The Work Programme New Thread

donnajunkie

MissSarah1972 wrote: »

I would have replied 'pass', next question...........

i am sure i could have refused to answer. the issue wasnt being asked. it was how she asked. like i said some people could be offended by how she worded it.

donnajunkie

looby75 wrote: »

I'm not in any group yet, I am still in the assessment phase. I've just returned my medical questionnaire and will prob have to go for a medical assessment if my GP still thinks I need to be signed off.

I'm still waiting for the phone call. I think they finish work at 4.30 so doubt they will phone today now. I've got a doctors appointment tomorrow morning so if they try then they will be out of luck as I won't answer my phone in the middle of the doctors surgery.

you perhaps should seek advice to ensure you are in the right. of course, you probably are.

looby75

donnajunkie wrote: »

you perhaps should seek advice to ensure you are in the right. of course, you probably are.

I'm not sure who I can ask though. The JC won't talk to me now I'm not claiming JSA, and obviously there is no point in asking the WP.

My gp has signed me off as not being capable of any work at the moment so I wouldn't have thought that the WP have the right to make me go in there.

It's so frustrating not knowing for sure, and really isn't helping my anxiety and depression. I've been even more on edge than I normally am all day and have had to take 3 of the tranquillisers my GP prescribed. I've been managing on just 2 a day so far (the doc prescribed up to 4 day but asked me to use them as infrequently as possible, today has not been a good day )

donnajunkie

looby75 wrote: »

I'm not sure who I can ask though. The JC won't talk to me now I'm not claiming JSA, and obviously there is no point in asking the WP.

My gp has signed me off as not being capable of any work at the moment so I wouldn't have thought that the WP have the right to make me go in there.

It's so frustrating not knowing for sure, and really isn't helping my anxiety and depression. I've been even more on edge than I normally am all day and have had to take 3 of the tranquillisers my GP prescribed. I've been managing on just 2 a day so far (the doc prescribed up to 4 day but asked me to use them as infrequently as possible, today has not been a good day )

dwp? citizens advice? welfare rights officer?

looby75

donnajunkie wrote: »

dwp? citizens advice? welfare rights officer?

you have to wait about 3 weeks or more for an appointment at our CAB, the only place I've ever heard of a welfare rights officer is at the CAB, do they work elsewhere?

I've had a look at the DWP (direct gov?) website and can't find anything online about the WP and the assessment phase of ESA. The only info I can find is the WP and WRAG ESA.

Surely I can't be the only person who has ended up on ESA while already on the WP.

donnajunkie

looby75 wrote: »

you have to wait about 3 weeks or more for an appointment at our CAB, the only place I've ever heard of a welfare rights officer is at the CAB, do they work elsewhere?

I've had a look at the DWP (direct gov?) website and can't find anything online about the WP and the assessment phase of ESA. The only info I can find is the WP and WRAG ESA.

Surely I can't be the only person who has ended up on ESA while already on the WP.

it maybe worth starting a seperate thread asking for advice.
i have no experience of welfare rights officers but when people talk about them they seem to talk about them as something seperate from cab. when i mentioned dwp i meant call or write to them rather than look on their website.

john539

looby75 wrote: »

you have to wait about 3 weeks or more for an appointment at our CAB, the only place I've ever heard of a welfare rights officer is at the CAB, do they work elsewhere?

I've had a look at the DWP (direct gov?) website and can't find anything online about the WP and the assessment phase of ESA. The only info I can find is the WP and WRAG ESA.

Surely I can't be the only person who has ended up on ESA while already on the WP.

Looking at page 7 of this WP document, suggests Mandatory ESA participants is determined when the Work Capability Assessment result is known:

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/wp-pg-chapter-2.pdf


Also found this thread
http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?341963-JSA-to-ESA

see post #12, which says:

you have been misled.
you DEFINITELY do not need to attend ANY wp appoitment while you are on ASSESSMENT phase of ESA.
the WP providers do not know this and might tell you otherwise but you can simply check with jobcentre plus.
it does not matter whether you were on WP on your previous JSA claim or not.

that being said;when your esa claim is finalized and if they put you on work related activity group,you can be referred to work programme,but it will be different than WP for people on JSA and you will not be asked to apply for a job.let alone asking you for attending mandatory work placements.

if they put you on support group then you will not be referred to WP at all.

I am %100 sure about what I said above.
good luck.

looby75

oh John, thank you so much. You have no idea how much better I will sleep tonight knowing that when (if?) they phone me tomorrow I can refuse to go in to the appointments.

I had a huge panic attack earlier after seeing an email in my inbox from my adviser. It was just an automated one that they send weekly but just seeing their name there was enough to set it off I feel totally pathetic but thats just how fragile my nerves at them moment. I had some more bad news about a family member today too so it's just all too much atm.

john539

looby75 wrote: »

oh John, thank you so much. You have no idea how much better I will sleep tonight knowing that when (if?) they phone me tomorrow I can refuse to go in to the appointments.

I had a huge panic attack earlier after seeing an email in my inbox from my adviser. It was just an automated one that they send weekly but just seeing their name there was enough to set it off I feel totally pathetic but thats just how fragile my nerves at them moment. I had some more bad news about a family member today too so it's just all too much atm.

Tell them you are not well and you have been told that as you are on ESA Assessment phase, you do not have to attend.

Hopefully they will go check & leave you alone.

The only other thing I can think of is that as a private scam company, they may have no way of checking that you are on ESA & what phase you are on due to privacy/confidentiality, so they will keep bothering you until this is somehow confirmed by you or DWP.

looby75

well no phone call from them today either. Maybe they have finally got the message, or done some checking of their own and found out that I am right and that I don't have to go in for appointments at the moment.