esa questionnaire

saintly_2

My hubby has been on esa since october, how long is it on average to receive the esa questionnaire, think ive read its the esa50 form

Horseunderwater

It should arrive within the initial 13 weeks after your claim started, but that does not mean it will. Mine did not come until I was way past 13 weeks back in May. Medical eventually on 24th July, which I passed.
I would not worry too much about it. Meanwhile look at which ESA descriptors match your OH's conditions and concentrate on getting those across to ATOS in due course once it does arrive.
http://pseudo-living.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/esa-descriptors-and-points.html
It is these that are the qualifiers not the illnesses themselves but the effects the illnesses have on the person and any side effects from any medicines consumed in said treatment. That is how I got my award as that is what I did. I used the descriptors to help me word my form, when I completed it.

saintly_2

Ta very much, we are in week 8 so few weeks to go yet.

epitome

You could have gotten it already, some people get it before week 4.

If they have sent it your 4 weeks to return it is ticking away. Then you should get a letter saying you have not returned your ESA50 this is usually sent in the 4th week and so you usually get it 2 days before or after the deadline....which isn't very clever but there you go.

Then you get sent a letter saying "you did not return it please tell us why"

Then your claim is automatically closed or suspended while they wait for you to send in an ESA50 and they consider your reason for failing to return it. In considering reasons.... "I did not recieve it - and therefor could not return it" is usually accepted as good cause, but only if you did receive the other letters and phoned up to say "I just got this letter I did not get the ESA50" and the agent you speak to puts a note on the system to say you called chasing the ESA50.

It is VERY important to return the ESA50 so my advice is to phone ATOS
0800 2888777 option 3 and ask them when they will send the ESA50.

saintly_2

Thanks for this advice, will get him to ring on monday morning

atrixblue.-MFR-.

you could also pre-empt this ESA50 by going on the direct gov ESA website and downloading the ESA50 questionarre and get a headstart on it.

saintly_2

he phoned ATOS this morning, thanks for that piece of advice, the lady on the phone there said they hadnt received his file from the benefits office so couldnt actually give him any further information.

He has been on ESA for about 8 weeks so thought it well would have gone over to them. I have downloaded the ESA50 form and filled most of it in thanks to numerous different websites, CAB advisor friend and advice from on here so all ready to go as soon as we get the form through.

He is going to try and get through to the benefit office in the morning to see if they know when his file will be going over.

wonder if that atos rep is still on here, they may know what else we can do

harry7075

I'd wait until you hear from them

Muttleythefrog

saintly wrote: »

he phoned ATOS this morning, thanks for that piece of advice, the lady on the phone there said they hadnt received his file from the benefits office so couldnt actually give him any further information.

He has been on ESA for about 8 weeks so thought it well would have gone over to them. I have downloaded the ESA50 form and filled most of it in thanks to numerous different websites, CAB advisor friend and advice from on here so all ready to go as soon as we get the form through.

He is going to try and get through to the benefit office in the morning to see if they know when his file will be going over.

wonder if that atos rep is still on here, they may know what else we can do

It's a waiting game to be honest. Believe it or not my 3 month assessment phase lasted 12..lol.. although it is rare to hear of people waiting similarly that long now. You've done right to preapre by filling in ESA50 in advance. I'd use any spare capacities you have right now to try to get any supporting evidence you can regarding meeting the descriptors for WRAG/Support group that you feel appropriate. That supporting evidence can be returned with the printed, signed, dated form come the appropriate time.

But ATOS unfortunately will only be able to do anything when DWP ask them to open file. They act as the DWPs medical advisors for the WCA... and so their role is to provide that advice when asked.... and not before. Calling the DWP may simply be a waste of money... especially if you get held up in a queue... you'll quite likely simply be told there are delays... or worse the agent on the line will be more clueless than you can possibly believe and tell you something quite incorrect or irrelevant. And just in rereading I notice the 3 month assessment phase schedule isn't even up in this case... so it would probably be a bit early to expect things to have kicked off yet. I'd say give it a couple more months and then perhaps contact DWP.