Appeals can take a few months to be heard at Tribunal. However if you can hang on and attend tribunal it helps to show that you consider the medical assessment to have been unfair. Try to take a Welfare Rights Advisor from an Unemployed Workers Centre with you to the tribunal - get in touch with one as soon as possible and don't wait for the tribunal hearing date as they will want to read your documents thoroughly beforehand so they can represent you thoroughly. Good luck with it. By the way - there's an online petition to Sack Atos at http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/sack-atos-healthcare.html which you are welcome to sign and tell your friends about Best Wishes, Yet_Another_Atos_Victim

There's an online petition to Sack Atos at http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/...ealthcare.html which you are welcome to sign and tell your friends about Best Wishes, Yet_Another_Atos_Victim

Hi, I'm training as a Welfare Rights Officer and have represented 2 people in IUCs (Interviews Under Caution) I am no expert, nor do I claim to be but would suggest feedback as follows: Yes, you can get a recording of the Interview - they will tape it on a machine which makes 2 copies of the interview at the same time. If you've ever watched the cop show "The Bill" the way they tape an IUC interview is very similar. You can make "no comment replies to all questions, just some questions or none at all - it's up to you. The interviewers may say that a court can "make adverse inferences" (assume no comment responses to indicate some guilt) and the law says that's what courts can do, but not always. You can answer some questions and then refuse to answer any more and you can get up and leave at any time. You are not under arrest and are unlikely to be arrested unless you act extremely aggressively and even then they would be more likely to call their security. (IUCs are done either at the local JobcentrePlus or at the local Council, depending on the benefit which they consider 'overpaid' as a result of what you have done, claimed or failed to tell them). They can stop your benefits at any time whether or not you are 'invited' to an IUC interview and whether or not you attend such an interview. If you decide to go, try to take someone with you - best bet is an accredited legal representative i.e. a qualified solicitor, but ideally one working free of charge for a local law centre. An accredited legal representative can make them reveal what facts they think they have on you before going any further with the interview. They can also intervene quite a lot on your behalf. Welfare Rights Advisors or friends have to just sit there and give you silent support. You do NOT have to sign anything even if it seems quite reasonable, and they might rely on asking you whether you think your 'behaviour would seem reasonable to somebody' but you don't have to justify your existence nor explain anything. Some interviewers try to make claimants feel vulnerable by talking about exibits and making a drama out of the tape recording process and they may attempt to shock you by admitting to parking outside your house loads of times, observing lights on or off all the detective stuff...don't be phased by any of this. If you decide to go to the IUC then take a big pad of paper and a couple of pens and make notes of what's being asked and note the tape counter reading at key points. make sure you write down the names of the interviewers (usually 2 of these, one asking most of the questions, the other backing up the lead interviewer). Don't be afraid to answer a question with a question for example "Wouldn't it seem reasonable for someone starting a business to visit the council to ask for information and register the business idea?" could be answered "I have no idea what might be considered reasonable as I've only being looking into what's involved in a business - so are you saying everyone should report every idea they've ever had to their local council or Jobcentre?" They will be on tape giving whatever lame answer they come up with! Watch out for the interviewers - part of their training is to scare you, trick you and then make out like they're your friends - they are NOT. Their aim is to get the maximum amount of fine or benefit repayment possible out of you. If you decide not to attend or not to co-operate with them they can stop your benefit or take you to court or do both. If you attend the IUC and they think you have committed fraud by act or omission they can: 1. Take you to court for fraud 2. Offer you a formal caution instead of prosecuting (not always an easy option as it counts as fraud proven, it stays on your record for several years and can be brought up if you end up in court for something else like defending your property for example. 3. Impose a Penalty Charge of 10% of the overpaid amount Their rules say they have to have enough evidence to go to court if they offer a caution or a penalty but it seems to me that often these IUCs are fishing expeditions based on malicious accusations (see below) They may be acting on a nasty anonymous tip-off from some poisonous dork on the benefit fraud phone line. This sort of thing does happen and it causes misery to untold numbers of decent, honest, genuine claimants. It's a pity JC+ and councils put so much effort into following up such poison and not locating the people who are owed some £14 Billion of unclaimed benefits which are underpaid each year. It's handy to tell councils and JC+s what's going on but not every last idea you're looking into so it looks like this one couldn't be avoided. Good luck with whatever you decide to do and fingers crossed for you

Good luck whatever you decide to do. There's an online petition to Sack Atos at http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/sack-atos-healthcare.html which you are welcome to sign and tell your friends about Best Wishes, Yet_Another_Atos_Victim

ah, yes, got it thanks. wasn't complaining, just wanted to do it right

DrJohn even if you have attended a WCA you can still contribute

PS Do you think it's worth making a it a sticky?

Hi Martin, Is there a way that members should get approval of any links prior to posting e.g. via an Admin? Is this link vetting just a normal process which happens to every post? I don't mind the vetting at all, but am concerned as I don't want to be breaking any rules. Regards, John

Hi everyone on ESA/IB/DLA There is an Independent Review of the WCA going on from 28/07/10 to 10/09/10 and (here I overcome my cynicism briefly)...we might be in with a chance of changing the system for the better. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked Professor Malcolm Harrington to undertake an independent review of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) and make recommendations on the future development and efficacy of the WCA. Individuals and organisations are invited to send evidence and to participate in recommending how changes may be made for the improvement of the WCA The DWP website page containing the "Call For Evidence" is at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/ The actual "Call For Evidence" Adobe pdf document can be viewed, printed or downloaded at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/work-cap-ass-call-for-evidence.pdf Anyone interested in submitting their own experience of the Atos Healthcare WCA can do so and answer Professor Harrington's 7 Questions in writing (address given in document) or by e-mail to: [email protected]

Here's a letter I have written to David Cameron today and posted to him at The House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA and to his constituency office at 10 Bridge St, Whitney, Oxon, OX28 1HY Dear Mr Cameron, The tone of your government, of vilifying the vulnerable in society, particularly the sick, disabled and unemployed is horrifying and disgusting, especially when we are all portrayed as "scroungers". In a vile outburst on 18th June, the epithet of "workshy" was applied by Chris Grayling (Con, Epsom & Ewell) to all 2.5 million sick ESA claimants. I find that remark, reported in the Daily Mail, to be offensive, and given his previous offence over remarks about B&B owners' 'rights', I hereby call on you to force Mr Grayling to apologise publicly. To announce, as he did, the complete abolition of all sickness benefits by 2014 , as he also did, smacks of totalitarian government - the sort we defeated in the Second World War. In fact I expected better leadership from you, Mr Cameron, with your aristocratic background and its focus on duty (noblesse oblige). I contend it's unjust to expect the poor and vulnerable to be scapegoated and expected to pay for a financial crisis brought about by the naked greed of banks, big business and politicians: The latter being too full of their self-interest to do their jobs. Punishing the poor is not only unjust; it's counter-productive. We're already broke. You have £136.5 Billion ringfenced for weapons systems alone, funds set aside to buy weapons of mass destruction during peacetime but you don't wish to put £12Bn aside for the sick and disabled? Pensioners are kept in poverty and some burn encyclopaedias bought in charity shops to keep warm in winter but your government leaves £130 Billion in uncollected taxes, loopholes for the rich and a pathetically low business CGT tax. You can't be bothered to collect £130 Billion from business, but you can only spare £12.8 Billion on state pensioners. You preside over £112 Billion in hidden waste costs by the European Union, but not only that - you pay the EU £20.8 Million every day too! (£7.6 Billion a year). For pity's sake please sort out some humane priorities and fix your upside-down budget: Instead of spending money on ridiculous ego projects, and spend a little more on the pensioners, sick, disabled and unemployed. Please reverse the VAT hike. VAT really is a regressive tax (it punishes the poor more than it taxes the rich). It was too high at 15% never mind 20%! The VAT tax was originally 'sold' to the public as a "tax on luxury goods" and the examples given were yachts, fur coats and fine wines. As long as I can remember this unfair tax has been applied to almost everything - basics. If your government can be a government for the people instead of a government against the people it may yet have a chance of surviving, and the country too. On the other hand, if you carry on playing God woth OUR money, giving foreign aid to Singapore which is a far richer country than the UK, for example, then the government will fall very quickly. The electorate may be poor, but we're not fools and there's a lot of anger about what you are doing. The fix is there. You only have to spend the money on the humane options and you will be remembered as a Prime Minister apart from the sociopathic savagery of the Thatcher years ansd apart from the lies, spin and unconstitutional lunacy of the "New Labour" years. You work for us, not the other way round. Yours sincerely (signed) John Moore (an unwell taxpayer)

yes 1 complete part is better

Hiya hendo, I've put it on my Atos Healthcare Facebook profile. Just log in and type atos in the search bar, mine is the one with the crossed out fish logo. It's in 3 parts. (not got my memory stick with me or i'd post the link) Anyone not yet signed the Sack Atos Healthcare petition, it's at: http:Sack Atos Healthcare Immediately Petition

Agreed. If my ESA is stopped I will almost certainly complain to GMC

Yessssss - absolutely, PriorityOne I hope to post a thread in the near future quoting some data to illustrate our points. I remember 3 in particular because they are so shocking: 1. The £1.5 Trillion of GDP our country has annaully - enough to pay for everything; 2. The £120 Billion every year spent on the EU, which gives nothing back and imposes it's looney laws on the UK; 3. The 70% of sick benefit ESA claims which are denied the proper benefit sue to lies and cheating by Atos Healthcare / Origin. I say sack them now : Sack Atos Healthcare Immediately Petition Take care

Yeah - that would be about right Conniff As the TV program asked "Who's cheating who?" http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://youtube.com/watch?v%3Dyop7L95NyIU&ct=ga&cad=:s7:f1:v0:i1:lt:e1:p1:t1275343973:&cd=zV9_ozc0JPk&usg=AFQjCNGFizn1QlJbNzETllp9eR0t2G8DwA BTW, if you've not signed the petition yet, please feel free to do do: Sack Atos Healthcare Immediately Petition Best Regards, John