help on dwp/esa

[Deleted User]

here you go:
http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/employment-and-support-allowance/esa-glossary/1353-support-group-descriptors

Ellejmorgan

HB58 wrote: »

Whilst epilepy per se does not meet suport group criteria, incontinence does - and many people are incontinent during seizures, so this might be one avenue to explore.

You will be obliged to co-operate with the work Focussed Interviews, but you cannot be compelled to take part in the Work Program while awaiting the results of your appeal.

No incontinence isn't included as it's accepted that this is part of the seizure..
Incontinence is only taken into account if it occurs on a weekly basis..

blackcat2010

rang the dwp this morning at 8.30 was on hold for another 30 mins,
spoke to a guy to ask for my medical report and before i had even finished my sentence to say i have already requested twice through letter, he just said you have to contact atos, i then asked about the statement of reasoning that decision maker has and he said atos makes the decisions! unbelieveable!

i told him that ive been told that the dwp make the decision and that atos only do the medical, again he said well you will have to contact atos for the report, i said you must have a copy can i have a copy of that, he then checked my account (he hadnt even asked my ni until this point) and said one has been sent out the 13th (im assuming that is because of the letters i wrote) so we will see.

i felt completely as if the guy was fobbing me off and if i didnt know that atos dont do the decisions making i would have gone off and phoned atos and gotten no help at all.
I hate telephoning the dwp because you end up with a different answer everytime you call if you can get through at all!

Cpt.Scarlet

I'm afraid it's the usual DWP call centre staff's lack of knowledge.

Your original thoughts were correct. The DWP make the decision although ATOS make the medical recommendation. Only the DWP will provide you with the medical report.

dazza-mac

Cpt.Scarlet wrote: »

I'm afraid it's the usual DWP call centre staff's lack of knowledge.

Your original thoughts were correct. The DWP make the decision although ATOS make the medical recommendation. Only the DWP will provide you with the medical report.

Can someone tell me if the dwp phone number is a freefone one? I only have a mobile phone and even freefone numbers cost on a mobile. it'd cost a fortune to use a mobile and be kept on hold for 30 mins as one of the posters has said she had to wait that long

Muttleythefrog

blackcat2010 wrote: »

rang the dwp this morning at 8.30 was on hold for another 30 mins,
spoke to a guy to ask for my medical report and before i had even finished my sentence to say i have already requested twice through letter, he just said you have to contact atos, i then asked about the statement of reasoning that decision maker has and he said atos makes the decisions! unbelieveable!

i told him that ive been told that the dwp make the decision and that atos only do the medical, again he said well you will have to contact atos for the report, i said you must have a copy can i have a copy of that, he then checked my account (he hadnt even asked my ni until this point) and said one has been sent out the 13th (im assuming that is because of the letters i wrote) so we will see.

i felt completely as if the guy was fobbing me off and if i didnt know that atos dont do the decisions making i would have gone off and phoned atos and gotten no help at all.
I hate telephoning the dwp because you end up with a different answer everytime you call if you can get through at all!

That's truly shocking... what really troubles me is that these agents are quite happy to give absolutely incorrect information rather than just say they haven't got a damned clue.

Ellejmorgan

i'm still waiting for my report from 3 years ago..had another medical today, will let you know the decision, didn't get asked many relevant questions at all..

blackcat2010

just wanted to update and let everyone know what happened.

I finally had the statement of reasons well one page that says where my points were awarded and also the medical report. This came on a weekend and the deadline for an appeal was on the Monday.

But thankfully i had already written and sent a letter to say i wanted a reconsideration from the WRAG group into the support group and would send a further letter once the report was received just to cover myself to make sure it got there before the deadline.

There were a couple of omissions and mistakes in my atos report. I noted these down in my letter and as advised from here tailored it to the descriptor for the support group that i felt i came under and made my argument around that. I didnt send anything other than the letter itself.

I fully expected them to come back and say no to the reconsideration and was expecting the trouble and stress of an appeal.

They tried to contact me on Friday just gone by telephone but i left the message go to answerphone, as i wanted evidence of what they had said, but the lady just said she would send me a letter in the post.

The letter arrived this morning and its a letter to move me from the WRAG group into the support group following the reconsideration! It has all the details of the new payment amounts and a small backdate. I cannot believe it, the mistakes in the atos reports and the omissions i pointed out must have been enough to sway the decision i guess. I really didnt expect that to have happened.

I was debating not to even ask for a reconsideration because of the trouble, i thought i was lucky just to get through to WRAG as i have heard so many horrible stories of atos and how they go about it. I fully expected to have to fight that decision as well.

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the advice you gave me especially the point about tailoring the reconsideration letter to the specific descriptor for the support group, i think because i made my argument around one of the descriptors perhaps that swayed it.

Just asking some advice as i pre think ahead, following this reconsideration and me being put into the support group should i now write and ask for the statement of reasons, or is it called something else if they have carried out a reconsideration? showing the points i have now for the support group? in case i ever need it for the future?