has he applied for a short term benefit advance with his local council? as this has replaced crisis loans i think this is the only thing he might be able to apply for at the minute but i might be wrong. the only other i can think of is keep phoning ESA up and pressure them to seeped his claim up there is not a time limit set as far as i know for this but i would have thought it would have been done by now but its happening to a lot of people at the moment a lot of the councils are giving food voucher and credit vouchers for gas and electric so he could apply for that under the short term benefit advance http://www.turn2us.org.uk/information__resources/benefits/social_fund/short_term_benefit_advances.aspx hope this helps and i hope he gets sorted soon

my mum pays in full every year with her payment card last week she got a cheque back from them for the full amount 3 weeks after she paid it she called them up and they said her card has expired ( dont ask me why) that's why they sent her the money back so she just paid over the phone with her debit card so it seems its happening to others too

can take weeks sometimes even months depends on them really

have you not tried to ask hard hardship allowance?

we are all here to help you and give you the best advice we can most of us have been though the tribunals service ourselves but there is light at the end of the tunnel that's why we are asking a lot of questions so we can get the full picture and what to advise you on next

i was only asking you this as if its got worse you need to put this down on your new claim and maybe try to get as much evidence as you can as it all helps towards your claim

as its after the 6 months you can still reapply for ESA for the same illnesses you said you have had recent blood tests has your illness got worse?

then you can make a new a claim for ESA as 6 months have passed since your medical. you can call them up and start your new claim ASAP. have you thought about getting a new GP? as you will have to send in sick notes for your new claim

you can claim ESA again if it been 6 months since they told you that you did not pass your medical not the day you lost your tribunal they often tell people to claim JSA if you do this then you have deemed yourself fit for work if your not well i would not do this on what date was your medical with ATOS?

i have often thought about this myself if its replacing the community care grant ect ect then how are they gong to do this? i know people who have had food voucher but i dont know how the furniture is going to work though be interested to see how it does work

xxxx

has your condition worsened since you got the letter saying you did not pass the medical? the only reason i ask is as your going to appeal and have to go to a tribunal if the decision is not made in your favour once you have a reconsideration then the tribunal panel can only go off how you was during your medical and not how your were after it if that makes seance ? if you condition has got worse since your medical they will not look at this during your tribunal hearing its based on how you was before and during your medical/ tribunals take take anywhere from a year to 18 months my sister has severe mental illnesses she waited 18 months for her first one then 12 months for her second one so they can take there time. reconsideration can also take there time at the moment it can be weeks before you get a reconsideration there have been many changes to ESA lately thats why. im glad your have moved over to secondary care though my sister is currently in this when you get your CPN and a care plan which will list all the things that your struggle with and the amount of help needed and the level of support they will offer you help and care you need from the mental health team this is always a good thing to have. you can chase them up if you wish too though your GP but there is a waiting list to most secondary mental health teams my sister waited 12 months for her but that's not to say it will be that long for you it all depends on how long there list is and where you are on it to be honest. gather ass much evidence as you can ( diagnosis treatment medication ) but #most of all how your illnesses effect you on a daily basis eg how you feel. what you struggle with what you can and cant do ect ect due to your illnesses the more detailed information you can give them the better it will be for you. also do not go alone get someone to go with you if you feel you can answer there questions let the person with you explain in more details for you if you have CPN ask them to go with you on the day they will be better as talking and explaining if you have been refereed to secondary care due to the same illnesses send in your care plan it all goes to help you on the day hope this helps anything else just ask

it could be one of the factors yes but then again it could just be what the ATOS medical person has sent over in there report and what they have stated in it. it could be a factor of few things however this is conmen when it comes to making a decision even though a lot of things are based on evidence provided they have to also make a decision on when they feel you might get better and might be able to return to work sounds silly i know but this is what they normally do. you can always appeal against the decision and then get a reconsideration of the original decision if you do this make sure you seed in as much evidence for your appeal even the bits you think you GP may have missed out. you can also put to then why you think the decision to place you in the WRAG group and not the SG is wrong and how you feel your condition meets those descriptions

is it the old DLA renewal form of the new PIP Ones? if its the PIP one i have never seen or filled in the PIP form as yet so cant be of any help im sorry but maybe someone else might come along and give you more advice on it from what i have been told its much harder to get the PIP than it was DLA before good luck PIP timetable The timetable for moving working age disability living allowance (DLA) claimants onto personal independence payment (PIP) has been put back by two years, until after the next election, for people with indefinite or lifetime awards of DLA. From April 2013 The new timetable will begin with a pilot from 8th April 2013 for new claims to PIP in the North West and part of the North East of England. Postcodes affected are: CA, CH (except CH5, CH6, CH7 and CH8), LA (except LA27, LA28, LA62 and LA63), CW, FY, L, PR, WA, WN, BL, DH, DL (except DL6, DL7, DL8, DL9, DL10 and DL11), M, NE, SR, and TS (except TS9). From June 2013 From June 2013, all new claims from anyone aged 16-64 will be for PIP instead of DLA throughout the whole of Great Britain. The only exception will be renewal claims from a fixed term DLA award which is due to expire before the end of February 2014, where the renewal claim will still be for DLA rather than PIP. From October 2013 From October 2013 the following DLA recipients will begin to have to claim PIP: Children turning 16 will have to claim PIP when their existing fixed term award is coming to an end. People reporting changes of circumstances which might affect their rate of payment, such as an improvement or deterioration in their condition, but not issues like going into a care home or hospital or changing address. People with a fixed-term DLA award which expires from the end of February 2014 Anyone who chooses to make an application for PIP, including people who have a fixed-term or indefinite award of DLA. From October 2015 From October 2015, everyone still getting DLA will have to make a claim for PIP. Claimants will be selected randomly rather than by area or age, although the DWP say that they will “invite claims as early as possible from recipients who have turned 65 after 8 April 2013, when PIP was first introduced.” The DWP does not now expect to complete the reassessment of all existing DLA claimants for PIP until March 2018.

sorry you have had such a hard time with the DWP and the tribunals service this does happen form time to time seems you got the short end of the stick i think this will happen more and more with all the constant changes and current appeals that are going though the system hope you feel better soon

your very welcome ive been to 2 tribunals with my sister for her mental health problems so if you need any more advice you only have to ask good luck and let us know how you get on

the only other thing i can suggest is try and get as much information as you can i know this will be had due the lack of evidence you currently have with regards to getting current medical evidence ect ect the thing with this is what the tribunals will look at on the day of her hearing i definitely think its best to get as much information as you can on her illnesses like you have outlined your post but also how these effect her on a daily basis prozaz is know as a mood stabilising drug and can help control a number of mental illnesses but not cure them. i think it would be best to really going into detail about her condition and what she is like daily all this will be taken into account at the hearing but it would be better if you go with her and explain in more detail but remember they only go off how she was at the medical not how she is now if she fails the tribunal then she will be able to reapply for ESA again as the 6 months rule will have elapsed as its 6 months from the date she failed her original medical not the tribunal in which case i would get her to see the mental health team and get a full diagnosis of her current mental health state this will help her if she needs to reapply for ESA again which i would advise you to if she fails the tribunal hearing reapply for ESA i hope this helps x

i think its all worth a try anyway xx

does she take medication for illness?

is she not currently under the community mental health team? have you spoke to MIND or RETHINK they have a great advocacy department that can help and work whit you

id call the DWP back up and get them to send you out a copy of your new ESA award letter or ask to speak to the decision maker that made the new award or your ESA

you could let them know about it write them a letter explaining this in as much detail as you can. the decision maker will often go off what the report says from ATOS you said the decision maker came back to you have you had a reconsecration already?

my sister got her for 3 years she got called in after 6 months her second time she got 3 years again they called her back in for a year and the third time she got called back in again after 6 months it silly i agree with the dates they put on the award papers as they dont stick by them at all i know the maximum they award usually is 3 year so i was surprised when it was for 9 years but that's the DWP for you i guess

fist of all congratulations xx i would not use it as set in stone no they can reassess you within 3 month if they want too

yes