Doctor's sick note query

[Accy cyclist]

I phoned Jobcentreplus today regarding my claim for employment and support allowance. I was granted an amount, back dated to last September but after waiting 3 weeks, nothing from them has gone into my bank account. It seems the 2 monthly sick notes i sent to them 2 weeks ago have been "lost in the system". They said that i should contact my GP and ask for a copy of the notes and send them off. So i phoned my GP and the secretary said they'd be ready on Friday and it would cost me £20. Why do i have to pay?, i asked. Because er i don't know, but i know you have to replied the secretary. I went into the job centre in town today and asked them what i should do. For a start,don't pay for any duplicate sick notes, i was told. They told me that loads of clients lose their sick notes and as far as they know, they just get a copy printed off and it doesn't cost them. My question is can they(GP's surgery) make me pay £10 for a sick note or are they trying it on?

 

[jefmcg]

. So i phoned my GP and the secretary said they'd be ready on Friday and it would cost me £20. Why do i have to pay?,

Because the NHS is for providing care to sick people, not duplicates of documentation. It's not their fault you didn't scan it and the jobcenter lost it.

 

[PK99]

I phoned Jobcentreplus today regarding my claim for employment and support allowance. I was granted an amount, back dated to last September but after waiting 3 weeks, nothing from them has gone into my bank account. It seems the 2 monthly sick notes i sent to them 2 weeks ago have been "lost in the system". They said that i should contact my GP and ask for a copy of the notes and send them off. So i phoned my GP and the secretary said they'd be ready on Friday and it would cost me £20. Why do i have to pay?, i asked. Because er i don't know, but i know you have to replied the secretary. I went into the job centre in town today and asked them what i should do. For a start,don't pay for any duplicate sick notes, i was told. They told me that loads of clients lose their sick notes and as far as they know, they just get a copy printed off and it doesn't cost them. My question is can they(GP's surgery) make me pay £10 for a sick note or are they trying it on?

1. GPs are not NHS employees. They are self employed and can charge you for non NHS services.

2. Always scan or photocopy any original document before sending it off

3. Why are GP surgeries so busy? Because of time wasters: EG "They told me that loads of clients lose their sick notes and as far as they know, they just get a copy printed off and it doesn't cost them"

 

[lutonloony]

As a concept, anything jodcentre wants, get them to scan it, keep the orig, they will do everything they can to avoid paying. If you do get the ESA granted, then sent for assessment which they then decide you do not qualify, appeal it. Means you still get ESA while having bun fight, hope this makes sense/ helps

 

[Illaveago]

I phoned Jobcentreplus today regarding my claim for employment and support allowance. I was granted an amount, back dated to last September but after waiting 3 weeks, nothing from them has gone into my bank account. It seems the 2 monthly sick notes i sent to them 2 weeks ago have been "lost in the system". They said that i should contact my GP and ask for a copy of the notes and send them off. So i phoned my GP and the secretary said they'd be ready on Friday and it would cost me £20. Why do i have to pay?, i asked. Because er i don't know, but i know you have to replied the secretary. I went into the job centre in town today and asked them what i should do. For a start,don't pay for any duplicate sick notes, i was told. They told me that loads of clients lose their sick notes and as far as they know, they just get a copy printed off and it doesn't cost them. My question is can they(GP's surgery) make me pay £10 for a sick note or are they trying it on?

I know it doesn't help you this time but my wife says that she photo copies them so that that you have a record and that you can also send them another copy.

 

[fossyant]

I got charged about £30 for a GP signature on a 'parking form' confirming my broken back so I could apply for a car park pass at work (we pay for the passes).

 

[Accy cyclist]

I know it doesn't help you this time but my wife says that she photo copies them so that that you have a record and that you can also send them another copy.

I haven't had a sick note,or made a claim for a incapacity benefit or whatever it's called now, for many years. I trusted the ones i sent it too to process my claim without messing it up. The person in Accrington job centre told me they(handling site) frequently lose things...or say they've lost them.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I got charged about £30 for a GP signature on a 'parking form' confirming my broken back so I could apply for a car park pass at work (we pay for the passes).

30 quid for 5 seconds work is a rip off!

 

[greekonabike]

This has combined my two favourite things; the job centre and the doctors. Both have a waiting room with out of date magazines and rolls of red tape in the store cupboard.

GOAB

 

[growingvegetables]

1. Don't send anything in the post to the DWP. It will "get lost in the system".

2. Never, ever, ever, EVER use the DWP's preddressed, prepaid envelopes. They are addressed to their "mail handling centre" in Wolverhampton. What you and I would call a shredder.

Go to the JobCentre, and ask them to scan and email your document. OK - it still doesn't guarantee that the DWP accepts that your document has arrived. But the chances are one hellofa lot higher.

 

[Accy cyclist]

1. Don't send anything in the post to the DWP. It will "get lost in the system".

2. Never, ever, ever, EVER use the DWP's preddressed, prepaid envelopes. They are addressed to their "mail handling centre" in Wolverhampton. What you and I would call a shredder.

Go to the JobCentre, and ask them to scan and email your document. OK - it still doesn't guarantee that the DWP accepts that your document has arrived. But the chances are one hellofa lot higher.

That's what i did. I sent them to Wolverhampton. The person in Accy job centre said if i took the new sick notes in they'd copy and send them off for me.

 

[bikingdad90]

@Accy cyclist it will be in the system somewhere. They currently have a backlog and work is getting sent to offices all over the UK where there is capacity.

As you are self employed expect a load of follow up queries and requests for copy accounts. Make sure you fill in every question on the form or else it will get held.

 

[Accy cyclist]

@Accy cyclist it will be in the system somewhere. They currently have a backlog and work is getting sent to offices all over the UK where there is capacity.

So you reckon the original sick notes will turn up eventually? If so i'm willing to wait. I sent the notes off with my national insurance number and post code written on them,as advised by the person who took my claim for ESA over the phone.

 

[midlife]

The Docs can charge up to £50 if memory serves if they are paper records or £10 if they hold your sick notes electronically.

Shaun

 

[bikingdad90]

So you reckon the original sick notes will turn up eventually? If so i'm willing to wait. I sent the notes off with my national insurance number and post code written on them,as advised by the person who took my claim for ESA over the phone.

Possibiliy. Your documents are probably part of a pile somewhere in the UK of work which has been outsourced. Once the office gets the file they will then process the claim or say no and pass it back the local office to deal with any issue.

If it was me I would wait a week then go in to the job centre with copies of the documents and chase up the status of the claim to ensure it is not pending and is now in progress. The purpose of waiting a week is to see if the sick notes are added to your virtual casefile by the scanning at central services office which the processing office can see to be able to process your claim.