ESA coming to an end, but too ill to work

Edinburghlass_2

fogartyblue. wrote: »

Edinburghlass wrote: »

No, the regs allowed me to work up to 16 hours which is what I did. I complied with what was required of me and notified them on a 2 weekly basis what my net income (loss) was everytime.

They saw different. I couldn't prove that it was only 16 hours. It was their word against mine. I had more important things to worry about than their arguments so agreed to repay everything which they accepted. That was in the mid 80's.

Looking back, it does make me wonder what I was supposed to live off, but it didn't matter as the business took off shortly afterwards and I sold it a few years later for quite a healthy sum.

Its a shame you didn't feel it was your moral duty to repay the unemployment benefit you claimed when you gained this healthy sum or indeed when you received your government pension as an Inspector of Taxes

fogartyblue.

Edinburghlass wrote: »

fogartyblue. wrote: »

Its a shame you didn't feel it was your moral duty to repay the unemployment benefit you claimed when you gained this healthy sum or indeed when you received your government pension as an Inspector of Taxes

I am repaying the money - on my terms!

Morlock

Just...Yvette wrote: »

Looks like I'm going to be without money for a long while when my payments end on the 30th of this month.

But your contributions-based ESA is stopping because your partner earns too much. It is up to your partner to support you financially.

If you had no money to live on, no partner earning, you would still receive income-based ESA.

How can somebody with a partner earning a decent wage claim to be skint?

fogartyblue.

Morlock wrote: »

How can somebody with a partner earning a decent wage claim to be skint?

Don't know! But people have there own definition of being 'skint'.
In which case they haven't got a clue how some people manage to live on something that they would see as pocket money.

Nah, the only reason they are complaining is because they are going to have to revise their spending habits!!

'Why should I?' did I hear someone shout!! 'It's not fair'!!

BurnleyBob

fogartyblue. wrote: »

Why are you thinking of just those groups? Those that claim JSA & ESA are widely known to be the two main benefits that are over used and abused.

Benefits should be means tested across the board. That is what they are for. To help those that find themselves without money.

Not pay benefits to some whilst their respective partners may be earning £50,000pa +

Finally, a post of yours that I can agree wholeheartedly with.

As you probably know, the State Pension is a benefit along with a huge number of others that doesn't include the B word in its title.

Britain biggest individual benefit recipient lives in Buckingham Palace. Her Civil List payment means she gets to stuff 7.9 million pounds worth of hard working families' money into her purse every year. The lowest figure I can find for her estimated capital and savings is £300M.

I'd stop her claim until she spent down all bar £6,000 of what she has tucked away.

What say you?

Katie1980_2

In 2008 I was severely beaten by my ex partner that resulted in me having a head injury that has stuffed up my life, in turn this head injury triggered chronic depression that I have spent 2 years trying to dig myself out of the benefits hole to get a good job to be diagnosed after suddenly collapsing when on my way home from college with Lupus and related kidney faliure resulting from when my gp missed that I was dehydrated due to food poisoning. Whilst in hospital they ran some other tests and found I had cardiomyopathy, I too received the letter stating that my benefits will stop but I also oddly enough have a medical on the 4th May where the Atos Dr will have read my ESA 50 but I bet your bottom dollar he/she won't have a scooby what Lupus is or the type of Cardiomyopathy I have is and I will yet again be assessed fit for work. erm what employer is going to employ someone that blacks out and has panic attacks if someone so much as shouts at her not many I have done work trials and they have made me worse not better. I have been out today playing with my nephew and taking him up to school with his mum and I am tired now and still have to go out for a family meal and a party tomorrow I know what I will be doing Sunday or Monday sleeping, I am staying on ESA as I do not get any other income but I feel I should be in the support group even when I have only had 2 work focused interviews and I went back to college off my own back and my own steam to give me a better chance. I am just not well enough to go back to work, I am also waiting to see if I need an ICD fitted so at 32 I am written off

Ellejmorgan

redundantjune09 wrote: »

"Go back to work maybe? I wish a 'pot' was my only problem, I would go back tomorrow just to get out of the house! "

To Parva - there is more to my current situation then "just a pot" - however I didn't want to go into chapter and verse. Also, if you read it I have said I had surgery twice and still waiting for another. Correct me if I'm wrong but you don't have surgery 3 times for the fun of it - and you have obviously not spent 6 months with you leg in a cast and having to keep it elevated!!! I could also say the same to you - get back to work so you can get out of the house - why wait til tomorrow. I worked constantly for 28 years and as soon as I am able I will be going back to work - I don't want anything for nothing - I just want help now whilst I need it and think after paying in for 28 years I should be entitled to that

Uncalled for Parva is one of the good guys and he's been sicker than you'll ever know...

Just...Yvette

I am still tying to get reassessed, and this has become even more difficult and distressing for me.

Last week my doctor eventually (after first claiming she could not write a letter for the DWP unless they requested the information by way of a form!) wrote me a letter regarding the worsening of my condition. I also wrote a detailed complaint to the DWP about their handling of my case.

Yesterday, a complaints person rang me to tell me that the letter from my doctor was not good enough to start a reassessment and my request has therefore been rejected. The reason? My doctor had written 'she REPORTS a worsening in her disability'...'she REPORTS her symptoms have increased' rather than 'this patient's condition has worsened'. I tried to explain that the nature of MS is that it is not measurable by a GP; many symptoms are invisible so the only way a doctor knows you have them is if you tell them!

I found this so frustrating, that eventually the complaints woman said she would ring my doctor and explain how the statement re; worsening should be worded. Shortly after I was called by my doctor, who told me she had spoken to the DWP woman, and that with all 'patient reported' symptoms (ie those that a doctor cannot see or measure - fatigue, numbness, pain etc) she has to write 'patient reports' and that is the same in every case. She then told me she had told the DWP woman that I may be capable of some work, for example on the ground floor with reduced hours...I cannot begin to describe how much this horrified me. I told the doctor that, as I have told her before, I am unable to go out alone anymore, I cannot even do my housework or look after my family, and I cannot possibly work. But she would not listen - she had already written a fit note to the same effect!

DWP woman then called me, and I felt she seemed gleeful that she had got the doctor to say something that had contradicted me and made pursuing a reassessment or appeal pretty much impossible.

I should point out that I last saw my GP on December 2nd 2011, five months ago She has never physically examined me as she is not a neurological specialist. I visit her only to request medication for specific symptom relief or to get referred to my neurologist. I have no idea how qualified she is to make occupational health assessments, least of all on a patient with a progressive illness who she has not set eyes on for five months!

I am so incredibly stressed, upset, and feeling like a scrounger who is swinging the lead. I am not sure how to deal with what's happening with my claim - I think I should get an appointment with a different doctor and ask him to examine me - but even then if it is a doctor who has never seen me before, will he be willing to state my condition is worse? All I want is for DWP to look at my condition again, and if they feel it necessary send me for an ATOS medical.

Please does anyone have any thoughts? Has my doctor acted wrongly? I am beginning to think it must be me as everyone seems to be against me and suggesting I am lying or exaggerating - maybe my mobility problems are immaginary? Maybe my MS has spontaneously got better? Sorry for being facetious but I really feel so hopeless.

lyniced

I am in the support group (so I've recently realised) and am indefinitely. Long story to go into my medical history, but suffice to say I have a very similar illness to MS, so I am surprised that you are in the WRAG group. Is your MS relapsing/remitting or progressive?

Just...Yvette

Hi Lyniced. I suspect that my MS has moved from RR to secondary progressive, as I have had no relapses for 2 years but have suffered a gradual worsening without any periods of recovery.

I haven't pressed my neuro on whether he feels my ms is now secondary progressive, as to be honest, I find it too awful and negative to dwell on. Any medication or treatment would be the same with RR or progressive so it is of no benefit to me to know what my neuro thinks. Hope this makes sense, ms is such a damn complex disease that is notoriously hard for others to understand!