full time isn't really relevant. And again - this is your part of the deal - if you want your therapist there then it is up to you to arrange for her to be there not for the DWP to ring your therapist and come to an agreement unless she is registered with the benefits agency as your legal appointee, and if you are that incapable of managing your affairs or communicating your needs then I would strongly suggest you do have someone appointed. That said, you seem to be perfectly capable of communication without a third party going by your posts on here. You are recalling dates and times seemingly effortlessly, and can state what your boyfriend helps you with etc. If you just tell the DWP that there won't be a problem.

If you are looking for a way out of this interview then I'm afraid there isn't one, not without having your benefit stopped. You won't be penalised for the delay but if it becomes a prolonged delay or if further appointments are cancelled/postponed they may well stop your benefits for non compliance.

Again, I apologise for being so blunt, but after you have already been given the answers I don't know what else it is you are hoping to hear.

Your ignorant reaction to me is just the reason I need my OT to be present, I might be Autistic but im not stupid, yes I can write on a forum & in letter's that doesn't mean I don't have communication problems.

From the NAS website :

As soon as we meet a person we make judgements about them. From their facial expression, tone of voice and body language we can usually tell whether they are happy, angry or sad and respond accordingly.
People with Asperger syndrome can find it harder to read the signals that most of us take for granted. This means they find it more difficult to communicate and interact with others which can lead to high levels of anxiety and confusion.
Here, we explain more about what Asperger syndrome is.

Difficulty with social communication

"If you have Asperger syndrome, understanding conversation is like trying to understand a foreign language."

People with Asperger syndrome sometimes find it difficult to express themselves emotionally and socially. For example, they may:

• have difficulty understanding gestures, facial expressions or tone of voice
• have difficulty knowing when to start or end a conversation and choosing topics to talk about
• use complex words and phrases but may not fully understand what they mean
• be very literal in what they say and can have difficulty understanding jokes, metaphor and sarcasm. For example, a person with Asperger syndrome may be confused by the phrase 'That's cool' when people use it to say something is good.

In order to help a person with Asperger syndrome understand you, keep your sentences short - be clear and concise.

For the record:

I never said I wanted to get out of my interview, I just said I needed my OT to be there.

I never said the Compliance Officer given to me should work full time but that maybe they should give my case to someone that does.

My OT (who actually works for the NHS) goes above & beyond the call of duty for me, attending all of the medical appointments ive had regarding the numerous surgeries ive had over the last years so it would be rude of me to expect her to drop her workload for me, she does have other clients too.

I don't want to use the CAB or Welfare rights as I don't like talking to people I don't know & I feel safe with my OT as she knows me & my medical history.

Is it against the rules to post on other sites & cut & paste to save time re typing the same thing over & over?

I wrote my query on each site at the sametime & have replied to the asnwers ive received as & when as I presumed it was polite as people have bothered to take the time to help me.

I only came on here looking to hear from people who had experienced the same problems as me & how it turned out for them not to be judged by complete strangers that know nothing about me.

Thanks for your advice, now I know what to expect from the DWP, ignorance & judgement, all you have done is increase my stress & anxiety levels.

Oldernotwiser

Breast_Cancer_Survivor wrote: »

I only came on here looking to hear from people who had experienced the same problems as me & how it turned out for them not to be judged by complete strangers that know nothing about me.

This is a public site and you can't dictate who will reply to you and whether they've been in the same situation.

One of the good things about MSE is that it gives you access to professionals working in the field, not only fellow sufferers who can give you {{hugs}}.

Often expert advice is more useful than sympathy!

seven-day-weekend

You will have to have this meeting. That is your part of the deal when claiming a benefit. I do understand why it is difficult (my husband suffers from anxiety and depression, and my son and his girlfriend have Asperger's Syndrome), but the more you delay the worse it will be for you emotionalluy and as a poster above says, you may even lose your benefit for being obstructive.

It would be better just to have the interview and get it out of the way. No-one is out to trick you, if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear, just answer the questions honestly.

You could even write things down beforehand if you find it difficult to speak to people. ( I have to do this with my Dr in Spain as my Spanish or her English isn't good enough for us to be absolutely sure we have communicated properly. So I write anything important down and get it translated). Writing things down is sometimes easier as you can do it at your leisure and it also serves as a prompt if you are talking, so that you don't forget anything.

Believe me, people are sympathetic, but you must have this meeting I'm afraid.

Breast_Cancer_Survivor

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I have suffered from depression and anxiety over many years as well as having survived breast cancer myself. As well as this I also care for my husband who has very severe COPD with a lung capacity of less than 20%.

I think it absolutely vital to hang onto a sense of humour thoughout it all. It's what keeps many of us going. Your situation is no worse than that of many other people.

Im sorry to hear that you have had breast cancer too, it's an awful disease, ive actually had it twice, the 1st time I was 24 the 2nd time I was 33.

Life is tough for alot of people but I admit I do feel ive been dealt a bad hand, im really struggling with my diagnosis of Asperger's which is increasing isolating me.

I have 3 young children & I need to be strong for them hence why I came on here looking for advice rather than just sticking my head in the sand.