help with esa support group

survivor_13

hi, im new to the forum and hope someone can help.

I've recently won a year long battle with esa.
I was declared fit for work scoring 0 points in the medical, then turned down in the written appeal.
Last month i finally had my oral hearing, and having scored 30 points within the first 2 minutes of the hearing, the case was declared a no contest and i was successfully awarded esa. The doctor went as far as saying "a blind man on a galloping horse could see that you are incabable of work".
Now today i recieved a letter stating that i was put into the wor related activity group instead of the support group and am once again quite distressed.
When i called esa the girl i spoke to wasn't very helpful in regards to information. She said that the support group is only for terminally ill people.
I'm extremely confused by the whole situation and have been trying to find a list of criteria that needs to be met to recieve support group status.
Can anyone please help? Either with a link or a list on this topic?
Thank you so much in advance.
Gerard.

survivor_13

anybody? please

dmg24

You might want to give people chance to reply!

A high score on the WCA does not mean that you will be put in the Support group. What are your concerns about being in the WRA group?

jellytastic

I am not terminally ill and i am in the support group..

dmg24

jellytastic wrote: »

I am not terminally ill and i am in the support group..

That is correct, you do not need to be terminally ill to be in the Support group.

survivor_13

sorry to be so harsh lol.
Its just i've been fighting an appeal for a fortnight short of a full year now just for esa, it was depressing having that burden over my head for so long and i have just started to make small progress with my illness after one short week of a break to focus on it.
I have multiple illnesses which i address my gp with weekly. I cant work and now i've just had enough of it all
I just want to improve my quality of life before going through all the questions and government dealings again.
I've found a link online with a list of criteria but i dont now if it has any credibility,
(edit, wont let me as a new user post links.)
www. benefits now . co. uk / esa / work related . asp
(remove spaces if you wish to check it out, sorry.)
I satisfy alot of the criteria here and even have the proof in the form of the letter given by the doctor and lawyer at my esa tribunal/oral hearing.

Im sorry, im just upset with the constant contradictions and having, as the esa tribunal legal documents stated " the ownus of burden".

survivor_13

hi again everyone.
i've noticed the views counter on this thread keeps going up but sadly no comments
Anything you know from personal experience or elsewhere in regards to the criteria for support group eligibility in ESA would be greatly beneficial to me. thank you.
Also if i can help anyone out with my own experiences in losing benefits after failing the medical, losing written appeal, then finally winning the oral tribunal, feel free to ask.

Loopy_Girl

dmg24 wrote: »

I am still not sure what your concerns are regarding being in the WRA group?

Presumably because he feels he is so unfit for work that being in the support group as oppose to the work group would put his mind at rest.

Quite clearly the OP is agitated and the way I am reading it is that if he is in the work group then he is worried he will have to go to back to work interviews etc

dmg24

Loopy_Girl wrote: »

Presumably because he feels he is so unfit for work that being in the support group as oppose to the work group would put his mind at rest.

Quite clearly the OP is agitated and the way I am reading it is that if he is in the work group then he is worried he will have to go to back to work interviews etc

We can presume allsorts, but only the OP can answer the question! It is quite possible that the WRA group could be a positive step for the OP, but without knowing their concerns nobody can say.

survivor_13

Sorry to be unclear, and thanks for your patience.

For one i'm just upset about the fact i'm unable for work and had to prove this point for the longest time.
I went from turning everything around for myself by working hard and earning the necessary qualifications to become a social worker.
Was working hands on in a top canadian school then got sick and lost it all :-(
sorry for sob story but i just want to mae it clear im not one of those people trying to work the system. For the longest time because of my foolish pride i declined applyiing for any benefits.

Secondly it does sound greedy but i want what im entitled to.
From the limited knowledge i have on the subject, i meet the criteria for Support group. But like i said, my knowledge is limited and would like to have a better understanding of it.

Without going into it too much, i see no use for interviews designed to get me into work when due to severe problems with continence, pain, blackouts and counsciousness, not to mention the mental issues raised by dealing with multiple illnesses each day(all of which backed up with medical reports by my own gp and the independant tribunal), its blaringly obvious that these issues cant* be simply worked around.

Hope that helps, if not feel free to ask further questions.
Do you think you can help me in finding an accurate source for the criteria needed? or any personal advice?

Indie_Kid

survivor_13 wrote: »

Without going into it too much, i see no use for interviews designed to get me into work when due to severe problems with continence, pain, blackouts and counsciousness, not to mention the mental issues raised by dealing with multiple illnesses each day(all of which backed up with medical reports by my own gp and the independant tribunal), its blaringly obvious that these issues can be simply worked around.

if your issues can be worked around, what's the problem here?