Esa assessment was very short

Crazycollielady

I am trying to be positive but I always imagine worst case scenario
I am hoping from what has been said that I will get awarded esa and hopefully the support group.
The condition I have causes degenerative damage to my eyes ( no night vision, virtually no peripheral and the central sight I do still have most days it feels like there is a film over my eyes and it's basically like letterbox vision as I can't see below either and have walked into cones and bollards and cleaning signs which is very embarrassing for me) there is currently no cure for ushers syndrome either and its extremely scary to know one day I could go completely blind

nannytone_2

i have advanced RP and have no useful sight.

i have had 1 ESA assessment which lasted around 10 minutes, and have never been reassessed face to face since ( october 2011)

RP is one of those undeniable conditions, and can never be a matter of opinion.

you probably ( like me) have definitive medical proof stating that your sight is severely limited.

i wouldn't worry

Crazycollielady

Hi nannytone ( hope I spelt correctly) I took my SSI/blind registration certificate and also a letter from gartnavel hospital in Glasgow which confirmed the RP part of ushers syndrome so those were photocopied by the lady assessing me.
I was originally registered partially sighted last June but after going back to gartnavel again last November I think it was can't remember rightly the consultant said I should be on SSI/blind and so I got the new certificate in Jan this year

TELLIT01

Sorry Muttley. My response was somewhat more terse than strictly necessary, but I do stand by the basic response that contacting anybody at this stage is pointless. The outcome of the assessment won't be released to the claimant until it has been to the Decision Maker. The HCP puts their observations and opinions into the relevant forms but, in theory at least, it is the DM who determines the outcome of the claim. To provide information direct from the HCP to the claimant could easily lead to wrong expectations from the claimant.
In the years I worked on ESA I never heard of a HCP assessment being cut short because the HCP believed the claimant was 'swinging the lead'. Cut short because of an agressive or uncooperative claimant - yes, but not otherwise. As I said earlier, failing to conduct a full assessment and then 'failing' the claimant would be handing them the appeal outcome on a plate.

nannytone_2

Crazycollielady wrote: »

Hi nannytone ( hope I spelt correctly) I took my SSI/blind registration certificate and also a letter from gartnavel hospital in Glasgow which confirmed the RP part of ushers syndrome so those were photocopied by the lady assessing me.
I was originally registered partially sighted last June but after going back to gartnavel again last November I think it was can't remember rightly the consultant said I should be on SSI/blind and so I got the new certificate in Jan this year

i was refistered blind in 1996, but still had useful sight and was mostly independent until 5 or 6 years ago.
i now 'finger count' instead of reading the eye chart and am losing my central vision rapidly. the worst part is the increasing colour blindness. it robs you of all detail and you being to just see 'stuff' rather than being able to tell what things are.

i have friends with ushers, and the only comfort i can give is to say that the RP seems to be far less aggressive when it is combined with the hearing loss

Muttleythefrog

TELLIT01 wrote: »

Sorry Muttley. My response was somewhat more terse than strictly necessary, but I do stand by the basic response that contacting anybody at this stage is pointless. The outcome of the assessment won't be released to the claimant until it has been to the Decision Maker. The HCP puts their observations and opinions into the relevant forms but, in theory at least, it is the DM who determines the outcome of the claim. To provide information direct from the HCP to the claimant could easily lead to wrong expectations from the claimant.
In the years I worked on ESA I never heard of a HCP assessment being cut short because the HCP believed the claimant was 'swinging the lead'. Cut short because of an agressive or uncooperative claimant - yes, but not otherwise. As I said earlier, failing to conduct a full assessment and then 'failing' the claimant would be handing them the appeal outcome on a plate.

No worries... it did surprise me a bit haha... but something had to wake me up today. But as we know an ESA85 is almost certainly going to feature heavily in the DWP DM decision... if not be in effect rubber stamped. With that report being likely electronically communicated to DWP within hours it is something that can be gotten within a week. It serves a range of uses from personal to practical. My view is that so many problems with ESA and PIP claims are that the claimant is chasing their tail.. and often doing so in the dark. I agree with you on the cutting short... although of course there are reports of such happening for reasons such as the HCP feels unqualified to assess (a good indicator the evidence hasn't been read in advance!) and I have certainly seen reports of very short medicals conveying ultimately no detected 'scoring descriptors'. But in this case I do agree it sounds quite likely they quickly have determined particular disabilities that would lead to successful claim... curtailment may well have applied... and hence I do think a strong possibility mind could be put at rest here. In the unlikely event the ESA85 recommends a suitable award of ESA and a DWP DM decides otherwise then that would be unfortunate... and not impossible... but still strategically beneficial I would suggest in giving an immediate in hand basis to challenge the decision and potentially with weeks to get advice to assist facts in hand.

My general concern is that if claimants don't get the ESA85 (or PIP equivalent PA4 if claiming that) early then they're at least in theory at immediate time and strategic disadvantages if decision is not favourable... and if they don't get it when it is favourable they may simply go on to happily accept their award of ESA oblivious to why it has been awarded and then be at a strategic disadvantage in reassessment where they could immediately reaffirm a difficult to counter view that nothing has changed and primary evidence in case is still valid... 'I continue to qualify for ESA as x applies as documented in my enclosed evidence ESA85 report by y.' Even on my infrequent visits to MSE I've seen at least a couple of cases where people have been getting ESA then failed a reassessment and are not only clueless as to why they failed but are clueless as to why they've been getting ESA for years. I'm yet to see any case, except one, where I felt getting the assessment report was not sensible... and that was in the early days of ESA when it was reported that a claimant was using an ESA85 which suggested they had nothing wrong with them to challenge the medical professionals involved in their treatment for significant psychiatric disorders.

Unfortunately in this case it sounds like for practical reasons they may not be able to request the ESA85. I expect in due course good news will come.

Crazycollielady

When I got told it was suspected and having to wait for the tests to be done at a different hospital which was gartnavel. It felt like my world had been turned upside down, I was advised to stop driving Nov 15, I asked my mum n dad to take the car away to theirs and just sell it ( was sold Feb 2016) and felt like ages waiting for the results my friend had to chase up to try get the results quicker. Iv had no night vision for years but I hadn't heard of ushers until the suspicion at Paisley hospital.
I'd only bought the car March 2015 - it was horrible. I was angry at everyone and everything. Couldn't understand why me it was bad enough living with being deaf but learning I could go blind completely one day and there no cure was even worse.
I'm not sure if i have fully accepted it but trying to. And yes I have the colour problem too. I think something for example is a light blue and I get told it's green
Still waiting for mobility training and I was asked if I would be interested in applying for a guide dog. I declined that at the moment as I already have 2 dogs and Princess moomoo aka Skye wouldn't be too happy about it so waiting a while before I think about that plus Tina doesn't like sharing me, my friend says she is always glued to me when she gets Tina in the mornings to take her out she is 12 in may and my first proper dog of my own