ESA Medical

brendang_2

hi,just wondered if someone can advise me on what to expect when i go for my medical to qualify for ESA,ive been on in capacity benefit and low rate DLA for over 10 years now but all of a sudden im required to have a medical to assess my need for benefits,it is the same as it used to be ie a point scoring system as before and are your medical records part of the assessment,i suffer with severe ankylosing spondilitis and have extremely limited movement in my neck,hips and my spine and i was wondering if i will be asked to do any bending,reaching for example any advice will be appreciated,TIA

kaya

not been personally, from what i have read on here they are nice as pie to your face then lie like there is no tomorrow about what actually happened in the medical once you are at a safe distance, but from reading here it seems like a high percentage of people that appeal get there own way in the end, i shall be covertly recording my medical, if you tell them you are recording it they will throw you out, i will be interested to see how some of these women with poor parenting skills fare when it's there turn in the hot seat

dmg24

kaya wrote: »

not been personally, from what i have read on here they are nice as pie to your face then lie like there is no tomorrow about what actually happened in the medical once you are at a safe distance, but from reading here it seems like a high percentage of people that appeal get there own way in the end, i shall be covertly recording my medical, if you tell them you are recording it they will throw you out, i will be interested to see how some of these women with poor parenting skills fare when it's there turn in the hot seat

What a ridiculous response. Do you have anything to back up your claims, other than hearsay? No, I didn't think so!

OP, can you confirm that this is definitely an ESA medical? When was your IB award last reviewed? Has it always been done on the basis of medical reports, or did you fall into an exempt category? Sorry for all the questions, but most of us would rather give you an informed response, rather than just rambling on with what they heard at bingo!

The ESA scoring system is slightly different than the one used for IB. There is a nice overview of the descriptors here. Any further questions, we will be happy to expand on the information given.

(If anybody can tell me what relevance poor parenting skills have on ESA, I would be happy to be enlightened!)

Indie_Kid

dmg24 wrote: »

(If anybody can tell me what relevance poor parenting skills have on ESA, I would be happy to be enlightened!)

You what?!

are your medical records part of the assessment

I didn't think they ever were?

brendang_2

hi dmg 24,it is definitely an ESA medical, as far as i was aware my benefits were ongoing and as far as i was aware i was covered for dla and IB until 2011 ,im unsure if i was covered as part of an exempt category, all this has got me worried because even though my illness is a progressive one it seem like im being questioned about the severity of it,any advise how to approach the medical would be greatly appreciated and what to expect,TIA

dmg24

sh1305 wrote: »

You what?!

kaya wrote: »

i will be interested to see how some of these women with poor parenting skills fare when it's there turn in the hot seat

It was lost on me too!

dmg24

brendang wrote: »

hi dmg 24,it is definitely an ESA medical, as far as i was aware my benefits were ongoing and as far as i was aware i was covered for dla and IB until 2011 ,im unsure if i was covered as part of an exempt category, all this has got me worried because even though my illness is a progressive one it seem like im being questioned about the severity of it,any advise how to approach the medical would be greatly appreciated and what to expect,TIA

Have you completed an ESA50 form? You are the first long term IB claimant that I have heard of to be called for an ESA medical. My understanding was that the first group to be moved over would be younger claimants (under 25) and those who were due for an IB renewal - none of which apply to you!

Assuming you do need to go for the medical (which I am not sure that you should have been called), the medical examiner will ask you questions which relate to the descriptors mentioned earlier. For example, they may ask what you do each day, and then draw questions from this - are you able to drive, can you sit/ stand/ walk for any length of time etc. They may also perform a short medical examination. The examiner will have a copy of your ESA50 form, and any reports that have been submitted by your specialist/ GP etc.

Once the examiner has completed their report, this information will go back to a JCP decision maker. They will look at this, along with the information you have submitted (and any other reports requested), and decide whether you are eligible for ESA and which group you should be put into.

brendang_2

hi,yes ive completed the ESA50 forms and ireturned them and now ive been asked to attend a medical,thanks for the link to the desciptors in your previous post and having looked at them i think (fingers crossed) i should be ok,should i pass could you explain what the" groups" are to me please as im in ther dark with all these changes lately,TIA

Indie_Kid

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/FinancialSupport/esa/DG_171894 explains the groups, if you scroll down a bit.

cit_k

dmg24 wrote: »

What a ridiculous response. Do you have anything to back up your claims, other than hearsay? No, I didn't think so!

If their was a court case, and an invite for everyone who had experienced ATOS examiners being nice, then lying through their teeth (or keyboard) to give testimony under oath (and in some cases, like mine, actual recorded evidence) then I would love to go. As would countless others Im sure.

cit_k

not only that but JCP staff themselves have concerns about esa.

JCP staff
JCP advisers in all districts thought that a significant number of customers applying
for ESA were found fit for work at the WCA medical, and subsequently referred
to JSA, although they could not specify how many.11 Staff acknowledged that
there were a few customers who they thought were genuinely fit for work, but
they believed that large numbers of customers who were not well enough to
go onto JSA were being found fit for work at the WCA. While this was viewed
as distressing for most customers, advisers believed that it could be particularly
damaging for customers with mental health conditions, and carried a high risk of
worsening their symptoms.

that, and more here