Employment Support Allowance and Social Anxiety

[Cowburn]

I've now been signing on for 9 months and as a result I've been told by the Job Centre that I have to go onto a work programme. According to the disability advisor I see It's really intense and full on and he agrees with me that I won't be able to handle it. He's therefore suggested I try ESA.

I'm really anxious about starting the claim, It seems almost impossible to be declared unfit for work with a mental health problem. I need to go and see my doctor next week to get a sick note. I really don't know what to say to him though

If I'm not successful with ESA then I guess I'm out of luck

[spartan]

Hi Cowburn, you have to see your GP 1st.

make sure you apply for ESA, on the phone or in the booklet form, just be honest with your doc and tell them how you feel and what symptoms you have - write it down and take it with you.

[JoinTheChase]

Just posted in another thread about this.

I have been on ESA for 2 years now. I have had 3 medical assessments. Twice I was told there's nothing wrong with me.

The first time, I was asked for names and addresses of all my specialists under the local mental health team where I'm being treated for depression. I gave them the names and addresses for 2 consultants and a psychiatric nurse who were all caring for me, plus my GP. They didn't even bother to contact ANY of them before saying there was nothing wrong with me. Had to appeal. Was successful.

At my last one, I had my psychiatric nurse WITH me, my leg was shaking the whole time, I couldn't make eye contact with the examiner, and was crying for at least half of it.

I was told my behaviour was normal and I was fit for work?!?!?!?!

I have been told by my doctors that next time I'm asked to go, I should refuse on the basis that my mental state isn't strong enough to cope with the stress of these interviews, particularly after past experience. My doctor is happy to write a support letter saying this is so. This may mean they want to see me at home.

It makes me SO angry. I work really hard to cope with my conditions, but no matter how much progress I make, it's all completely wrecked as soon as I get a letter saying I have to go in. People with mental health issues are SO fragile, and this whole system just doesn't seem to recognise that at all?? I know of confirmed cases of people killing themselves over this system. In what world is that ok?!

I'm dreading even getting my next letter :/

[firemonkey]

Luckily not been called in yet but from posts from many people on various forums i am dreading it. Especially as i have no one who could easily go along with me to any assessment.
My paranoia has me thinking i'll be turned down and shoved on JSA despite a 38 year history of severe and enduring mental illness for which i am on long acting antipsychotic depot injections.
Going on JSA would mean a big drop in income with little hope of any future increase due to future job attainment.
They might say people like me are fit to work to save money and that work is a miracle cure for all types,minor and major,of mental illness but what employer in reality is going to employ someone with a non existent CV and chronic mental health problems in their mid 50s?
Especially as there are significantly more people chasing jobs than there are actual jobs available.
In some cases i have heard of people being thrust into a nightmare situation where they are turned down for ESA whilst at the same time being regarded as ineligible for JSA !

[clawhammer.]

A final update.

Well, shock horror, I've been awarded ESA and placed in the work-related activity group. I'm happy with that.

To recap, I failed the ATOS medical/work capability assessment, but sent in more information after the assessment, and the Decision Maker has overruled the recommendations of the ATOS doctor, so no need to appeal!

I have to say my doctor was very helpful, so a big thanks to him.

My heart was racing when I opened the brown envelope this morning - it's been like having the Sword of Damocles hanging over my head for the last five months, and when I read the letter I felt a huge release of tension.

Good luck to everyone else going through this same nonsense.

[violentviolette]

Great news

[Between The Bars]

Originally Posted by firemonkey

Luckily not been called in yet but from posts from many people on various forums i am dreading it.

my thoughts exactly! im still on incapacity benefit. i will be getting transferred to ESA before the end of 2014, but the woman i spoke to couldn't give me an exact date.


well done to those of you who passed

[Medea]

I've heard of people being rejected for ESA, appealling, being given it and then, a few months later, getting a letter telling them they need to be reassessed and it starts over again.

[clawhammer.]

Originally Posted by Medea

I've heard of people being rejected for ESA, appealling, being given it and then, a few months later, getting a letter telling them they need to be reassessed and it starts over again.

I've seen this called the "ESA merry-go-round" on another forum.

When you're put on ESA after having the medical/work capability assessment, you're given a prognosis in the medical report as to when a return to work could be considered. The prognosis can be within 3, 6, 9 or 12 months, and this determines when you're usually called back for another assessment.

The prognosis on my medical report says "3 months", so I could have to attend another assessment as early as May.

Yep, it's a merry-go-round.

[clawhammer]

Originally Posted by clawhammer.

The prognosis on my medical report says "3 months", so I could have to attend another assessment as early as May.

Guess what - the lovely folks at Atos wrote me another letter today.

I have to fill in the ESA50 questionnaire again, so it seems I will be due for another Atos assessment around May/June.

All this comes just ONE MONTH after I was awarded ESA!

You would have thought they might have waited for the Jobcentre to call me in for an interview, and at least try and put me on the Work Programme first.

It's a game of snakes and ladders methinks. Oh well, onwards and upwards...

[Ajax Amsterdam]

^
They were supposedly going to do something (I don't know what) about this merry-go-round. It seems the whole mess is costing the taxpayer an awful lot of money. There was some severely diabled guy who had his story highlighted on tv a while back who was declared 'fit to work' then went through the whole drawn out appeals process and was declared disabled and unfit for work when assessed properly rather than by the sharks at ATOS.

Soon after he was hit with another questionaire and another medical. Up to the time the programme was aired, he had been declared fit for work by ATOS three times. Successfully appealed three times and then in a very short space of time, sent yet another questionaire and called in for yet another medical.

It's utter madness that costs us all money and clogs up an already creaking system as genuine, vulnerable people are hounded and chased. It seems designed to erode the will to fight within the vulnerable so they toddle off benefit and the system doesn't have to give a damn anymore. The stress of one appeal can take its toll, so you can only imagine how going through appeal after appeal affects people.

[яemus]

Imagine all the cost of this insane bureaucracy.

[Ajax Amsterdam]

^
I did read about the kinds of figures all this is costing but I didn't note them and have now forgotten them. All I do remember is they were big. The buzz line by government centres on how much we all save by reducing the welfare bill, but they forget to tell everyone that this endless persecution of sick people and the endless merry-go-round of ATOS 'medical', successful appeal, payment of back pay, then almost immediate new ATOS 'medical', appeal ... is also costing us millions.

[Medea]

Originally Posted by clawhammer

Guess what - the lovely folks at Atos wrote me another letter today.

I have to fill in the ESA questionnaire again, so it seems I will be due for another Atos assessment around May/June.

All this comes just ONE MONTH after I was awarded ESA!

You would have thought they might have waited for the Jobcentre to call me in for an interview, and at least try and put me on the Work Programme first.

It's a game of snakes and ladders methinks. Oh well, onwards and upwards...

Only just seen this. Wow is all I can say. The stress must be unbearable. I think they're just bullying people when they do this, it's inhumane.

I got a brown envelope on Saturday (I think all you who get them know exactly the ones I mean!) and thought it was ESA, but it was just about the April pay rise in benefits. Everytime I get one of those envelopes I think it's going to be about ESA.

[clawhammer.]

Originally Posted by clawhammer

You would have thought they might have waited for the Jobcentre to call me in for an interview, and at least try and put me on the Work Programme first.

Well, as things turned out, I was called in for an interview this morning.

I just got back from the Jobcentre where I saw my ESA personal advisor. She was a nice lady but was also very patronising.

Anyway, it was clear she was going to refer me to one of the Work Programme companies, but then changed her mind when I told her I have another medical/work-capability assessment due.

So, I'll be called back for another interview in three months' time.

Onwards and upwards...

[Dandelion10]

I've been turned down for disability benefits now so since I haven't been paid since December I've signed on to JSA this week. The meeting with the JSA advisor went so well that I actaully think it could work out nicely. As long as it doesn't make my compulsions/SA worse then it's the better option.

The advisor put me down for admin work and data input.

Judging by other peoples comments about the merry-go-round, it's obviously designed to work as a deterrent rather than an actual legitimate disability benefit process. I knew if I was awarded it, it wouldn't necessarily be secure, they like to keep you on your toes with any benefit because they seem to think everyone is coasting along taking the piss.

I think they should give people the benefit of the doubt, if chavs want to go on it and have zero prospects for the rest of their lives, let them instead of penalising ALL cases, the majority of which are probably genuine.

[Dandelion10]

No I applied last September, missed the medical assessment (stupid I know, got it confused with the date my sick note ran out), ESA then stopped completely in Dec, couldn't claim anything until next assessment date was given in late March. .

I can't backdate the JSA either because they don't take into account delays regarding other benefits, you have to have actively been looking for work and fulfilling all the terms of a JSA agreement in that time, which I wasn't because I didn't think I'd be part of that working life again.

I hope it works out now though, as long as they don't force me into a work programme I'll do what I'm supposed to.

[яemus]

^^ Get to citizens advice and they will help, they have specialists who work in these cases.

[Belinda]

Originally Posted by mark101

I wonder if anyone can advise please.

Been supporting my self from the sale of my flat for the last two years but i can't do it anymore,havent seen my doctor for the same period and stopped taking my meds,besides the point but i rang about ESA last week.
They said i need to see my doctor first so i'm booked up to see my doctor for this coming tuesday,i'm wondering what i need to say to the doctor regarding my ESA claim?
Whats the deal with that? Can i come home from the doctors on tuesday and get straight on the phone to complete the forms on the telephone?

You'll need to tell the doctor about having bad anxiety/depression and ask them for a sick note because you feel you're too anxious to cope with work at the moment. Then I would phone the benefits office and see what the procedure is- sometimes they tell you to go to the benefits office, pick up a form and send it off with the sick note or they may give you an interview over the phone first and will tell you where to send your sick note. Hope that helps.

[***JB***]

Ive got a ATOS/Medical next week, by the sound of this thread, i will fail.

What happens if you fail? ESA is stopped but do you get put on JSA automatically? Or do you have to apply for it?

Money is tight at the moment and im dreading getting taken off ESA.

[Caribou]

Originally Posted by ***JB***

What happens if you fail? ESA is stopped but do you get put on JSA automatically? Or do you have to apply for it?

If you fail the medical, you can appeal. If you decide to appeal, you can get Assessment Rate ESA whilst you wait for the decision or tribunal if you have to go to one. Assessment Rate ESA is about the same money as Jobseeker's Alowance. However, you have to send in sick notes from your doctor in order to get it.

Hope it goes OK for you!

[Belinda]

Originally Posted by ***JB***

Ive got a ATOS/Medical next week, by the sound of this thread, i will fail.

What happens if you fail? ESA is stopped but do you get put on JSA automatically? Or do you have to apply for it?

Money is tight at the moment and im dreading getting taken off ESA.

I failed my ATOS ESA medical recently and have decided to appeal against the decision as the ATOS test is flawed for mental health problems and so most people win their appeals (though you do need to get a welfare rights worker to help you). I got a GL24 form from my local benefit office and sent it off to the address on the letter that told me I'd failed my medical along with a new sicknote from my gp. I got a letter today saying I'm receiving ESA at a lower rate till my tribunal happens.

So anyway, it's probably best to appeal if you fail, as long as you can get your gp to give you a sicknote. Or you could sign on for JSA. Unfortunately you wont get put on jsa automatically. Hope this all makes sense. good luck.

[яemus]

Here's a very handy forum full of tips:

http://thefullfacts.com/esa/forum/

[superzab]

Hi guys,
I had a medical assessment on 26th of march, the doctor told me ESA would let me know of the decision within a month, I asked on the day would I have to send another medical certificate between that point since the last one had only 9 days left, he said no, so I didn't bother to send another medical certificate, and looks like they stopped payment.

Was the doctor correct stating I didn't need another medical certificate until they let me know of the decision?
and do they still automatically put you onto JSA once they stop ESA which is most likely going to happen?

many thanks

[xyz]

The initial assessment phase lasts for 13 weeks, and you need medical certificates to cover this period. If the decision still hasn't been made after that time, your payments will be stopped until it has. If the decision goes in your favour, you will receive a back-payment.

[Alone_in_my_head!]

My experience with the Job Centre was HORRENDOUS! I left work in 2010 due to my health. I went on sick getting statutory sick pay but my employer made me make a decision as to leave or stay. I look back and think I should have never left but they pressured me. Anyway I went to the Job Centre and said I have a medical note to say I am too ill to work. The advisor told me I would NEVER get benefit for sickness unless I was 'dying of cancer' and 'even then people with cancer still have to work.' So I went onto Job Seekers. I had to sign on every two weeks which was so hard for me being so agoraphobic. I sometimes had panic attacks and couldn't sign so my money would get stopped. I had to look for jobs too even if I couldn't get out of bed some days. This lasted for months. During this time I was on a waiting list to see a Psychiatrist and CBT therapist.

Anyway I saw a Psychiatrist and he told me I shouldn't be working AT ALL. I went back to the job centre and saw a lovely disability advisor and she told me I had been 'mis-informed' by the advisor who said I was at a loss because I wasn't on the verge of death. I filled in my forms for ESA started claiming it quite quickly then received a long medical form which I filled in. I then received a letter with an appointment for a medical. I was nervous but it was fine. I was told I was to be placed in the Work Related Activity Group which would mean I would get help to find work but could still claim ESA until I got better.

I now have a job which I am waiting for ref's etc CRB form so hopefully I may be starting soon. I am still the same as I ever was mentally BUT me not getting better means I am always going to feel sh*t. Trying to force myself into work is not a good idea but I need to try and get my life together now.

Anyone who goes to the job centre PLEASE don't let them treat you how I got treated. Mental Illness is debilitating x

[clawhammer.]

Originally Posted by cheekysneaky

I have my medical in a couple of weeks and am really nervous about it. This is me:

I've been looking through this website which is helpful:

http://thefullfacts.com/esa/forum/index.php

...but it also highlights the fact that without a supportive GP, which I don't have as he's clueless about mental health, I'm highly unlikely to pass.

Yep, without medical evidence you're not likely to pass the ESA assessment.

You could try asking your doctor to arrange for you to see a consultant psychiatrist. You could request this using the reason that you want a proper diagnosis and/or want a psychiatrist to advise you on the options available regarding medication or therapy. The real reason for doing this, however, is that the psychiatrist would have to write a report on you, and this report would then be hard evidence you could use to support your claim. It would also make things easier for your doctor, as they would then be able to cite the report when writing any future letters on your behalf (this is mainly what swung things in my favour when I claimed ESA).

You're not going to get all this done in time for the ESA asessment two weeks away, but you do have about two months to gather enough evidence. The timescale goes like this - about a month after the ESA assessment, you'll be told (usually by phone) whether you've passed the medical or not. If not, they'll give you about another two weeks in which to return any additional supporting evidence. Your claim then goes to a Decision Maker.

If you don't want to see a consultant psychiatrist via your doctor then you could see one privately instead (this is what my ex always does). Private consultant psychiatrists charge a LOT of money, but with their support you'll more than likely be awarded ESA and won't have to go through a lengthy appeal process (and be forced to live on a base rate of £67.50 for god knows how long).

Hope this helps.

[яemus]

This from a friend who had to attend an ATOS test today. This is truly saddening and shocking but people must know what these scum bags are doing.

Bob Lee:
have never experienced anything like it,Atos full to bursting with disabled in wheelchairs,mentally impaired,with cpns or cab advisors. Steaming hot with water dispenser empty,5 Practitioners between 30 minutes & an hour behind schedule. Guy ranting "fat ****ing bitch i have been here 2 hours!" guy in wheel chair shat himself & the stench..my god he is not long for this world & i among others heaved on their ****ing carpet as his poor wife screamed:"you ***** my husbands dying & your going to leave me with THIS memory of his last days?" with tears pouring down her face. Point me in direction of downing st and let me thump the ****ing table AFTER i slit their goddam ****ing throats! Sorry for the language but i am disgusted that this is what this country has come to,shitting on the ill to show how strong we are!

[clawhammer]

Originally Posted by clawhammer

Guess what - the lovely folks at Atos wrote me another letter today.

I have to fill in the ESA50 questionnaire again, so it seems I will be due for another Atos assessment around May/June.

A quick update.

I found out the date of my Atos medical/work capability assessment today - it's for 2nd July.

This will be my second medical in 7½ months.

[courageous]

Originally Posted by ***1103;emus

This from a friend who had to attend an ATOS test today. This is truly saddening and shocking but people must know what these scum bags are doing.

Jeeez if this is what I have to go through I'll need a therapist to come with me 'cos this is enough to give me a major panic attack and send me fleeing from the building!