esa questionnaire arrived

markc1

Hi all,got the booklet today filled in and posted back.What happens now...another prodding session by a doctor?loads of questions i expect.

Anyone tell me the process?,the paperwork came from Atos in Bootle,funnily enough i have been examined there twice by Atos from work!!
I have read only bad things on here about these examinations,should i be worried about my benefits?

valval

bump can not help but sure some one can

tkachev

Prepare for yet another fight Mark. You have to fight for what you are entitled to nowadays,
Good luck and take care
Elizabeth

happy_feet

I was going to say the same as Val but wasnt sure if I was right in thinking it. They seem to be moving the goal posts further and making people jump through more hoops. Im just wondering....maybe they hope after all the repeated "tests" we will limp differently to the last time they seen us, or give different answers on forms and contradict ourselves. Just be prepared Marc,
my fight hasnt started yet but when they send me for the medical Im going to ask them-since the "doctor" will be adding his own "findings" which I am not allowed to see and either agree or correct at the end of it what they have written-I want someone who is an EXPERT in this field to medically examine me, someone who has the same sort of expertise as my own doctor or specialist, not a midwife, nurse or general health care assistant with a poor understanding of English-who has sat in a classroom for a day to learn about disabilities! :x
See how far I get. Probably not very! We should all do the same.

bertyboy

i didnt have a great problem with mine just told the truth and not just with one word answers ,but i seem to have had different things first was on ssp that finished applied for esa ,got form sent it off had four pathways t work interviews had both medicals at different days got a letter to say i was in the limited capability's group had last of the pathways and now who knows whats next hope all goes well for you x

frogmorton

Yep Wendy

back in my social work days I always got the forms photocopied...then no-one can catch you out ...that is a good peice of advice.

Matc

I wish you luck

markc1

tkachev wrote:

Prepare for yet another fight Mark. You have to fight for what you are entitled to nowadays,
Good luck and take care
Elizabeth

Yes i am prepared to fight (yet again!) :roll:

woodbon

Hi, You go for a medical and get asked a lot of questions and asked to do a few things, I had to tru and bend down to the floor. When I bent, my back made that horrible cracking sound really, really loudly and she shouted at me to stop! Then when I received the report she had put down that I could bend, kneel and squat normally! Sorry, I'm going on, its a sore subject at the moment. I had six points as sitting is uncomfortable for longer than half an hour. You need 15 to qualify. I am going to appeal. My GP is helping me, and persuded me that I should appeal because I had started getting down about it and felt I'd had enough, I'd manage on a tiny pension and my husband! I'm lucky, I could manage but not fantastically.

Good luck, I hope your experience is better than mine. Just be careful not to say that you can manage when managing is hard. My doc commented that I 'looked well and smart in casual clothes'. I had put on some make-up and slightly smarter clothes than at home, what the hell difference that makes, I don't know!!!

Sorry, I'm going on again, I'll shut up now! :oops:
Lots of luck and lots of love Sue

markc1

woodbon wrote:

Hi, You go for a medical and get asked a lot of questions and asked to do a few things, I had to tru and bend down to the floor. When I bent, my back made that horrible cracking sound really, really loudly and she shouted at me to stop! Then when I received the report she had put down that I could bend, kneel and squat normally! Sorry, I'm going on, its a sore subject at the moment. I had six points as sitting is uncomfortable for longer than half an hour. You need 15 to qualify. I am going to appeal. My GP is helping me, and persuded me that I should appeal because I had started getting down about it and felt I'd had enough, I'd manage on a tiny pension and my husband! I'm lucky, I could manage but not fantastically.

Good luck, I hope your experience is better than mine. Just be careful not to say that you can manage when managing is hard. My doc commented that I 'looked well and smart in casual clothes'. I had put on some make-up and slightly smarter clothes than at home, what the hell difference that makes, I don't know!!!

Sorry, I'm going on again, I'll shut up now! :oops:
Lots of luck and lots of love Sue

Thanks Sue,excuse me for being a bit thick but if you don't qualify for esa they put you on jsa?or just stop your benefits altogether?
I am a bit confused as to what happens.

happy_feet

Hi Marc
If you dont qualify they send you a letter saying your ESA has been stopped and you should claim jobseekers, you dont get any warning...I got the letter the day after my ESA was stopped.
They also put in the letter they have contacted your doctor, they tell the doctor not to issue any more sick notes but you can appeal. This is where the fun starts. You can get another sick note off the doc, tell them you want to appeal and you want your ESA payments to continue while you appeal. Once they get your appeal form your ESA is re-instated. Always get a copy of the report from the examining "doctor" And be prepared for a few untruths in the report. Its a long road and you havent come to it yet, see what the results are but be prepared for a fight. I hope it goes well for you.

woodbon

My understanding is that the they tell you when they are stopping benefits, they expect you to apply if you want jsa, more forms, I'm afraid! But you MUST apply for it or appeal and carry on with esa.

My doctor has offerred to help me with the appeal and she wants to go through the report she is going to write with me and I have to go and see her with the letter I get when they acknowledge my appeal. She will go through the report with me to make sure that she dosn't miss anything and I know what she will say. She has told me that I must appeal, as I am still not well enough for work. She is very anti the system and is very supportive to me.

I think I am lucky, having a doctor like her, she has a serious illness herself, (I don't know what, but shes recently had a year off work and only works 2 days a week). I hope that you get the some support, their are lots of places out their, who will help, if your GP does't seem too helpful.

The silly thing is, I'd love to work a bit, but need to get help to get fit enough to work, as well as training information and knowledge of how to overcome practical problems. The Employment advisor I've been given is new to the job, last time I saw him, he was on his own, even though he'd only been doing the job for 2 weeks! He asked me what I thought he should do, as he wasn't sure! I didn't know! :?

Good luck, love Sue

markc1

wendyx wrote:

Hi Marc
If you dont qualify they send you a letter saying your ESA has been stopped and you should claim jobseekers, you dont get any warning...I got the letter the day after my ESA was stopped.
They also put in the letter they have contacted your doctor, they tell the doctor not to issue any more sick notes but you can appeal. This is where the fun starts. You can get another sick note off the doc, tell them you want to appeal and you want your ESA payments to continue while you appeal. Once they get your appeal form your ESA is re-instated. Always get a copy of the report from the examining "doctor" And be prepared for a few untruths in the report. Its a long road and you havent come to it yet, see what the results are but be prepared for a fight. I hope it goes well for you.

Thanks Wendy,my doctor gave me a 13 week sick note on 8 Jan,surely they can't refuse to accept a doctors note?

happy_feet

When you go for the medical they ignore sick notes and reports from doctors and specialists - this is because theyre doing their own "assessment"
After the medical if they say youre fit for work it doesnt matter what your own doctor and the specialists say.
You have to appeal against the decision, then if that fails you go to tribunal, most are overturned at tribunal because these so called health experts are finding nearly everyone fit for work, the system is such a mess and the appeals and tribunals are taking months. Some people are getting their MP involved and getting it sorted out much quicker.

sharmaine

Hi Mark

They will contact you by letter. You may need to get something signed by your GP. I assume you've been getting sick notes from your GP....? They will call you in for a medical by their own medical appointed staff (who also seem to come from the Eastern BlocK!)..I may be wrong but from posts on the forum it seems that way. Depending on how that goes you will either get ESA or not ...... you will be informed by letter.

You will be required to attend a total of 5/6 job related interviews.

This is how it went with me but that was nearly 2 years ago - things have changed since then.

Sharmaine

markc1 wrote:

Hi all,got the booklet today filled in and posted back.What happens now...another prodding session by a doctor?loads of questions i expect.

Anyone tell me the process?,the paperwork came from Atos in Bootle,funnily enough i have been examined there twice by Atos from work!!
I have read only bad things on here about these examinations,should i be worried about my benefits?

sharmaine

Hi Bertyboy

That's more or less how mine went. I had to attend about 6 pathways interviews. Like you being honest is the key.

Sharmaine

bertyboy wrote:

i didnt have a great problem with mine just told the truth and not just with one word answers ,but i seem to have had different things first was on ssp that finished applied for esa ,got form sent it off had four pathways t work interviews had both medicals at different days got a letter to say i was in the limited capability's group had last of the pathways and now who knows whats next hope all goes well for you x

markc1

Thanks all......its becoming a bit clearer whats happening!