My overall Benefits journey from 2013 to date - and on going still!!

[impecunious]

Can I just play devil's advocate here? I asked the same question at the Knob Centre when I first signed on for JSA and I was told that any "income" over £5 pw had to be declared .... (they didn't specifically say "earnings") ........ the income had to be declared and then it was then up to the Decision Maker to decide whether it could be disregarded or not.

 

Would be interesting to know ...

 

Imp

[Guest]

hmmm yes Imp...indeed.

[theoldrouge]

the £5 referred to is an "earnings disregard" derived from paid work, which selling your own unwanted goods is not

[estellyn]

Selling your own personal items is not income that has to be declared.

 

If you went and purchased items with the intent of selling at a profit, then that would need to be declared.

[Guest]

In our area claims for DLA were allowed up until the 9th June, my next door neighbour applied and sent his forms off on May 20th, I helped him as much as I could with them, he answered everything, had a letter from his daughter who part time cares for him ( in and out daily for a few hours etc), he got a text message the day the form was received and it said there could be up to 8 weeks wait, he then got another text saying they had contacted his GP and no need for him to contact the GP or them, last week he got a letter saying sorry its taken so long and they will write when they have more information. We are wondering why this would be? as the GP is now his only medical contact, the specialists dealing with his conditions having advised the GP on meds and treatment, and the GP has him in every 2-3 months to keep a check and update how he is managing, so we kind of thought the GP report would be the main body of the claim decision, which they must have received certainly in June.

Given all I have read on here and in general, I don't think they are going to help him but why the delay, I would have thought a refusal would come quicker rather than later.......any ideas? I know nobody here can say for sure either way but thoughts, ideas, welcome.

[reallymadwoman]

It could be anything from half the staff being on holiday to his GP took a while to reply and they've only just got it or even it's a condition the DM doesn't know much about so he's asked for an opinion from ATOS.

 

2 months for a DLA claim is probably not that unusual.

[Guest]

Thankyou RMW, I guess its just the usual waiting game. 9 weeks and counting lol.

[Nystagmite]

It does say on the letter you get (the one that says they've received your claim) that iy can take up to 11 weeks.

[Guest]

Oh I see Nystagmite, he didn't get a letter, only a text message which said it can take upto 8 weeks. The only letter was the one last week to say sorry it was taking so long lol

[estellyn]

In my experience, allow 13 weeks for dla claims - and most delays are due to the gp not returning the form - might be worth giving the surgery a call to check and prompt.

[Guest]

Ahhh thankyou estellyn, that could be a possibility, I know he has the same GP as me and the GP had a week away around the time the report was requested and also doesn't work every day now, so maybe the delay is to do with that, and maybe a back log also. It will likely be August time before he hears then. I will suggest to his daughter about checking with the surgery etc.

[Guest]

Well the dreaded day has finally arrived, for some reason I don't feel as bad as I thought I would (that will no doubt change in due course) maybe its due to the wait and expecting of it, and I know its gone to a different level now having read RMW's experience, but now its started its almost better than waiting for it. I fully expect to have a messical and fail, goes without saying, and wont be the shock it was before in 2009.

So the letter arrived this morning, telling me I will get a phone call to talk about how the change from IB will affect me, and after this call I will receive questionnaire to fill in and they will decide from that if I am entitled to ESA or not, or if I need an assessment, (looks like atossers messical on the menu, with sour tasting failure being the dish of the day). Letter says if I don't hear from them within 2 weeks of the letter to ring them, its dated 20th July, so already almost a week in, so 2 weeks would be the 3rd August which is a Saturday and they only open Mon-Fri (according to the letter) so I guess I will ring on the Mon 5th?? if not heard. Bit of a pain as the family are taking me away on Saturday for a week, and I really don't want that phone call during that break, but scared to miss it, if I haven't already as I mis-placed the charger and its been off all this week until I found the charger (in with the laundry, don't ask lol).....Am guessing this is the time when I need to log calls I make and not forget to request a recorded assessment if I have to go to one.

[Invalidation]

Download a copy of the ESA50 now and start compiling it. Go through it quickly filling it in then go over it every day bit by bit fattening up your responses after checking every question against the full descriptors.

Start compiling your evidence.

I also included a long description, 3 pages, of an average day.

 

Dont Panic.

 

It was 7 months between sending in my ESA50 and getting a letter putting me into the WRAG without an assessment.

Then again the HCP, contradicted every response I put on the ESA50 so its an Appeal now.

[reallymadwoman]

Ignore their phone call, you are under no obligation to speak to them or even give them your number.

 

They never phoned me, I just filled in the online ESA50 as that gave me a couple of weeks head start before the actual one arrived.

 

The only reason I would phone them is if the ESA50 doesn't arrive within the next month.

 

I will second the advice to start compiling your evidence - appointment cards and your repeat prescription list included - and also start keeping a daily diary of how your condition affects your day to day life so you can condense it into a typical day.

I will also second the advice to check the descriptors before answering the questions as they often don't match the available responses. If none of the tick boxes fit you exactly then don't tick one but write at the side or in the box underneath. Don't be afraid to scribble all over the form if that gets your message across, and if it's worth saying, it's worth repeating at every opportunity.

Final thought - I use the format "Because of x condition I cannot do y. If I try to do y then z happens. The last time I tried to do y ....' Try to use the words risk and danger as often as you can, e.g. if I try to do y I am at risk of ....

 

And don't forget to ask for your recording, in big letters, in the section about special arrangements for the assessment and in the 'any other information' box. Give them every reason to not want to do a face to face assessment!

Edited July 25, 2013 by reallymadwoman

[**Margaret**]

:Ruby_Tuesday:

 

It had to happen sooner or later.

 

'...... scared to miss it,' Don't be. Jobcentreplus'll try two or three times, then send an ESA50 anyway. I know more people who, for a variety of reasons, have 'missed' the call than have accepted it. Including me, cos our phones's switched off unless we've arranged to receive a specific call at a specific time. If you do answer the phone, the caller will read a load of info from a script.

(That you already know from CAG)

 

Yes, yes n yes; if you've the facility to log/record calls it'd be senseless not to. And keep an eye out for the ESA50, they're very good at getting lost. If you're anticipating trouble with medical evidence, now's the time to subject access request your doctor.

 

Margaret.

Edited July 25, 2013 by **Margaret**

[**Margaret**]

:Ruby_Tuesday:

 

And I'm seconding the advice to make the ESA50 fit you rather than the other way round. Start of my ongoing saga was the first questionnaire I'd ever completed for myself. After three weeks of paper aeroplanes and scrunchies for the cat (she enjoyed it) we gave up on the tick boxes for the activities. In lieu of pages 7 - 16 we submitted sheets of A4 headed up with the descriptors we believe I meet; then used the cos of X, can't do Y, with descriptions of what happens, or doesn't, day to day. Not everyone's choice, but an acceptable alternative format for those who find it easier.

 

Margaret.

Edited July 25, 2013 by **Margaret**

[Guest]

Thankyou all...am downloading the form today, and will do as you all have said. I am confident on the GP evidence and back up, and I have all other original specialist letters of diagnosis. I wont worry about the phone call then, but make sure I ring if their form doesn't arrive, and meanwhile will fill out the download and work on that........many thanks...will keep updated here.

[Invalidation]

When working on the ESA50, dont let it faze you, go into as much detail as you can at that moment. If you start losing concentration, close it up and come back to it later or the next day.

You will have around 3 and half weeks to send it in after receiving it so dont panic.

I worked on my ESA50 for around 3 weeks before I had it perfected. I also called in a local Advocacy advisor who helped. I got put straight into the WRAG with no ATOS face to face assessment.

 

Have you thought about contacting your local Advocacy center to help with the ESA50?

[Nystagmite]

It may help you if you can get someone who knows you well to help you. In the sense that some of us don't quite realise until it's pointed out, how much we actually struggle with something. And (at least with me) I can't always put my problems into words and need someone's input.

[Guest]

Good ideas Invalidation, I don't know if we have a local advocacy centre but will find out.

 

Nystagmite, my daughter will be a good help there as she is with me a lot and my only source of help.

[Zonker]

Always a good idea to get help filling that flaming form in. They must have some very 'weird' psyco designing the form, enticing you complete the form in a way that fails to establish your entitlement.

 

My first form that I sent back was lost somewhere in post (they claimed!) The second had no problems with.

[Guest]

I agree Zonker, if I cant get an advisor appointment I will read all on here and just put all and every piece of info I can on it, extra pages and all..it will like a dossier but what the hell, there will be the recording request on every spare and appropriate space too lol...my daughter is good with helping me do that kind of thing so hopefully I should be ok with doing the form, and will want a recorded assessment if it goes that far. Am trying to cut back even further with spending (very hard) to try and keep something aside in case they just throw me off totally and tell me to go for jsa, have heard this happen to some, and the its like 28 days no money if you ask for reconsideration before a possible tribunal request, when then I understand you can get basic rate benefit, which at least is something....just trying to cover all angles/plans to help keep my anxiety from soaring, as that will kick the bipolar off and its damn hard to get back to my normal, which is never the same as others who don't have bipolar, but better than me in full flight or down in the pit, and aggravates the fibromyalgia, upsets my blood sugar and my diabetes gets worrying, all a viscious (spelling) circle if am not careful, and a very unpleasant merry-go-round. Anyway...one step at a time, I have the form downloaded and am doing as suggested, getting prepared with eyes wide open as they say.

[Guest]

Well am back from the holiday the family took me on, shattered and glad to be home, it exhausted me lol....I didn't have the mobile phone with me it was switched off and at home all week. There are no messages on it, so am assuming the dwp either didn't ring or just didn't leave a message. The two weeks from the date of their letter is up today, and theyre not there on Saturdays, although the letter was dated 20th july which was a Saturday. I am therefore assuming if no questionnaire arrives this week I will have to phone them, I will have my daughter with me when I do.

[Guest]

Well I haven't received the questionnaire and daughter was worrying incase it didn't arrive (genuinely or otherwise) so she sat with me while I rang them back, I said no need to explain about all the changes as daughter had found the info online and she understood it, and would explain to me whenever I was anxious and or had forgotten it all which was the usual thing with my memory and digesting things, all I needed to do was make sure the questionnaire got to me and it hadn't, the jc+ lady was very polite, unlike previous times/people, she said the questionnaire should be with me in the next 2-3 weeks, and to be sure to put as much info on it as possible, daughter can help, and any GP info/medical evidence I have to make sure its on there, she made a point of stressing the importance of info/evidence, and wished me all the best with it. I have noted her name and date and time of call, and its logged on my phone. so I feel a bit better in as much as it should be on the way soon and I can get on with this sorry situation.

At first though lol the lady said I had been on esa since 2011...I corrected that as it was 2011 when I had my tribunal hearing and the incapacity benefit was re-instated and added to income support, and I was given 2 and a half yrs peace until this current assessment process. My daughter had written all this down for me before the call was made so i would be able to explain if it came up, and good job she did. The jc+ lady said i was lucky to have my daughter and how good of her to take the trouble to make sure i had the notes and info at the ready.

Obviously i don't trust any of them making the decisions, and or atossers, but at least this lady was polite and helpful and not unpleasant and nasty as i found them to be back in 2009 at the last episode of it, i know what is likely to come and what needs doing, but at least not being insulted on the phone made this bit easier.

[**Margaret**]

:Hiya Ruby_Tuesday:

 

Hope you enjoyed the break from DWATO. Apart from keeping a paper trail and logging/recording calls if poss , tis my personal opinion that there's no one failsafe way to cope with them. Although I never answer calls, I occasionally make calls to DWATO, so long as my husband's next to me to take over when it goes pear-shaped.

Good luck with the ESA50, Margaret.