ESA and sick notes

jewelly

Does anyone know if you have to provide sick notes (Med 3 form signed by GP) indefinitely when you are on ESA? In the back of my mind I thought this requirement stopped after 6 months.

I rang the DWP in February and I'm sure I remember them saying it wasn't necessary any more. But I may be getting confused with Housing Benefit rules. I wish I'd written it down at the time. I have written to the DWP since asking them to clarify, but they only seem capable of standard letters and have not given me an answer.

I rang the DWP today to find out why ESA payments had been stopped as no letter of explanation has been sent, and they informed me that they had not received a sick note since the beginning of April.

Any clarification would be appreciated as I am not sure the DWP know what they are doing. It seems I get a different anwser each time I speak to them.

[Deleted User]

have you had a medical yet?

healy

jewelly wrote: »

Does anyone know if you have to provide sick notes (Med 3 form signed by GP) indefinitely when you are on ESA? In the back of my mind I thought this requirement stopped after 6 months.

I rang the DWP in February and I'm sure I remember them saying it wasn't necessary any more. But I may be getting confused with Housing Benefit rules. I wish I'd written it down at the time. I have written to the DWP since asking them to clarify, but they only seem capable of standard letters and have not given me an answer.

I rang the DWP today to find out why ESA payments had been stopped as no letter of explanation has been sent, and they informed me that they had not received a sick note since the beginning of April.

Any clarification would be appreciated as I am not sure the DWP know what they are doing. It seems I get a different anwser each time I speak to them.

You need to send in sick notes until/if you pass the Work Capability Assessment (WCA).

Tehya

Hi,

Sick notes are needed whilst you are in the assessment phase. Once you are placed in either the Work Related Activity or Support Groups you'll stop needing to provide them.

My son was placed in the Support Group last week and even though he'd been on ESA for just over a year it's only now that he doesn't have to provide sick notes any longer.

This is because it took so long to sort out his medical whereas my hubby didn't have a medical because he's so ill and was placed in the Support Group at week 14 of his claim again this was when he stopped needing sick notes.

Hope this helps,

Tehya

PS: Sorry for the long winded version of what healy said ;-)-{-<

jewelly

woodbine wrote: »

have you had a medical yet?

Yes (I think!). It's not about me, but someone I'm trying to support. He had a medical appointment mid-April. When I spoke to the DWP today they said he hadn't attended. But he assures me he did. I am not convinced as he is known to tell porkies when it suits him. I told them he said he had attended. When they rang me back after investigating why the ESA had stopped, they said it was because of the lack on sick notes since April.

daska

Given that ATOS are capable of magicking a stoma out of thin air, sending letters for non-existent appointments and disputing facts physically witnessed by other professionals I see no reason to automatically assume that this person is telling porkies. ATOS also neglect to check the ID and get signatures from all attendees (on 2 out of 5 occasions so far for me). So they'd probably have to prove he hadn't been by checking the CCTV for the day, which, if it was a month ago they might well not have any more. If the GP is willing to sign the note it seems worth an appeal to me...

It is also not unknown for the system to "take against" someone (happened to me) and for the requirement for sick notes to continue after it is supposed to end.