Advice on ESA and DLA

bigstu

Hi all,
I do not know if i have posted in the right section of the forum, but i have severe RA. I am 29 years of age, and have had to give up work, due to the pain and lack of movement. I have a welfare officer who is applying for DLA for me. I have already applied for ESA and have been accepted, although i only get the low amount until from what i have found out is that i am required to do some sort of assesment. Is this corect? before i recieve the higher amount.

Are these assessments ongoing, as i really struggle to get out and about at the moment, and because i am new to all this, i just do not know what to expect.
I have rear quite a lot of posts on here about ESA and DLA and it sounds really daunting.
I have been giving in doctors lines to teh ESA as i am unfit to work, but i do not know if this helps any.
Any advice or tips, as to what will happen next, to help prepare me would be greatly appreciated.

Regards
Stuart

janie68

It's sounds as though you are on the assessment rate for ESA from your other post? £67.50? You will have to fill in a form called ESA50 and from that it is determined if you need to have a medical interview at one othe centres. Almost erveryone has this medical which is very stressful before ATOS decide if you are either deemed fit for work and then ESA stops. Or that you have some incapacity for work therefore put onto the WRAG rate or deemd not fit for work where you go into the support group.

Not many people pass the medical and continue to get ESA, but if you don't then please appeal, many do win at appeal there is lots of info on tinternet. There are also a couple if sites that will have lots of advice on filling out the form and arthritis care does have some info.

Good luck with it all,

Janie

bigstu

This form ESA50, Do i then get sent this automatically, or do i need to collect it from some where. I am not fit to work, as i had to give up my own buisness w here i was earning at least 20k a year +, and it was my GP, Rhumatologist and OT that told me that i needed to stop work.
Thank you for your reply.

Regards
Stuart

barbara12

Hi Stuart
Sorry I cant help, but I do wish you well with it all, they dont make these things easy do they...please let us know how you get on
Oh and welcome to this lovely forum..

bigstu

Thank you Barbara. It is very daunting applying for everything, and you are right, they certainaly do not make it easy. It is putting me off, just everything that i have read, but i need the income to get messages ect, and to help look after teh family. I dont understand why they still ask you to do this interview too see if you are fit for work, when you were working in the first place and was told to stop working by the various doctors that i see.

Regards
Stuart

janie68

You should get it sent automatically Stuart.

Unfortunately the powers that be (ATOS) decide if you're fit for work regardless of whether your GP, Rheumy etc say you are not. It is a stupid system and a very flawed one too, but that is how it is.

Janie

woodbon

Hi, I do know that some people who are very disabled and can't get about easily can be assessed at home and put in what is called the Support Group. I know this as my neice is very disabled and her social worker filled in a form and then all she had was a letter to say how much she's gets.

I think, though to be honest people in this catagory are few and far between, but if you have a social worker dealing with your claim, that should help your case.

I hope you get accpeted without any fuss or bother as indeed, you should. Love Sue xxx

frogmorton

All the best of luck for you too Stu

l hope you are lucky and things go smoothly for you.

Such a shame they actually don't go on what our medical professionals advise us :evil

Love

toni xx