should I appeal? Need advice!

Ewan154

Hi,
Recevied a letter from the dole today telling me that I have been placed in the support group.


Should I appeal to try and get put in the support group?

I suffer from M.E, fibromyalgia and deppression.

wiccanlou

Do you mean you have been not put in the support group? If so it is very unlikely you will get into the support group with those illnesses no matter what you think and if you appeal they may look at your case again and decide you should be on JSA. Although you are in the WRAG you don't have to search for work or do any work or so I have been lead to believe, I have been in the WRAG since last june and have never even been called into the JC for an interview.

rogerblack

Ewan154 wrote: »

Hi,
Recevied a letter from the dole today telling me that I have been placed in the support group.


Should I appeal to try and get put in the support group?

I suffer from M.E, fibromyalgia and deppression.

It depends.
Firstly, you need to understand the grounds why you might be placed in the support group. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/m-06-11.pdf page 13 and on.

I have ME.
My arguments for support group are based on being unable to reliably mobilise 50m repeatably.

Learning tasks - I cannot 'learn to complete' a task, because much of the time I cannot complete it safely or reliably, if at all. I cannot learn to complete it, as there are no strategies I can learn that will enable me to complete it.

Similar with initiating actions.

Appropriateness of behaviour is arguably applicable - extreme fatigue brings on a mental fog, which meets some of the definitions of 'disinhibition'.

And awareness of hazard of course.



Secondly, you need to understand your position as to the regulations.
Does your household have any other significant income - this would include a partners income.
If this is the case, then the payment time may be limited to 12 months in the work-related group.

If you appeal, you may get your existing award reconsidered.
This can reduce it in principle too!

First step is probably to phone them up today, and get a 'written statement of reasons' about your decision, and a copy of the medical assessment.

This will both extend the appeal deadline by 2 weeks, and let you see what the medical said about you, and why the decision maker made the decisions they did.

In addition, can you cope with several visits over a year to the jobcentre for a 15 minute interview.
You do _not_ have to cope well with it - just appear, and try to answer whatever's asked.

In most cases, this is all that's required.

Ewan154

Hi,
Thanks for the replies:)

Don't really want to go down the appeal road as it's too stressful.

rogerblack

Ewan154 wrote: »

Hi,
Thanks for the replies:)

Don't really want to go down the appeal road as it's too stressful.

Fair enough.
However, I would still recommend you to get a copy of the assessment and a statement of reasons, for the simple reason that you may wish to refer back to it, and they destroy information after there is no 'buisness case' to hold it.