ESA help!.

Chrissiew

fogartyblue. wrote: »

Why is it that everybody wants to be put in the support group - it's only an extra £5 a week!!

Why do you always think people are after money? Why do you always think people want to be on benefits and not work? Those who believe they should be in the support group believe they should be in it because it would be impossible for them to work, they feel they are being forced into doing something they will never be able to do, those so called health care professionals are not always doctors but can be health care assistants or even midwives! They sometimes dont have medical qualifications at all and are just trained to tick the right boxes, but those boxes are often very wrong.

Of course you are a marvelous person, you claim to have a disiblity but refuse to let it rule your life, you say you wont let it stop you working or leading as normal a life as possible, well good for you:T There are some who have no choice but to let their disiblity rule their lives, they havent got the luxury of forgetting about it and going out to work and lead a normal life, not everything is about money as you seem to think it, but when you have a long standing, painful disibility the last thing you need or want is the added worry and stress of being forced to do something you cannot do.

Anubis_2

Folar wrote: »

It means I am not forced to go to WFI or on to back to work courses. I don't manage in other situations, that's just it. I only go out to the hospital or doctors and then I wear incontinence pants and take spare ones and spare clothing. I am also in a wheelchair with limited movement so I have to have help with toileting needs and getting dressed.

The money I get from ESA goes towards the incontinence products I HAVE to have, plus the care I HAVE to have. I never asked for this to happen to me but it did.

Don't get me wrong, until a year ago I had always worked. I only ever had 2 months off when I had my son who was premature and I was hospitalised. I worked full time for 30 years and never had a day sick so shouldn't I be entitled to a little help now I need it?

Flora have you claimed for DLA to help with your costs?

I am incontinent and bowel incontinent so I know where you are coming from. On that basis alone you should be in support group unless the descriptors have changed?

I know I will appeal if I am placed in WRAG as I fit 3, possibly 4 of the support group descriptors.

Folar

Yes Anubis. I've just been awarded HRM and HRC. I actually fit into 3 of the descriptors but I am having to fight to be put into the correct group. There's no way I can work until it gets sorted and at the moment no one knows when that will be.

fogartyblue.

Chrissiew wrote: »

Why do you always think people are after money? Why do you always think people want to be on benefits and not work? Those who believe they should be in the support group believe they should be in it because it would be impossible for them to work, they feel they are being forced into doing something they will never be able to do, those so called health care professionals are not always doctors but can be health care assistants or even midwives! They sometimes dont have medical qualifications at all and are just trained to tick the right boxes, but those boxes are often very wrong.
.

Thanks. I have never said all people prefer to be on benefits and not work.

From the facts so far, approx 1/3 of those that were on long term IB, when assessed, were found to have nothing that prevented them from working. Do you actually believe that the DWP got all of those assessments wrong?

For someone who thinks or believes that they will find it impossible to work is not a condition set down to be awarded the support group. Many already in the support group could work and may want to work! Or are you suggesting that those in the support group are a bunch of people that have given up on life and will never work?

The assessor is there to assess you against the criteria that is used to check if you can or cannot carry out any work related activity. To be awarded ESA and be in the work group means that you have passed that check.
As a retired civil servant I know nothing about shelf stacking or stock rotation that happens in a supermarket. But I know that with a little training I could carry out those duties as good as the next person. Does that mean that I haven't got the right credentials to stack a shelf because I don't have a degree in retail management?

My worry is that there are ESA claimants that see the support group, not as a way to an extra £5 a week, but for those on the contribution based element, it is a means to ensuring that they don't lose the whole benefit after 1 year.
It has nothing to do with their ability or if they fit the support group descriptors but more to do with the loss of £93 a week after 12 months.

Hence the reason why there has been a massive rise in appeals against being awarded the work group as every ESA contribution based claimant wants and will try anything to get into the support group.

For those that are genuinely entitled to the support group because they clearly fit the descriptors I have no problem with.

But do object to those that see the support group as a means to continuing to get their benefits after 1 year and will try to fit their symptoms/condition into the support group boxes!

I think that I am speaking for the vast majority of taxpayers in this country.

Folar

So basically you think everyone who comes on here asking for help is guilty until proven innocent, or at least that is how your accusatory posts come across.

I will not try to justify myself or my problems to the like, such as you are and will in future ignore any of your supercilious postings.

Dal_Whinnie

There are a number of acronyms used on here (WRAG, WFI, HRM, etc). Fortunately, not having had to rely on benefits before, I am not familiar with the benefit system or some of the terminology, is there a dictionary of terms available that one can refer to in order to understand some of the points being referred to?

Folar

HRM - higher rate mobility
HRC - higher rate care
DLA - disability living allowance
WRAG - work related activity group
WFI - work focused interview

Hope that helps.

smileytiger

For what it's worth - being in WRAG doesn't automatically mean you will have to go for a WFI.

MY OH has been in WRAG for 2 years and never had a WFI.

His CB ESA stops at end of April under the 365 days ruling - and he can't get IB as i work.

He's now had a letter from DWP for him to go for WFI as his benefit is stopping.

I rang and was told that all people who failed ATOS medicals were being invited in to discuss getting back to work - erm he didn't fail his medical he has his 15 points minimum from every medical he's ever attended - so i asked if he had to go - since they would no longer be paying him and was told yes it's compulsory.
So when he was on benefit - they never contacted him - but now they are not paying him he HAS to go in for WFI?????

Is that just me or is that like the wrong way round??:rotfl:

I have to laugh or else i'd be tearing my hair out by now.

anguk

Chrissiew wrote: »

those so called health care professionals are not always doctors but can be health care assistants or even midwives! They sometimes dont have medical qualifications at all and are just trained to tick the right boxes, but those boxes are often very wrong.

I really don't understand how they can totally disregard your own doctors and consultants and just rely on the Atos staff? In my OH's case his consultants are very experienced, have had years of ongoing training, specialised in his particular conditions yet their word seems to mean nothing. :huh:

If I was a doctor or consultant I'd be extremely offended at the way the DWP and ATOS think they know better.

wellynever

anguk wrote: »

I really don't understand how they can totally disregard your own doctors and consultants and just rely on the Atos staff? In my OH's case his consultants are very experienced, have had years of ongoing training, specialised in his particular conditions yet their word seems to mean nothing. :huh:

If I was a doctor or consultant I'd be extremely offended at the way the DWP and ATOS think they know better.

Well this is how I got put into the support group, Not exact words but my doctor wrote a letter to Atos saying I've known him x amount of years he suffers from this and that try and say anything different from me and see where it gets you.