Employment Support Allowance.....leave me alone!!

[bobg]

I retired early in 2004 due to ill health and took a reduced pension. Best thing I ever did. A few months ago after a visit to the docs he gave me a medical cert and said I should apply for ESA so I did although had no expectations of getting anything. I was proved correct and it was rejected because I had paid no insurance contributions during the previous 12 months. Not surprising as had retired and already had a about 40 years of payments credited to me. You'd think that would be the end but....since then I have been given an appt for medical which I didn't need, been castigated for not attending it although I told them it wasn't necessary, had my tax code altered to reflect an allowance that I had never received. been issued with a P45 with a starting date of December from my old employers and have just had my pension reduced!!! When querying nobody knows why... Warning to all, don't get your name in the system because once it is then there's no escape. Registered letter now sent to all concerned in the hope that somebody reads it...

 

[Saluki]

Oh good luck with getting it sorted. Hubby about to go to a ATOS meeting to justify his existence. He has long term ill health and we are expecting him to be booted off ESA. That will be entertaining financially!

If in doubt, get your local MP involved. That is what they are there for.

 

[bobg]

Oh good luck with getting it sorted. Hubby about to go to a ATOS meeting to justify his existence. He has long term ill health and we are expecting him to be booted off ESA. That will be entertaining financially!

If in doubt, get your local MP involved. That is what they are there for.

Thanks I may well.
Wish him all the best from me. I had a medical some years ago to support a claim while I was off sick waiting for an operation. The DSS doc failed me because I could remember the names of all the medications I was on ... I complained and they apologised and sent him for retraining BTW the bloke sitting next to me while I was waiting to go in pointed to a camera in the corridor by which the doc could assess your mobility before you entered his room. It seems that many ailments developed as claimants crossed the threshold

 

[ttcycle]

It is a horrible experience.
I would suggest seeking some advice from Citizens Advice or community based legal advice. I don't know if you have an every pound counts service where you are.

Something is definitely not right. If you don't want to be on ESA then these things should not be happening./

Good luck.

 

[Hicky]

Missis applied for sick pay while off work(career for the elderly, so involves lifting and the like), she ha a broken wristband the firm wouldn't pay her sick pay.
Anyway, returned to work about 5 weeks after the accident and was initially told she could claim for anything, then two months later she has a letter to attend a medical in Manchester to deem her fitness for benefits/work, she phoned stating she'd returned to work and the appointment would be a waste of time to be told "if you don't attend you could loose all your benefits(very fortunately we have been in a position where neither of us have ever claimed)" so she took half a day off work to be told by the doc she isn't entitled to anything and she's fit enough to return to work!!!!
To be fair the doc was a little embarrassed when the situation was explained.......farce!

 

[terry_gardener]

the people that work for the jsa and esa a basically trained monkeys that have a set process they do from start to end no matter what people tell them.

they basically pigeon hole everyone and if you tell them something that would change this, they ignore you.

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

If in doubt, get your local MP involved. That is what they are there for.

No it's not, they are meant to be running the country , not acting as an Uberagonyaunt to sort out problems for constituents.

 

[Hover Fly]

It certainly is part of their duties.

In their constituency, MPs often hold a 'surgery' in their office, where local people can come along to discuss any matters that concern them. MPs also attend functions, visit schools and businesses and generally try to meet as many people as possible. This gives MPs further insight and context into issues they may discuss when they return to Westminster.

http://www.parliament.uk/about/mps-and-lords/members/mps/

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

It certainly is part of their duties.

http://www.parliament.uk/about/mps-and-lords/members/mps/

If it was compulsory part of their duties it would read "...MPs MUST hold a 'surgery'..." and the emphasis would be on the constituent , not the MP in, "This gives MPs further insight and context into issues they may discuss when they return to Westminster." I never had much time for Viscount Stansgate ( in any of his name wrigglings) but the one thing he was right about was his distaste of the time wasted on constituency matters.

 

[bobg]

I must admit that I agree with HF and was under the impression that one of the roles of a local MP is to address concerns of their constituents if the deem the matters significant. Probably mine doesn't in that this is merely a failure in procedures and won't leave me penniless or homeless. I reach this conclusion as I spent some years investigating and preparing responses to MP's who wrote to HMC&E ( before amalgamation with the Revenue) representing constituents problems. They were considered a priority and certainly got problems resolved where previous efforts had failed.

 

[Black Sheep]

but if there are many people across the country having similar issues with using what is a government funded and run service then people bringing to various MP's attention might push it high enough on someone's agenda to look at sorting / re-structuring the system.

similar to people on this forum saying we should report any rtc irregardless of injury / damage so that the statistics show a more realistic picture in the hope that something is done about it.

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

but if there are many people across the country having similar issues with using what is a government funded and run service then people bringing to various MP's attention might push it high enough on someone's agenda to look at sorting / re-structuring the system.

similar to people on this forum saying we should report any rtc irregardless of injury / damage so that the statistics show a more realistic picture in the hope that something is done about it.

Not similar , exactly alike. But then would you expect your rtc to attract special attention, just because you had reported it?
By all means, go to your MP's surgery and tell them what's happening, so that they have an "insight and context into issues they may discuss when they return to Westminster." but you shouldn't expect them to be fighting your local battles for you, they are supposed to be working for all of us, not just the ones that line up to bend their ears.