ESA - The Truth

snowball

I will be contacting my mp don't you worry, If this gets through we will all have major depression as well. The silly ******

Julie

fester

Done it already, first time ever written to an MP but i've had enough. Lets see if it does any good eh! :roll:

sharmaine

Hi Delboy
Thanks for bringing this latest news to our attention. It seems they will do what they please and will not "consider" people who are genuinely disabled by this disease called arthritis. I'm certainly going to join in and condemn the proposed new plans. The money they've wasted on new forms; new policies; new staff and maybe new buildings could have been ploughed back into our hospitals or gone towards research. Change for the sake of change is ridiculous. How does this help people who really need assistance?

GRR... it maddens me.
:x :x :x :x
Sharmaine

delboy wrote:

Note for mods:

This is an open document from Benefits and Work and they wish it to be publicised wherever possible.

Tens of thousands of claimants facing losing their benefit on review, or on being transferred from incapacity benefit, as plans to make the employment and support allowance (ESA) medical much harder to pass are approved by the secretary of state for work and pensions, Yvette Cooper.

The shock plans for ‘simplifying’ the work capability assessment, drawn up by a DWP working group, include docking points from amputees who can lift and carry with their stumps. Claimants with speech problems who can write a sign saying, for example, ‘The office is on fire!’ will score no points for speech and deaf claimants who can read the sign will lose all their points for hearing.

Meanwhile, for ‘health and safety reasons’ all points scored for problems with bending and kneeling are to be abolished and claimants who have difficulty walking can be assessed using imaginary wheelchairs.

Claimants who have difficulty standing for any length of time will, under the plans, also have to show they have equal difficulty sitting, and vice versa, in order to score any points. And no matter how bad their problems with standing and sitting, they will not score enough points to be awarded ESA.

In addition, almost half of the 41 mental health descriptors for which points can be scored are being removed from the new ‘simpler’ test, greatly reducing the chances of being found incapable of work due to such things as poor memory, confusion, depression and anxiety.

There are some improvements to the test under the plans, including exemptions for people likely to be starting chemotherapy and more mental health grounds for being admitted to the support group. But the changes are overwhelmingly about pushing tens of thousands more people onto JSA.

If all this sounds like a sick and rather belated April Fools joke to you, we’re not surprised. But the proposals are genuine and have already been officially agreed by Yvette Cooper, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. They have not yet been passed into law, but given that both Labour and the Conservatives seem intent on driving as many people as possible off incapacity related benefits, they are likely to be pursued by whichever party wins the election.

We know that many people will find this news deeply upsetting and even frightening and we know that some people will condemn us for publicising the planned changes or for the language that we are using to do so. But we also believe that it’s not too late to stop these ugly plans in their tracks if claimants and the organisations that represent them act now.

With 1.5 million incapacity benefit claimants waiting to be assessed using the work capability assessment in the next few years and tens of thousands of people already on ESA and set to be reviewed annually, these changes will be of great concern to many voters – if they find out about them before polling day.

So, please spread the word in forums and blogs and to people you know who may be affected. Ask any disability charity you have a connection with to speak out now, before election day, against these plans. You might also want to contact local newspapers and radio to warn people about the proposals.

And above all, contact not just your MP, but the other candidates in your constituency, and let them know you will not be voting for anyone who does not loudly condemn this shameful attack on sick and disabled claimants.

These plans really are a potential seat loser, but only if enough people know about them.

woodbon

Hi, I'm more or less positive that I won't win an appeal, even though the doctor has told me that I am not fit for work. I have even got an early pension from my last employer, the local government who say I'm unsafe both to others and myself. points for not being able to sit for more than 20 mins but they say I can stand, (I can't). I will just go through the motions and then drop out of the system, I am not abke to get to the jobcentre, even if well enough to work! What a rotten system! Sue

noeltone

I have sent a letter to my local press to try and shame these things how about a protest I wonder what are represntatives of disabled folk like arthritis care doing in opposing this

fester

forgive me if i seem rude not my intention, but i'm somewhat surprised at the lack of response to this topic. i expected more comments on what is after all a subject that can and does affect us all. Again not my intention to offend just an observation on this dreary rainy monday morning

fester

Just a update those expecting a response from their MP etc, just had a email from the office of my MP explaining that as a General Election has been called and Parliament dissolved till the result no one is able to deal with any matters until after the election.