Switching to ESA

mad_max_2

nannytone wrote: »

it is possible to fail the medical and be refused ESA

The 'medicals' are a joke anyway.

dibdabable

paragon909 wrote: »

As I said, Incapacity benefit never had work capability assessments and was a completely different sickness benefit to what we have now, If a doctor said you were sick you were sick and didn't do ANY work.

If you are talking pre 1995 then yes it was an adjudicating officer and was pretty much based on GPs say so. The Personal Capability Assessment was brought in by the then Department of Social Security and was pretty much the same test as the WCA under a different name, they did their own medical assessments. So I stand by what I said (given that we're talking 20yrs ago), it was not a case of getting money for nothing and being all on a GPs says so.

paragon909 wrote: »

Well people were abusing the incapacity benefit by getting a sick note for anything and staying on the sick for years, While esa doesn't have the luxury.... Just like PIP wont be plane sailing as DLA etc. I think it's called welfare reform since the tories came into power

Doesn't matter what system is used there will always be abuse. Yes I'd agree ESA is tougher, but I don't agree that DLA was ever plain sailing. It's always been the harder of the two benefits to get and for good reason. Atos were already doing assessments for DLA before they ever started with the WCAs.

paragon909 wrote: »

I should know i've been through the system from JSA, Income Support, ESA and back and I know what struggles it it can be....

Well you may have experienced your own struggles but it doesn't make it any more right to generalise in this way.

JaneDoeJohnDoe

I think that those who were on SDA or got SDA credits at some point, did not have to do PCA under the old Incapacity Benefits rules & that is where some confusion has happened. It's those people who probably have been on disability benefits who started off with docs sick notes & then got told by DSS that they were no longer required. And as they were exempt from the Incp benefits PCA they've near enough been left alone for over 15 yrs but suddenly now they are being found fit for work under ESA. :eek::eek::eek:

Gaz1971

JaneDoeJohnDoe wrote: »

JSA claimants commitment can be modified to take on board health issues. Eg, less hours of work, distance to travel to work etc

This is the problem, they have modified my JSA to take into account my health issues, but wont take them into consideration when it comes to mandatory courses. They accept I can sit for long periods when it comes to work, but then expect me to sit from 9 to 5 on some course.

Torry_Quine

paragon909 wrote: »

As I said, Incapacity benefit never had work capability assessments and was a completely different sickness benefit to what we have now, If a doctor said you were sick you were sick and didn't do ANY work.

Well people were abusing the incapacity benefit by getting a sick note for anything and staying on the sick for years, While esa doesn't have the luxury.... Just like PIP wont be plane sailing as DLA etc. I think it's called welfare reform since the tories came into power

I should know i've been through the system from JSA, Income Support, ESA and back and I know what struggles it it can be....

When I was on IB I had regular re-assesements and no longer sent sick-notes so don't no where you get the idea everyone once on IB was never assessed again. :mad: