Mother's ESA Medical failed and reconsideration failed also. HELP!

JadeLouise

Thank you all again for your replies, so helpful.

Yes we did supply medical evidence written especially from her GP when we requested a re-consideration which was blatantly ignored. Her GP is very understanding and agrees with all of the difficulties we have arisen and that my mother herself is aware of having.

I agree perhaps a diary of some sort would be helpful to document day to day life. She does not have a social worker or any adult social care, sadly my grandmother has always took it upon herself to do the best she can at supporting my mother. However, at 73 she is getting too old and so recently I have been looking into adult social care for my mother.

I spoke with my Grandmother earlier (everything atm is being communicated 100 miles away over the phone as I am studying), she has mentioned that my mother and herself are so wound up that she doesn't even want to try to appeal because it will just increase her level of distress even further, it is so sad that non-physical disabilities are impacted due to this system and the consequences are ignored.

Alice_Holt

This must be stressfuI for you as well. Is there a uni Welfare Office that could support you.

I really think your mum should appeal. Trying to cope with JSa will be hugely difficult for her, and risk the possibility of sanctions and her JSa stopping. The DWP have made an incorrect decision and it may be this which is causing her the distress.

It's easy for me to say, but the appeal process itself should not distress your mum unduly. Especially if she can get the help of a CAB caseworker.

JadeLouise

Alice_Holt wrote: »

This must be stressfuI for you as well. Is there a uni Welfare Office that could support you.

I really think your mum should appeal. Trying to cope with JSa will be hugely difficult for her, and risk the possibility of sanctions and her JSa stopping. The DWP have made an incorrect decision and it may be this which is causing her the distress.

It's easy for me to say, but the appeal process itself should not distress your mum unduly. Especially if she can get the help of a CAB caseworker.

Indeed it is stressful, thankfully I am lucky enough to already have a support officer due to home circumstances. I completely agree that she should appeal for those reasons too, JSA seems like a right pain to claim and the Job Centre are not supportive and just do their ticking of forms or whatever.

As soon as possible I will get onto the CAB and arrange something. Thank you for all your information.

FBaby

There are various issues, her intellectual capacity, her balance and her mental health. For the first, is there evidence of lower IQ for instance? For the second, any admission to hospital because of the falls, any medication for her balance, record in her GP notes? For the latter, is she on any medication for her anxiety/depression, referral to MH services, counselling etc...

This is the type of evidence that would really help her case.

JadeLouise

FBaby wrote: »

There are various issues, her intellectual capacity, her balance and her mental health. For the first, is there evidence of lower IQ for instance? For the second, any admission to hospital because of the falls, any medication for her balance, record in her GP notes? For the latter, is she on any medication for her anxiety/depression, referral to MH services, counselling etc...

This is the type of evidence that would really help her case.

Thanks FBaby, I will take note of this and go through it all. Yes she has evidence of lower IQ which can also be proven way back to to her attending a school for learning support needs and people living with specific mental health needs; however this was somewhat disputed within her assessment due to her being able to hold a conversation with 'relatively normal structural speech" and spelling most simple words correctly. Despite the assessment pointing out that there was some evidence for intellectual impairment especially with maths, that it was relatively normal enough to score no points as simple things could be conveyed (this is quite frustrating seeing as I witness my mum struggling to read and write when she is required to and it causes her to panic).

She does take medication for her migraines which affect her balance, as well as being on medication for her anxiety and depression, both of which were mentioned at the assessments and through doctors letters and notes. However, once again on the assessment these things were brushed over because 'she remembers to take her medication and has no specialist involvement'. Unfortunately my mother does not understand her depression and anxiety to some extent, she knows how it makes her feel but doesn't understand the ins and outs so to speak or that it can often be effectively treated with help from services other than medication. Even with her GP's help, she has refused any referral as she doesn't believe that this would help in any way despite being told numerous times. I guess it is quite confusing for her.

NLW

Was you bought up in care? I find it difficult to understand how somebody with sush high mental and physical needs could look after a child. The was/are social services involved? They may be better to help.

red_devil

sadly the nasty party are making it really hard now for anyone to claim. They don't seem to be able to look after their own but seem to have money to send abroad.

Good luck navigating the DWP. They ought to be ashamed what they are doing to people. This morning by chance I caught a programme about the trouble deaf people were having claiming PIP.

One man was left with nothing and three times the DWP didn't provide an interpreter. They are shockingly incompetent. IF they were a private company they would have lost business.

JadeLouise

NLW wrote: »

Was you bought up in care? I find it difficult to understand how somebody with sush high mental and physical needs could look after a child. The was/are social services involved? They may be better to help.

I was not raised by my mother for these exact reasons, she struggled looking after her own needs let alone a child. I was raised solely by my grandmother under a court order from the age of 2 instead of going into foster care when concerns were raised by school that I was being neglected. Social services were only involved up until I was about 8 as my grandmother took care of everything so not much luck there.

sammyjammy

JadeLouise wrote: »

I was not raised by my mother for these exact reasons, she struggled looking after her own needs let alone a child. I was raised solely by my grandmother under a court order from the age of 2 instead of going into foster care when concerns were raised by school that I was being neglected. Social services were only involved up until I was about 8 as my grandmother took care of everything so not much luck there.

Don't feel that you have to answer questions about your upbringing by your mother or otherwise, its nothing to do with your mothers current difficulties with ESA. I can't offer any further advice just hope it works out for all three of you. As your Gran is of advancing age its a really good idea to look into adult social care options now, without meaning to sound cruel or heartless the care of your mother shouldn't fall to you at your age if and when your Gran can no longer cope, you're entitled to your own life..

best of luck.

Bananas123

hello,

i haven't read the whole thread, but would like to hopefully offer reassurance;

i got 0 points at the face to face "assessment" (nasty lady)

then 0 at reconsideration (took the assessors inputted answers and ignored mine for some completely unkown reason).

then i went to the tribunal, and was ruled that day (5 minutes outside following) into the WRAG group, which i am appealling this time around ...did not go well (caused health problems), but i am glad to have attempted.

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0's at the reassessement phase, just correspond to 0's at the interview, they don't mean much...

just that somebody "the assessor" has glanced over the documents, and decided to rule one way or another.

i believe this may be why they hand out 0's to everybody (seemingly ???), because if you get 1+ (if you know what i am saying), then i think that's an admission that they acknowlege you are ill >

much better to give people 0's and just flippantly brush it off, that it was a mistake, whilst making you jump through hoops / pull hair out in the process, which can take months.

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regardless, at the tribunal, you have a judge and a doctor, they are bound by laws that DWP are seemingly not / have doctrines etc....

what you need to do imho (hopefully helping) > put the woefull thus far process behind you, and aim for the tribunal.

i.e. > your mother is ill, and you will need to explain this to the tribunal people, why stress ??? ( am not trying to be patronising), your mother is ill, the tribunal people just do not know it yet, all they have is random pieces of paper from the dwp.

reference the descriptors you are going for (you are "going for them" as, the way they are worded, it exempts ALOT of people, with the highly specific nature of them, can you go up 2 steps yup, doesn't matter if you can't make the 3rd, that means your fit for work....

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relax though, seriously, as much as you can, 0's at these points don't mean much regarding the final desicion, which again can be appealled, but probably won't need to, considering your mothers illness.

good luck, relax, it is just some more waiting and you have time to stregnthen your case between now and the tribunal / practice / reference / make things clearer,

but don't stress yourself more and more over the already stressfull process, it's basically an admin error and you have to just pick up the pieces the dwp has left for you.

regards