IB to ESA letter has arrived - couple of questions please.

[Invalidation]

If youre already on IB and are simply on the Migration from IB to ESA then they cant lower your money while you are being assessed or even while you appeal

[Invalidation]

Lifeisamess - appreciate that

I'm more than happy with them having access to whatever medical stuff they want. I have had numerous operations, scans, plastic surgeries, MRI scans etc. All in my medical record. As far as I know they should have had access to it all in the past anyway, as I have filled in several of the forms in the past when they wanted to reassess me. In the past I usually heard back several weeks later saying they were carrying on with my IB. This was with no real medical stuff included, other than whatever they may have asked my G.P and a list of my pain medications.

 

Be very careful and understand, YOU will have to provide your medical records to ATOS, they will not seek it. You will need to contact you Doctor and maybe even Hospitals to obtain full copies of your problem and prognosis.

You need to download the ESA50 and start filling it in. You will also need a PDF reader and writer, I use 'Foxit' that allows me to write to a PDF document.

Fill the ESA50 in as fast as you can then review it every day and change and modify it with respect to the ESA descriptors.

Write out an Average Day report, again with one eye on the descriptors. Get friends and family that know you to write down how they feel about your disability.

Understand fully. Both ATOS and the DWP want to take your money from you any way they can, fair means or foul.

[Invalidation]

Retro. Dont worry about Paper copies of the ESA50, download the online version and a good PDF reader writer and you can amend the ESA50 online as many times as you want before you print it out and send it.

GET AS MUCH MEDICAL EVIDENCE AS YOU CAN to support your claims of the descriptors.

Also, DO NOT send any originals, make copies of everything and send the copies, ensure your National Insurance number is at the top of all copies and also, if you can number,sequentially all the stuff you send in then also send a single page with all the stuff listed with the numbers and use your numbered documents as a reference to your answerr on the ESA50.

If the DWP and ATOS can 'lose' material, they will.

They lost my entire ESA50 and all the accompanying medical evidence supporting my claims, then sent one sheet of the ESA113 to the HCP assessor to make their assessment !

[Invalidation]

Oh and I'd rather write the form out. I can only type one handed (one fingered really) and so it takes me an age to do. Mainly because my left arm/hand is screwed up. It might sound like a trivial thing, but if I explain how bad my left hand is (yet again) but fill out the online form with lots of details, they might think I'm blagging? Though the state of how it looks should be evidence enough!

Your last point first.

No, the state of how it looks wont be enough. You might not even have a face to face assessment like myelf and be dumped straight into the WRAG.You need to be fully informed that in some cases, not all, the DWP and ATOS will be more devious than a devious person at devious University

If needs be apply for a SAR to your Doctor to produce all medical details he has on you.

 

As for not typing your stuff out. I helped a local chap last week by using a Tablet with Google Speak on it to write out documents. It works quite well, if you can get hold of a Tablet computer or try it on a Laptop with a Mic.

 

Whatever happens, photocoty everything and keep the originals safe.

[Invalidation]

Retro Have you checked if there is an Advocacy service near you? My local Advocate came out to my house and checked over all my ESA 50 and documents and pointed out many things that I didnt think relevant.

If you cant find one contact your local MIND as they will know where the nearest Advocacy service is

[Invalidation]

The reason I spoke to him, is that I spotted he got an ATOS form in the post a few months ago. He was very open when I spoke to him (he was sober so I wasn't being mean and prying info from him!) - he says he was just put on to something called ESA WRG - which I'm not entirely sure I understand. And that he goes for interviews once a year? But curiously, he gets paid the same money as I do, but gets all his prescriptions etc for free? And he has never sent any medical information? Just a side note that I was curious about.

WRAG is Work related Activity Group. Means you will have to go to Work Focussed Interviews unless you are above the Pension age or are on Pension credit.

He may get Free Prescriptions as he is on Low Income or even on Pension Credit

One last question. Let's say they fail me at the medical, I also fail an appeal and they put me on whatever benefit is applicable. But then I start trying to find a job, and end up in more pain because the work hurts my neck, back arm and legs. And end up taking sick days and losing a job because of it. Am I stuck in a loop or trying to find work, losing jobs and so on and so on. Or would the job centre see this and let me reapply.

Firstly, you may not even have a medical and may be dumped straight into the WRAG.

Dont start panicking about things that could be a very long time in the future. Work on one step at a time

 

edit: should I add on the form that I am going back to the eye hospital for further tests?

Oh and rather embarrassing - should I mention that I have irritable bowel syndrome?

Mention everything and get a letter from the Doctor or hospital backing it up

 

edit yet again. FIRST BIG BLOW - just spoke to a lovely lady at the hospital records dept and she told me that it has been such a long time since I attended that there is a fair chance my notes could have been destroyed!

Correct. My initial diagnosis was made in 1995 and all my records including scans etc were destroyed. Its normal for some hospitals to do this after 8 or 10 years. I was fortunate as I had the reports that were sent from the Hospital to the Doctors

 

another edit (sorry): just been dealt another blow. Spoke to my G.P's and they have told me that they may only have the bare minimum notes on me if my old surgery (that closed down) didn't pass every single file on. Can't believe that even happens, but boy is it looking glum at this minute.

Again par for the course. The Family Practitioners health service that used to do all the transfers of documents when changing surgeries lost all my records TWICE !! My records only go back to 1995

[Invalidation]

Sorry to be a killjoy here but you seem to be paying a lot of attention to your condition in the past.

What you SHOULD be doing is getting verification of your capabilities NOW, as that is what any ATOS assessment is going to be looking at.

 

The ESA50 as you will see, is focussed on your capabilities at present and what work you are capable of doing now.

You should also realise that the HCP might not even look at the ESA50 though they will state on their 'Justifications' that they did.

 

So whilst past records might be a help at appeal should it go to that, they wont be relevant now

[Invalidation]

Answer the question on the ESA 50 as instructed but then put PLEASE SEE NOTES And add some clarification to your problem.

They probably wont even look at it but if everything goes to appeal you can point out that you provided sufficient comments and evidence but they did not look or use it in their assessment.

[Invalidation]

There doesn't seem to be an explanation as to how often it is when they say repeatedly. They'd probably argue it depends on the activity.

 

Thats why on my ESA50 on EVERY question I put a number then stated to see accompanying notes. I numbered the notes relative to the question and typed many paragraphs explaining my problems on each question.

Irrelevant really as they lost everything