How can I get Atos to asses me?

[HelloDarkWorld]

I've applied for ESA around a year ago, but Atos refuse to reassess me to put me into one of the two groups they are supposed to put people into after 14 weeks. This means I continue getting £71.70, out of which I still have to pay the Council rent of £15 per week. So I approximately have £55 left.

 

I've applied for PIP around 7 months ago, but again, they are not assessing it. They confirmed they received my application with all the supporting docs in August, but hey, no assessment to date.

 

In the past I had applied for ESA and they did an assessment after which they told me I was capable to work and wrote to me that they informed my GP that the GP should no longer issue me sick notes. This was happening while I was told I need to prepare for a major operation by the NHS hospital. I had broken metals in my spine, but of course, the Atos assessor refused to look at the x-ray during my assessment. At the time I was so worried about my financial situation based on Atos assessment that I was too scared to go for an operation because I couldn't get a financial loan to sustain myself afterwards. I ended up postponing my operation and got myself a job. I only lasted in employment for approx 5 months when my situation became so bad and I was in so much pain and my leg started to go dead from the spinal illness that I went for an operation. Even then my ESA was refused and I had to wobble to a jobcentre to sign on. My advisor was so shocked at the job centre that he told me I don't have to look for jobs just turn up on the day. When I had my operation I was them moved to ESA. I wished I would die during the operation but sadly I didnt.

 

Struggles continue. I can't afford heating, food, clothes, taxi to hospital (i can't use public transport yet), nothing. Adaptations were refused by the Council as i live on the wrong floor. I am not being rehoused. Nothing.

 

Is there somewhere I can get an interest free loan from to help me with basic costs?

 

BTW, my operation is not healing properly either and on top of it all i have a leaking roof and part time access to water. Joy..

[time4change2]

the assessments are taking longer than usual due to the backlogs . you could always contact your local MP and ask him/her to write to them on your behalf

 

have you applied for discretionary housing payment? it might be best to call you local council and see if you entitled to any help .

 

 

the leaking roof and the access to water you have mentioned is this in a council property?

[HelloDarkWorld]

I will take your suggestion on board with the MP, let's see what happens. I've also submitted formal complaints to Atos re failure to assess my PIP and re failure to re-assess my ESA. However, I did that by email. Their Atos complaint procedure requires you to take the physical complaint to the post office, which I can't currently do. Let's see if they accept it by email...

 

Housing is all very dodgy grey area. This is a Council flat of 1.5 bedrooms that was originally allocated to 3 people - single mum and two siblings (inc. me). Technically my mother is the tenant, although I am also written into her tenancy agreement, so all payments have to be made by her. The Council prescribed that I as a sibling I have to contribute £15 per week. Because mum is the tenant i can't claim Housing Benefit and I have to give mum the £15 so she can make the payment to Housing. I've sent Housing letters before, but nothing, no response. My mum temporarily moved to a friend's living room sofa as the box room is too small for a tall person to be in and there is not enough space in our flat to accommodate a person with my disability post operation and another adult. (I've applied for Housing ages ago but my Choice Based Lettings bids were bypassed by the Council and properties were allocated to other applicants. I was told the Council has the right to withdraw any property for direct offers at any time, and that I should keep on bidding. Except that I am now restricted from bidding as apparently the medical quota is full).

 

The leaking roof and access to water is a Council matter - it's currently dealt with at Stage 2. They told me they will not give me a timeline by when they will fix the issues, so the roof is still leaking and the water is all very dodgy. Failure to make adaptations in the property is also a Council matter - Adult Social Care deemed this property to be unsuitable for me and that I need to be rehoused, so no adaptations either

[HelloDarkWorld]

I just opened up a letter and there is my gas bill. £280 from 6 Nov to Feb - and it seems it's still undercalculated. I don't have baths or showers - due to accessibility issues, I live in 16 degrees temperature and I only heat my house up on Tuesday and Friday mornings as that's when the carer comes to help me with sponge wash (with a sponge and bowl) and I can't get naked in 16 degrees. My house is never nicely heated - most of the time its like being outside. I wear 3 pairs of trousers, lots of jumpers and gloves in my home. How is the bill £280????

 

Thanks to Atos it seems I'll be moving into a park (Atos assessment would help with heating I suppose)...

[reallymadwoman]

Your situation is absolutely appalling and you have my every sympathy, but I'm at a bit of a loss as to what else to suggest that might help. Have you contacted your MP? How about your local councillor? I presume your carer is paid for by social services. If so, could your social worker help?

 

Failing that, the only thing I can suggest is to see if your local paper are prepared to do a story.

 

Re ATOS and taking forever to assess people, my complaint about delay is now with the Independent Case Examiner since complaints to DWP and ATOS got me nowhere. We have just passed the second anniversary of my claim and I know there are others on the forum who have also waited a very long time so, whilst it may not be terribly encouraging, at least you know they're not picking on you specifically.

[HelloDarkWorld]

I contacted my MP about housing, they got involved which got me onto the Housing register (the council wouldn't allow me to get onto the Housing register at first), thereafter it seems the MP is not able to help much. I'll contact the MP re Atos this week.

 

I've contacted the local Councillor re a "surgery" appointment to discuss issues, which apparently they do, still waiting for an appointment, its been a week now.

 

The carer is provided by Social Services but I don't have a caseworker to contact as I've technically been discharged by the social services after 5 weeks.

 

Thanks for the ATOS information - i did actually think that the situation might have been unique to me as last time I did not complain and got myself a job instead. I thought they are trying to silently bully me into a job again or something. But having read your and other people's posts it seems everyone else is on the same end of the stick.

 

I was even thinking that if I commit a crime - something that doesn't harm a person or an animal and get myself into jail for a couple of years I might have a better opportunity to recover from my operations.. A silly thought but given my circumstances might turn out to be a better reality.. I'm not really fussed about a criminal record. Being a good citizen and passing my GCSE's 2 years early, finishing UNI and being 'nice' got me nowhere. Desperate times, desperate ideas LOL

[rebel11]

Hi HelloDarkWorld

 

Your house needs to be heated to at least 22/23C. The cold can have all sorts of effects on you because you have existing conditions.

 

Contact your gas provider, explain that you are a vulnerable person and you need immediate assistance. They have schemes to help vulnerable people, they can put you onto a reduced tariff.

 

You need to ring your local council, ask to speak to the Welfare Officer, they need to help you, this isn't good enough.

[HelloDarkWorld]

Hi Rebel11,

 

I'll try and do that! - Both things, let's see what happens; once I have a result I'll post an update

[reallymadwoman]

A suggestion for dealing with MP/counciller, especially if they are of the Con/Dem variety - you're not in any way being critical of the government or welfare reforms, you are only complaining about this particular provider (ATOS) who no one is happy with. It's much easier to get MPs etc to do something if they don't have to complain about their own party policies.

[rebel11]

Hi hello

 

If you don't get any help from the gas company customer service, then you can write to the CEO. Just post the name of gas company, we can find e-mail address.

 

Hi Rebel11,

 

I'll try and do that! - Both things, let's see what happens; once I have a result I'll post an update

[HelloDarkWorld]

Hello Rebel11,

 

I phone my gas company E.on, they first tried to sell me that I move my electricity to them as well. They then said I can apply for "warm Home Discount" which would give me £135, but that is now closed until April, so I can only submit an application in April. They then said they can look at insolation and offer a grant but as the adviser proceeded with some checks he then explained my group (on ESA) is not entitled), its more for pensioners and something else else. E.on then said at most what they can do is so that the next bill doesn't come all at once but rather in smaller installments, which is pointless as I don't suffer from impulse shopping and I'm quite good when it comes to looking after money if I have the money...

 

In the end, another call that lead to nothing...

[rebel11]

Hi hello

 

Write a Formal Letter of Complaint mark it as such. Explain your circumstances, explain that you have to leave the room's cold because you can't afford the costs, etc and you want him to see what he can do.

 

Send it to:-

E.On UK

Mr Tony Cocker

Chief Executive

[email protected]

[HelloDarkWorld]

I certainly will do. Thank you for the details!!!

[HelloDarkWorld]

Hello Time4change2 and Reallymadwoman,

 

I just wanted to share that I took your advice on board (thank you!) and sent an email today to my MP regarding ATOS assessments. The auto response says MP takes 14 days to respond, so it may take quite some time for an outcome, though I’ll keep everyone posted here about what happens.

[reallymadwoman]

Try your local councillor as well.

[HelloDarkWorld]

Try your local councillor as well.

 

I just had a look, and there are 3 Councillors for my immediate area. Silly question probably, but is there a technique to picking which of the 3 to contact?

[stu007]

Not really you could do an internet search on each and have a read to see which one is best to approach with your specific issue.

 

Info link to EON Warm Home Discount: https://www.eonenergy.com/for-your-home/saving-energy/need-little-extra-help/warm-home-discount

[rebel11]

http://local.direct.gov.uk/LDGRedirect/index.jsp?LGSL=358&

 

I just had a look, and there are 3 Councillors for my immediate area. Silly question probably, but is there a technique to picking which of the 3 to contact?

[rebel11]

For some silly reason the Scheme closed on the 31/01/14.

 

Not really you could do an internet search on each and have a read to see which one is best to approach with your specific issue.

 

Info link to EON Warm Home Discount: https://www.eonenergy.com/for-your-home/saving-energy/need-little-extra-help/warm-home-discount

[E.ON Company Rep: Malc]

Hi HelloDarkWorld

 

I usually inhabit the Utility Board but spotted your thread and thought I might be able to offer a few pointers.

 

You don't have to pay the gas bill you've just received all at once. We can spread the amount over the next quarter. Might make it a little more manageable.

 

Also, if you're able to set up a Monthly Direct Debit, we can include your ongoing usage and spread the latest bill over a longer period. With a Monthly Direct Debit, there's a cash advantage too. This is through a lower daily standing charge.

 

There's a small cash advantage for managing the account online as well.

 

Is the bill based on actual meter readings or is it estimated? If estimated, let us have up to date readings and we can re-bill accurately. This will help you see how much gas you're actually using.

 

Once you've an idea about your usage, pop this on to one of the comparison sites. This will give you details of all the tariffs available to you, both with us and with the other suppliers. Make sure you're on the best deal for you.

 

Going forward, we'll be happy to work with you to help you use only what you need. Talk to us about this. Checkout out our website too. Particularly the Saving Energy Toolkit. Some good tips here to help you cut back.

 

Check you're on our Priority Services Register. This is a record of any disability or vulnerability at a property that could be affected by a loss of gas supply. Could be useful going forward.

 

I'm afraid, as you only take gas from us, we won't be able to help with the Warm Home Discount. This is only paid through electricity accounts. You'll need to apply for this through your current electricity supplier.

 

Depending on where you live, there may be help available from some third party trust funds. Several UK water companies support trust funds which can be used to cover essential bills such as energy bills.

 

Hope this is of interest. Let me know if you need any more details as will be happy to help.

 

Malc

[honeybee13]

Thank you for commenting, Malc.

 

HB

[rebel11]

Hi Malc (Eon)

 

This is what Tony Cocker, CEO of EON said on 29th October 2013, in front of the Energy and Climate Change Committee.

 

'Mr. Lavery, we understand that people up and down the country are worried about their bills. If your constituents are worried about their bills, ask them to contact us - call us, e-mail us, whatever - because we understand that completely.'

 

I think the expectation is that E.on will do something pro active for consumers so they can afford to turn the heating on.

 

http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/WrittenEvidence.svc/EvidencePdf/3242

[E.ON Company Rep: Malc]

Hi rebel11

 

Totally agree. I'd encourage any customer worried about their bills to talk to us.

 

As above, there are things we can do to help. This includes spreading balances over more manageable periods, setting up payment arrangements, making sure they're on the best deals for them, checking bills are accurate and looking at ways to help them save energy and money.

 

There are other things I didn't mention earlier as I didn't think they applied to the OP. These include fitting prepayment meters to help customers budget for their energy usage. Balances can also be put on these meters to collect at an agreed weekly rate.

 

If none of the above are suitable, we can look at a scheme called Fuel Direct. This gives customers the option of having deductions taken automatically from their benefits to pay for their energy plus a small payment towards any arrears.

 

It may be the OP wasn't given all these options when they called. Given the circumstances, I'd suggest they talk to our Caring Energy team. They're far more clued up on all of the above and will be happy to help. There's more details about this team (including contact details) on our website.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Malc

[rebel11]

Hi Malc

 

I'm sure the 'Caring Energy Team' can at least ensure that 'Hello' isn't scared about putting the heating on because there's an existing debt and the current cost . Hope something can be happen in that direction.

 

Hi rebel11

 

Totally agree. I'd encourage any customer worried about their bills to talk to us.

 

As above, there are things we can do to help. This includes spreading balances over more manageable periods, setting up payment arrangements, making sure they're on the best deals for them, checking bills are accurate and looking at ways to help them save energy and money.

 

There are other things I didn't mention earlier as I didn't think they applied to the OP. These include fitting prepayment meters to help customers budget for their energy usage. Balances can also be put on these meters to collect at an agreed weekly rate.

 

If none of the above are suitable, we can look at a scheme called Fuel Direct. This gives customers the option of having deductions taken automatically from their benefits to pay for their energy plus a small payment towards any arrears.

 

It may be the OP wasn't given all these options when they called. Given the circumstances, I'd suggest they talk to our Caring Energy team. They're far more clued up on all of the above and will be happy to help. There's more details about this team (including contact details) on our website.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Malc

[HelloDarkWorld]

Hi Malc, Thanks for your response.

 

I barely use your gas and I have to foot a £280 bill for 3 months. I will therefore not be moving my electricity to you too but thank you for the suggestion.

 

I will further not be adding a direct debit as currently there is nothing to debit. I don't want to get bank charges on top of everything for failed direct debits. I will also continue prioritising bread over gas.

 

Some of what you said I really took to heart, such as:

"Going forward, we'll be happy to work with you to help you use only what you need. Talk to us about this. Checkout out our website too. Particularly the Saving Energy Toolkit. Some good tips here to help you cut back."

- Surely me having to live in 16 degree temperature and not having baths or showers (irrespective of the reasons) are exemplary actions of cutting back?

Also I did talk to you, the only useful thing that you offered was a visit to my home to assess the insulation - which I can already tell you its crap. But then your customer services adviser proceeded to tell me that the visit to assess the insulation is actually not available to those on ESA.

 

I will have a look at Priority Services Register - not quite sure what it is but I will investigate, thank you.

 

The bill is estimated at £280 - and it is in fact underestimated as according to our calculation it should really be £299. So please don't send the gas meter man to my house any time soon; I am sure E.ON is eager to rebill me accurately.

 

I also thank you for your information on Warm Home Discount, so at least I can now cross if off my calendar.

 

You suggested I should let you know if I need anymore details and that you will be happy to help. Yes please, Malc, I will take you up on the offer. You mentioned that depending on where I live there might be help available from third party trust funds for i.e. energy bills? Well, I live in Westminster, can you please let me know who I can contact about these trust funds? Or where I can find them?

 

Thanks in advance.