esa call but still no med form

meliek

Hi I got a letter over a month back saying htat my benefit was changing to ESA and i would recieve a call. well i got the call and the lady told me that in around 2 weeks i would recive a medical questionare, that was a month ago now. Last week I called the number on teh letter and told them, she said it should have been sent to me and she would do it again. Still no med questionare. Im really wrried now as they said you get a month to send it back or your benefits might be stopped.

Any advice or has this happened to anyone else, any help would be great!!

Horseunderwater

Do they have your correct address? It is probably the ESA50 form that should have been sent. At least I think that is the right number. It does seem odd that it has failed to arrive though.
Keep an eye on your bank account just in case the benefit does stop. Technically it should not - but you need to keep a track of the person with whom you spoke to and the dates and times.

Muttleythefrog

I'd advise as above.. make sure they have the right address and tell them to put on record that you still have not received the form and are concerned. Unfortunately things are a little complicated because as I understand it it'll be ATOS HC who send the ESA50 form to you for completion upon the DWP's request and it is ATOS HC to whom you will return it.

In the meantime you can perhaps buy yourself some time just in case you need to act fast.... the form is actually available in pdf format online. You still need to send a physical copy to ATOS HC come the appropriate time so either you'd need a printer or you'd need to transfer what you write to hard copy... but I think it might be helpful to get started on completing the form.

When you do complete the from regardless of when or where I would make sure you have the descriptors at hand as these are what determine entitlement. Below is the link for the ESA50 form (save a copy to your computer first if you intend to complete and save it) and also a link to the descriptors for WRAG and Support group.. ESA's two main phase groups for those who pass the WCA.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/@money/documents/digitalasset/dg_195544.pdf

http://pseudo-living.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/esa-descriptors-and-points.html

Make sure that if you have or can get any supporting medical evidence relating to the descriptors then ideally send copies with the completed ESA50.

If you don't get any joy via the DWP and getting the form sent then it may be worth contacting ATOS HC via email to state the DWP (or them if it is their number on the letter in question) are saying the form has been sent but you still have not received it. (Use NiNo in email for identification purposes). [EMAIL="customer-relations@atoshealthcare.com"]customer-relations@atoshealthcare.com[/EMAIL]

jbaugh

i have never had as much hassle as i do with the esa, same thing happened to me no esaso form asked for a duplicate to be sent...

They will stop benefit and "dismantle" claim if they dont get it back and according to them they dont have the facility to extend time on the dead line.

However jaded i am over the past 10 weeks with them i have been told conradicting conflicting and total rubbish advice from several of them.

1 you dont need a sick note x 2. stop money as they dont get one ...you do need one....Money paid as they get one.... NO you definatley dont need one

2 every one advised of change of adress...MONEY stopped....aparently they were the only ones that were not informed..Money stopped..Money paid

3 Easoso questionarie didnt arrive second requested please extend time as 8 days isnt enough to get it fill it in and return ...Yes sure well make a note of it......Money stopped claim dismantled..... in which time they had recieved the easso questionare ...claim rebuilt....disability elements missed off...another 30 min phone call latter ....my APPEAl was upheld money paid!

I dont know who to trust or best way to go about dealing with them as they themselves dont seem to know what they are doing


So good luck but keep on the case of them

jo

zzzLazyDaisy

I wouldn't wait for the form. I would complete and download the on-line form and send it to them (make sure it is the right one as it changed in March last year).

I too have had dealings with ATOS on behalf of other people and I definitely don't trust them - to be honest I think it is more to do with understaffing, poor training and incompetence than any active wish to make things difficult, but the outcome is the same. In my experience what you are told on the phone is very often incorrect.

outtawork

I was told on the day of the tribunal I had failed (fri 12 oct) I tried to call the DWP to re apply for ESA & was unsuccessful until thursday, to find they had stopped my benefits the month before the tribunal, when I finally spoke to someone he said but you failed at the tribunal, I pointed out they owed me from 12 sept, I am now getting the back payments, but I have lost housing benefit & council tax I am entitled to, I got their letter today, so they were pretty quick telling the council. I am entitled to have a caseworker (social worker)assigned to me & my therapist was quite surprised I don't have one.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

esa are known for being really bad in the admin department.

odds on Atos hasnt recieved the request to post a ESA50 becuase ESA hasnt sent them the info to do it.

does this affect you, YES, even though they make a complete hash of it, you still have to abide by their rules, this is where requesting a ring back by the relivant perosn who is dealing with your claim can come in handy when money is stopped.

basically stating i am a victim of you admin errors, please pay me now by reconsiddering you decision to stop payment ASAP.
give me a time extension IN WRITING to fill in complete and submit the ESA50.

inform ATOS that you have granted this, make a noet on the systems and on my clerical physical notes aswell about my query about the extension, and my complaint.

i would fill in a ESA50 PDF as supplied, so you can go over overything in so it makes sense to you. then got and get the descriptors relating to esa and what group you believe you are in.
then you will notice that questions in the ESA50 are alot like the descriptors wording in the WCA handbook descriptors.

back up claims by submitting physical evidence from a GP consultant or someone proffessional that undertakes your condition/care, these reports must say what descriptor the proffesional feels apply to you, that they understand the criteria of the descriptor, and reason in medical opinion why you meat that descriptor.

if you doctor is like mine, this maybe difficult, my doc does not engage with ESA At all, unless Atos or DWP submit a report questionair, this is becuase he runs a small practice, and time is consumed when filling in reports for patients when he could be seeing important emergency appointments.
in this case you would need reports consultants, doctors, proffesional has sent to him that is on their system, you can ask the practice manager to look at recent letters (to wich is free and you entitlement) on the system, you can the ask the practice manager to print copies of these but an admin fee is applicable no more than £10 fee can be applied in this case even if its multiple copies, as soon as you know what copies are needed then fill in a data protection form, and £10 for all of the reuested can be applied for them, if you did it separate they can charge per item and DPA signed.

once you have your copies go get three copies of all of them from the library or photocopier or laser inkjet printer scanner all in one effort thing.

supply a copy to the esa50 that goes to atos, suply a copy to ESA themselfs, keep a copy for any tribunal that you may go to if you appeal.

harry7075

I'm converting from Incapacity Benefit to Esa. I got the letter to advise this then had the phone call a week later than the form a week after that. Then I know someone who had the letter in mid August and hasn't heard anymore, not even the phone call.

Seems odd some run smoothly and others don't. Any conspiracy theorists have an idea why?

meliek

thank you all so much for your replies,, they have got the right details as when i first got the letter theyhad my phone number wrong so i called and changed and double checked the address.


Sounds like a right mess up in some cases, hopefully it will turn up, but i will call tomorrow again and take down dates names etc,

Thanks again

Muttleythefrog

harry7075 wrote: »

I'm converting from Incapacity Benefit to Esa. I got the letter to advise this then had the phone call a week later than the form a week after that. Then I know someone who had the letter in mid August and hasn't heard anymore, not even the phone call.

Seems odd some run smoothly and others don't. Any conspiracy theorists have an idea why?

Refer my signature..lol