ESA form send to ATOS and decision maker?

cwc100

Hello, I've been reading the forums on the Benefits and Work website, and the advice given there suggests that it would be wise to send a copy of the ESA form and evidence to the decision maker at the same time as sending it to ATOS? My understanding is that the decision maker only sees the report generated from ATOS?

Anyone here also done this?

Thanks!

DomRavioli

That would be great, but you don't know who your decision maker is unless you send the form, and request the information under the freedom of information act. Its not common knowledge.

I don't get why you would want to send the info directly, as it in all likelyhood will be disregarded as they are only allowed to act on the ESA50 questionnaire, plus any info given by you. They can make recommendations, but it is the decision maker who will make the report, not ATOS.

cwc100

Unfortunately I couldn't ask in their forum as you had to pay a subscription to post anything, but you're right you wouldn't be able to find out who the decision maker was, so people were sending a copy of their form plus evidence to their benefit delivery centre which I think is where the decision making is done. From what I could understand the ESA form is sent to ATOS/medical services first though, at least thats what it says on the reply-to envelope.

robus

No matter what you do, you have as much chance of being found fit for work as those that send nothing in AND only a partially completed ESA50.

The assessment is to see how you are on that day, with some regard given if the problems vary a lot.
The assessor is not in the least bit interested in any document and that includes the ESA50!

Muttleythefrog

cwc100 wrote: »

Hello, I've been reading the forums on the Benefits and Work website, and the advice given there suggests that it would be wise to send a copy of the ESA form and evidence to the decision maker at the same time as sending it to ATOS? My understanding is that the decision maker only sees the report generated from ATOS?

Anyone here also done this?

Thanks!

Sometimes it is advised to send to both (you don't actually need to know the DM's name...there probably isn't an actual DM even assigned until a decision needs to be taken for the WCA... just use the appropriate address) so there can be no administrative reason for both not taking such evidence into account. I probably wouldn't bother sending copy of ESA50 to DM.. just supporting evidence.. I think you can assume the ESA50 will not go astray. The DWP DM should see all evidence... but I wouldn't trust ATOS to ever follow due process (and take your evidence and ensure it is forwarded)... it appears not even uncommon for evidence not to be read prior to medical assessment (including ESA50) by the healthcare professional doing the medical. I advise requesting a copy of the ATOS medical report (which is created by the HCP at ATOS) from the DWP a couple of days after a face to face medical as by then the DWP should be about to receive their copy.

NASA_2

cwc100 wrote: »

Hello, I've been reading the forums on the Benefits and Work website, and the advice given there suggests that it would be wise to send a copy of the ESA form and evidence to the decision maker at the same time as sending it to ATOS? My understanding is that the decision maker only sees the report generated from ATOS?

Anyone here also done this?

Thanks!

Certainly not the way it is meant to operate. The DM is supposed to use all the information provided - ESA50/Supporting evidence and ATOS report.

cwc100

Thanks for all your replies so far! The more I research online, the more confusing it gets as some people approach it differently/had varying experiences. I rung the disability benefit advice line for more info, they were very helpful.

Atos_Healthcare_representative

Hello,

You need to send your Limited Capability for Work Questionnaire (ESA50), together with any additional information such as medical reports to the regional Atos Healthcare centre that is dealing with your case in the pre-paid envelope provided to you. If you are asked to attend a face to face assessment, you may also bring additional medical information with you to your assessment, which will be considered as part of the assessment and, with your permission, copied and added to your file.

After your assessment is complete, we will return your file, including all documentation you have submitted to the DWP office dealing with your case.

When the decision maker considers your case and makes the decision to entitlement of benefit, he/she will look at all evidence available to them which will include any information you have submitted and the medical report compiled by our healthcare professional.

If a duplicate copy of the completed ESA50 and any other information is sent to the decision maker at the same time as it is sent to us, it will simply be added to your file and the decision maker will have two identical copies of the information.

I hope this helps. Please feel free to contact our customer relations team if you have any further questions regarding this issue [link removed by MSE Forum Team]

Kind regards,

Atos Healthcare Customer Relations

robus

Atos_Healthcare_company_representative wrote: »

Hello,

You need to send your Limited Capability for Work Questionnaire (ESA50), together with any additional information such as medical reports to the regional Atos Healthcare centre that is dealing with your case in the pre-paid envelope provided to you. If you are asked to attend a face to face assessment, you may also bring additional medical information with you to your assessment, which will be considered as part of the assessment and, with your permission, copied and added to your file.

After your assessment is complete, we will return your file, including all documentation you have submitted to the DWP office dealing with your case.

When the decision maker considers your case and makes the decision to entitlement of benefit, he/she will look at all evidence available to them which will include any information you have submitted and the medical report compiled by our healthcare professional.

If a duplicate copy of the completed ESA50 and any other information is sent to the decision maker at the same time as it is sent to us, it will simply be added to your file and the decision maker will have two identical copies of the information.

I hope this helps. Please feel free to contact our customer relations team if you have any further questions regarding this issue: custrelations@atoshealthcare.com

Kind regards,

Atos Healthcare Customer Relations

Thanks for coming on and explaining that. But you have to be honest it sounds very much like a pamphlet handed out by ATOS!
Yes I agree that is how you would like it to work, but believe me, and I can only tell of my personal experience, it does not work that way in reality.

For a start, up to early this year, ATOS made a point in sending out a letter which enclosed the ESA50 stating that NOTHING apart from the ESA50 should be returned to ATOS. Why the sudden change?

Even now, the assessor does not even look at the evidence handed to him when carrying out the assessment.

In my case I took the view that I would receive a clear 0 points no matter what I did.
So I refused to fill the ESA50 out and returned it only bearing my signature. I refused to send anything that would give the assessor any indication of what my conditions were and how they affected me. The only information the assessor had was a copy of my sicknote which described only one of many conditions I have.

I answered, as I was told to do by the assessor, in the positive and negative only, saying Yes/No to all questions, never elaborating on anything.

True to form, and despite the assessor at a later date swearing blind that he asked a whole range of questions, I received 0 points.

So when I was then able to submit evidence to the Decision Maker, for example that I had a mental illness that had been in existence for 15 years, it totally contradicted every statement I was alledged to have made saying that I had never had and currently do not have a mental illness.
This went on throughout the report, with me providing evidence in support of all my conditions and how they affected my working ability, until, it was decided that the ATOS report was not 'worth the paper it was printed on (as stated by a review doctor from ATOS to the DWP following a complaint from me).

Did the assessor do his job properly? Did he do enough to uncover what my problems were? Was he satisfied that the report was a true picture of my health? Obviously not.

Within weeks of being told I had 0 points, I was placed in the support group for many years before being reassessed.

Why does ATOS allow this to happen? Why all of a sudden that from 2008 until March 2011, they refused to entertain any additional evidence being sent in has it been changed?

Morglin

There are so many ATOS threads on the go, I'm posting this on them all, so apologies for the repetition:


BBC seeking people undergoing WCA in October

10 October 2011
Disability Alliance is trying to help Radio 4 reach people about to undergo a Work Capability Assessment (WCA). DA believes the WCA is failing disabled people and needs urgent reform. Radio 4 are not getting any help from DWP on the issue and need your help to identify people about to experience the WCA. Please get in touch with BBC Producer Helen Grady if you can help. The following message is directly from Helen:

Are you or one of your friends or family about to undergo a work capability assessment? If so, the BBC would love to talk to you.
Radio 4 is making a documentary about the system being used to determine who is 'fit to work'.
We're trying to understand how the system works from the inside - in particular the assessments being carried out by Atos.
We'd like to chat to people who have an assessment this month (October) with a view to talking to them before and after their assessment.
There are no cameras and we will not record anything with you unless you are 100 per cent happy to take part in the programme. We can come to you.
If you are interested in helping us, please call or text the producer Helen Grady on 07786 857580 or email [EMAIL="helen.grady@bbc.co.uk"]helen.grady@bbc.co.uk[/EMAIL]
Thanks - and do pass this on to your friends and family.

More information

• wca and disabled people - BBC ‘Eye on Wales’ programme on WCA problems for disabled people (10 October 2011)

http://www.disabilityalliance.org/bbcwca.htm

Lin

FTW

Atos_Healthcare_company_representative wrote: »

Hello,

You need to send your Limited Capability for Work Questionnaire (ESA50), together with any additional information such as medical reports to the regional Atos Healthcare centre that is dealing with your case in the pre-paid envelope provided to you. If you are asked to attend a face to face assessment, you may also bring additional medical information with you to your assessment, which will be considered as part of the assessment and, with your permission, copied and added to your file.

After your assessment is complete, we will return your file, including all documentation you have submitted to the DWP office dealing with your case.

When the decision maker considers your case and makes the decision to entitlement of benefit, he/she will look at all evidence available to them which will include any information you have submitted and the medical report compiled by our healthcare professional.

If a duplicate copy of the completed ESA50 and any other information is sent to the decision maker at the same time as it is sent to us, it will simply be added to your file and the decision maker will have two identical copies of the information.

I hope this helps. Please feel free to contact our customer relations team if you have any further questions regarding this issue: custrelations@atoshealthcare.com

Kind regards,

Atos Healthcare Customer Relations

I'd take all this with a very large pinch of salt, and here's some constructive advice for you to pass around - please respond to FOI and Data Protection requests that get sent to you.