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ATOS Medical - failed, advice please?
Comments
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Skinticket wrote: »I recently had a medical for Industrial Injury Disablement benefit, the "medical" was carried out by atos, the medical deemed me to be disabled, i passed it and was awarded the benefit, and even tho i passed it the report was still full of lies and mentions things that didnt even happen....
"the customer was able to remove his overcoat and remove his shoes and socks without assistance" - pack of lies, my wife helped me remove my cardigan (not an overcoat) and at no point in the "medical" was i asked to remove my shoes or socks.
this is what gets my blood boiling....
"after the examination, the customer put back on his shoes and socks, without assistance and put on his coat and scarf without hesitation...."
I HAVE NEVER IN MY LIFE OWNED A DAMN SCARF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
why are they able to put such lies down in these reports and get away with it.
it borders on slander to be honest.
Ironically, I looked up the assessor that did my report/assessment, and there is a website dedicated to someones case for that benefit, and it was the same assessor who did one of the reports being questioned over its integrity...[greenhighlight]but it matters when the most senior politician in the land is happy to use language and examples that are simply not true.
[/greenhighlight][redtitle]
The impact of this is to stigmatise people on benefits,
and we should be deeply worried about that[/redtitle](house of lords debate, talking about Cameron)0 -
I've been on ESA for some time, and just failed one of those delightful medical assessments... big shocker eh?!!
I failed one last year, appealled and had it overturned with back-pay... the next call for a medical took about two weeks arriving - how they expect people to get well with this stress on their shoulders is beyond me.
Anyway, my question is that the summary said that they feel I'm 'fit for work within three months'! (not true anyway), I'm confused by that. Is that a standard thing they say when they feel there's nothing wrong with you? Or does it take into account that perhaps you're NOT 100% fit and well. Wouldn't they say I'm fit for work NOW if I'm totally fine!? Can anyone throw some light on this please? as it'll help when I put my appeal in!
The software will be pre-programmed with standard return to work periods probably.
ATOS get paid per assessment, so its in their interest to keep the re-assessment times as short as possible, in order to earn as much money as possible.
DWP gets to keep money in bank whilst claimaint waits for a year to appeal, ok they have to pay it out if they win, but think of all that interest, or how much better their books look not having to pay out benefits.[greenhighlight]but it matters when the most senior politician in the land is happy to use language and examples that are simply not true.
[/greenhighlight][redtitle]
The impact of this is to stigmatise people on benefits,
and we should be deeply worried about that[/redtitle](house of lords debate, talking about Cameron)0 -
I totally agree with that, it's FAR too general!
And if ATOS are going to declare me 'fit to work' then it would be nice if the report wasn't full of lies where they haven't taken any notice of what I've said or hospital reports and letters I've produced!! Of course they can decide I'm fit for work if they just ignore everything in front of them!?
I would appeal against the decision.
Before they send it to a tribunal, it does actually go for a reconsideration anyway, and more than a few 'adverse' decisions are changed at that point.
http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/employment-and-support-allowance/esa-appeals
http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/latest-news/1071-download-our-esa-appeals-guide
http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/t9_appeals.pdf
If you need some help with a appeal, you can ask your local CAB for details of a local welfare rights worker, or they may be able to help you themselves.
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/your_money/benefits/problems_with_benefits_and_tax_credits.htm
Lin
You can tell a lot about a woman by her hands..........for instance, if they are placed around your throat, she's probably slightly upset.
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I believe a large number of appeals are mental health cases. The problem with mental health is that on one hand, you can be very ill, but it is not forceably visible (or visible on that particular day) and therefore hard to assee, BUT ALSO, one trait that is almost always associated with mental health illnesses is low self esteem and confidence, which makes sufferers believe they are less capable than what they really are. Cognitive therapy focusses very much on this. In these cases, it is not unconceivable that the ATOS examiner might actually be more apt to know what the patient is capable of doing then the patient themselves.0
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I believe a large number of appeals are mental health cases. The problem with mental health is that on one hand, you can be very ill, but it is not forceably visible (or visible on that particular day) and therefore hard to assee, BUT ALSO, one trait that is almost always associated with mental health illnesses is low self esteem and confidence, which makes sufferers believe they are less capable than what they really are. Cognitive therapy focusses very much on this. In these cases, it is not unconceivable that the ATOS examiner might actually be more apt to know what the patient is capable of doing then the patient themselves.
What the assessor thinks does not really make a jot of difference.
They are pretty much nothing more than trained monkeys asking questions from a computer screen, and selecting predefined answers from said screen, then signing their name to the computer generated report, the computer does all the thinking.
A mechanic or macdonalds worker could do an assessment just as easily as their assessors, as they just need to follow the screen...[greenhighlight]but it matters when the most senior politician in the land is happy to use language and examples that are simply not true.
[/greenhighlight][redtitle]
The impact of this is to stigmatise people on benefits,
and we should be deeply worried about that[/redtitle](house of lords debate, talking about Cameron)0 -
Skinticket wrote: »still doesnt make it right....
and i fail to see how ATOS' medical deems me to be disabled yet the one i had for esa says im fit for work....
the lies they told in the report will go against me as ive sent off a copy of this to the esa people regarding my appeal.
they lie through their !!!!ing teeth and get away with it.
Surely you can be disabled AND fit for work?
A young friend of mine is a wheelchair user, but he can work in a wheelchair accessible office.
Another friend is blind and so is her husband. She is a lecturer and he is a computer programmer.
Being disabled does not necessarily mean you can't work!(AKA HRH_MUngo)
Member #10 of £2 savers club
Imagine someone holding forth on biology whose only knowledge of the subject is the Book of British Birds, and you have a rough idea of what it feels like to read Richard Dawkins on theology: Terry Eagleton0 -
Dear Alison,
My wife had one of these atos medicals and the so-called doctor said my wife could walk for 800 metres before feeling severe discomfort and then stated in the same review form that he did not do a walking exam!!!! go figure. Truth is that the Atos healthcare have just had their contract renewed as we are all looking forward to compulsory and more regular reviews of our cases. These medicals are supposed to be compulsory for all new and excisting claimants.
Fear is that due to these doctors and some of them are not even that, are earning well over 100 grand a year that they have indeed in some cases dont even to be part of a practising practice because of the money they are making through these medicals. If they wrote the truth in most cases they wouldnt be in the job they are would they?
Taking my wife as an example, she suffers from a neuro-logical condition with various other disabilities and having taken the dwp 22 weeks for them to come to a descision and been downgraded to mrc and lrm we are in appeal. So we have another 6 months of living hell which brings on her epilepsy even bloody more.
Im outraged as i feel it is bordering on breaking your human rights to a life. The fact that these doctors can base their descision on opinion for these descision makers to put aside clinically proven disabilities is beyond me.
Best of luck alison for future appeals x0 -
Or he could be honest and ask them to record it, which they will now do.
Or he has no obligation to be honest with them - they won't be, so why should he?
Besides, if they do, I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if parts of pertinent recordings were 'damaged' or edited. They cannot be trusted to do it themselves.0 -
seven-day-weekend wrote: »Surely you can be disabled AND fit for work?
A young friend of mine is a wheelchair user, but he can work in a wheelchair accessible office.
Another friend is blind and so is her husband. She is a lecturer and he is a computer programmer.
Being disabled does not necessarily mean you can't work!
And being disabled does not necessarily mean you can.0 -
And being disabled does not necessarily mean you can.
Agreed, but the point I was making is that many people think that if you have a disability, any disability, then that precludes being able to work and I was just pointing out that many disabled people can and do work.
My son's girlfriend has a disability, claims dla and works 30 hours a week.
Stephen Hawking has only just retired in his 70s!
Of course there are many disabilities which mean you can't work, but equally as many are no barrier to working. It depends what the disability is, and what the work is.
It is wrong to think 'disabled = cannot work'.(AKA HRH_MUngo)
Member #10 of £2 savers club
Imagine someone holding forth on biology whose only knowledge of the subject is the Book of British Birds, and you have a rough idea of what it feels like to read Richard Dawkins on theology: Terry Eagleton0
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