Confused about ESA

ToNik

I like your guess, it makes much more sense than anything I can think up! Hopefully the ball is rolling now to sort this silly mess out! Thanks so much for your help throughout Muttley x

NASA_2

The only thing that triggers a reassessment is the medical section setting a review or a new claim being made.

The notion above is truly stupid.

cit_k

NASA wrote: »

The only thing that triggers a reassessment is the medical section setting a review or a new claim being made.

The notion above is truly stupid.

Yes, but we are talking about the DWP, truly stupid is something I have come to expect from them.

Like when they wrote to say my ESA had been stopped as I had attended a ESA appeal and been found fit for work.

Despite the fact, no ESA appeal had been heard, in fact, no date had even been set for one.

And when I asked them, they didnt have a clue why they had actually sent that wording in writing to me, what they meant to say, was I had been found unfit for work by a IB tribunal, and my IB was going to be reinstated, so they closed ESA.

NASA_2

Was it a computer generated letter?

It sounds like it was and, if it was, then users have no control over the actual content of the letter. So calling the user a moron (As someone above did) is idiotic. Its hard to create a masterpiece when the only tool you have been given is a lump of used lard (Most DWP systems are very old and second hand and not originally designed for their current purpose).

That sounds like a fairly innocuous thing to have happen.

And as for a name being obviously a wind-up ie. Donald Duck. People, unfortunately, have the right to choose to be known as a different name and I have seen similarly stupid names being used.

cit_k

NASA wrote: »

Was it a computer generated letter?

It sounds like it was and, if it was, then users have no control over the actual content of the letter. So calling the user a moron (As someone above did) is idiotic. Its hard to create a masterpiece when the only tool you have been given is a lump of used lard (Most DWP systems are very old and second hand and not originally designed for their current purpose).

That sounds like a fairly innocuous thing to have happen.

And as for a name being obviously a wind-up ie. Donald Duck. People, unfortunately, have the right to choose to be known as a different name and I have seen similarly stupid names being used.

Dont they have they ability to use a wordprocessor, or manually write a correction on the letter by hand?

Is the letter actually just remotely generated, and printed remotely/stuck in envelope by someone else???

Why dont they raise a concern with management that the letter should not be sent out as its incorrect, as they should be doing raising any concerns as per civil service code? Then manually do one?

NASA_2

cit_k wrote: »

Dont they have they ability to use a wordprocessor, or manually write a correction on the letter by hand?

Is the letter actually just remotely generated, and printed remotely/stuck in envelope by someone else???

Why dont they raise a concern with management that the letter should not be sent out as its incorrect, as they should be doing raising any concerns as per civil service code? Then manually do one?

The system generated letters are sent from a service delivery centre. I've never been to one but I would imagine that everything is done by machine as it would be inconceivable (To me) for so many letters to be sorted by staff.

Concerns have been raised to management as some of the letters are totally useless and just generate additional contact from claimants - which management themselves dont want.

My understanding is, and I have nothing to confirm this, that the cost of making a change to the letters themselves are hugely expensive and therefore not done.

A staff member could write an additional letter but the system one will still go out too.

Muttleythefrog

NASA wrote: »

The notion above is truly stupid.

To be fair NASA it's the only thing that comes close to making sense given the apparent facts... the notion is truly stupid but truly stupid things seem to have occurred... and it is far from the first scarcely comprehendable situation to arise regarding DWP and ESA on these threads. (If Donald Duck was a real person then he/she was linked to the wrong husband). A re-assessment shouldn't have been triggered as appeal was outstanding. And no new claim was made, (medical) circumstances seem unchanged. As an outsider, and given personal experience and the experience of others, I can only conclude there is an almost renegade ESA computerised system that is as bad as many of its users. What the person at the DWP has told them is in itself hard to believe.... and let's not forget while awaiting appeal this applicant has had another medical. It's truly bizarre and had it been anything other than the DWP involved I would have been inclined to think the MSE user was... using something.

It took me almost a year to have my WCA by which time I'd already been informed I'd failed it (they told me not to worry because hundreds of people had also received the same letter)... and attended all the work focussed interviews it was later determined I needn't attend. I was never informed when I passed, I was given the wrong HCP details regarding medical (or ATOS later changed the HCP.. more likely) and whenever I've called them I've been met with indecision and ignorance... although they've all been polite..lol.

My use of the word moron is purely to highlight that at best several people at the DWP have been bystanders to a flawed piece of software... and at worst... well... I'd rather not say... but they do appear to have been party to the failings here since the claimant details appear to have been wrongly set up and the catastrophe that followed seems to be a result of attempts to correct them. But like I say, I was guessing as to course of events, probably only the DWP themselves can explain them.... but I suspect they'll be rather reluctant to. We'll probably never know.