ESA medical - beggars belief!

gregg1

Today a good friend of mine has had a home visit from an ESA doctor to assess him for contribution based ESA. He has been claiming this since September last year when he had to give up work due to his disability getting worse. He can only claim contribution based for 12 months as his wife earns a wage and so will not be eligible for means tested benefits after his current claim runs out.

He has three months left to run on ESA and he qualified for a doctor to do the assessment at home due to his disability.

The doctor turned up IN A TAXI, which proceeded to wait whilst the doctor carried out the medical. The doctor reeked of fags to the point where you can still smell it in my friends lounge. He spent most of the time asking questions and writing down the answers which were all exactly the same questions and answers my friend had completed on his original assessment form for ESA (so they basically now have two identical sets of questions and answers) and which the doctor actually had a copy of. He then carried out a very basic and cursory medical which consisted of asking if he could squeeze his hands and then cleared off in his taxi. Was there less than thirty minutes in total.

All this for someone who is basically claiming far less than they have paid in over the years and whose remaining three months benefit probably amounts to less than it cost to send the bloody doctor out in his taxi in the first place!

June_Cambridge

How frustrating, bureaucracy has gone mad. I absolutely despair but when I moan about it I'm told that there's nothing we can do to change things, but if we don't, things will just get worse. I'd like to think we weren't going to pay for his taxi but I expect he'll put in an expenses claim.

rogerblack

gregg1 wrote: »

The doctor turned up IN A TAXI, which proceeded to wait whilst the doctor carried out the medical. The doctor reeked of fags to the point where you can still smell it in my friends lounge. He spent most of the time asking questions and writing down the answers which were all exactly the same questions and answers my friend had completed on his original assessment form for ESA (so they basically now have two identical sets of questions and answers) and which the doctor actually had a copy of. He then carried out a very basic and cursory medical which consisted of asking if he could squeeze his hands and then cleared off in his taxi. Was there less than thirty minutes in total.

None of this inherently means the report given is not accurate.
The examination is _NOT_ a medical, and any examination is going to be at best cursory in almost all cases.

A quick medical may mean in some cases that the HCP has determined that the claimant is eligible for the support group, which would mean his payment is not time limited.

gregg1

rogerblack wrote: »

None of this inherently means the report given is not accurate.
The examination is _NOT_ a medical, and any examination is going to be at best cursory in almost all cases.

A quick medical may mean in some cases that the HCP has determined that the claimant is eligible for the support group, which would mean his payment is not time limited.

Does that mean it could carry on after the 12 month period without being means tested?

rogerblack

gregg1 wrote: »

Does that mean it could carry on after the 12 month period without being means tested?

Yes.
ESA-C is limited in payment to a year total spent in the work related group /assessment.
If the claimant later (in the same claim) gets into the support group, payment resumes (if it had stopped) or continues without the time limit.

(income-based ESA is payable of course, if the claimant passes the household means test)

gregg1

rogerblack wrote: »

Yes.
ESA-C is limited in payment to a year total spent in the work related group /assessment.
If the claimant later (in the same claim) gets into the support group, payment resumes (if it had stopped) or continues without the time limit.

(income-based ESA is payable of course, if the claimant passes the household means test)

Many thanks for that info, I will pass it on as I think my friend was under the impression that if it was contribution based ESA, it would stop after 12 months whatever group he was put in. Hopefully he will be put in the support group (although I realise that's not a given).