UK: Disability benefits (ESA and PIP) - news and updates up to end of 2020

There do seem to be some decent disability campaigners working on this stuff. I feel like I'm barely able to keep up with all the work they produce.

I've never read Mo Stewart's book on all this:

https://www.disabledgo.com/blog/201...ate-demolition-of-welfare-state/#.Wgm6Orp2tPY

 

I looked for mine just now. Not there. But despite it closing on 10th, there are posts dated 11th, 12th and 13th. I spent a whole morning on my submission. When I copied it in it wouldn't all fit, so I cut it by half before posting (I do wish they had mentioned there was a space limit... Especially seeing as many already published look a lot longer than mine was.).

Am really sick at the mo from lurghi that husband presented me with. (that should be my nose in that emoji, not my eyes!)

Will look again tomorrow in case they've just been overwhelmed by last minute submissions. If not up by end of this week I will email my submission to my MP and also complain to her about it not being published. What's the point in asking for submissions from sick and disabled people and then not publishing? I didn't break any of their moderating rules so far as I understand them. I'm p*ssed off.

 

In the past I know that some submissions did not seem to appear on-line immediately, but did end up in a later file of submitted evidence. I don't really understand how these things work.

 

I read somewhere (very sorry, I can't remember where ) that it costs £7,000 for a Tribunal. That cost should be paid by the assessment company for every one that the claimant "wins". That way they might be more inclined to get it right first time!

ATOS has changed its name. It's now Independent Assessment Services.

 

I'd prefer it if the cost was split between the assessor and the 2 DWP decision makers, (initial and mandatory reconsideration) personally, immediate deduction from their pay packets, for as long as it takes to pay it off. After all the cost is as a direct result of them not doing their jobs properly.

 

You can argue that staff shouldn't bow to pressure but personally, I'd rather see higher level managers, including those responsible for setting targets, to pay. If staff weren't pressurised to perform to targets either through a system of rewards or of sanctions, then they'd be more like to focus on doing their job responsibly.

 

Written to the Work&Pensions generic email address (workpencom@parliament.uk) today, asking why my entry does not appear and offered to email it to them. Awaiting reply........

 

Just went and checked again, and another 93 responses have been added since yesterday, including mine (currently page 10 though that may change), November 10, 2017 at 12:55 PM. So it might be worth you re-checking @It's M.E. Linda? Good on you for emailing them though - I wasn't sure I'd have the capability of doing that.

 

Pleased with prompt and helpful response, copy (in part):-

"The forum has received a very high volume of submissions.

We hope to have them all published by the end of the week. It is a very time consuming process as we have to read each submission before publication to ensure people have not put any personal details such as home addresses or N.I numbers on they wouldn’t want published. Ensuring people are happy with what we publish is much more important than the speed that submissions to the forum are published."

They have also given me an access link to send it as 'written evidence' - let me know if anyone wants the link sent in a 'Conversation' (@ladycatlover ?)

Whoops, just seen your post @ladycatlover .....

 

Targets for selling financial services in the UK were abandoned years ago. Sales staff are now assessed on quality. Unfortunately targets still exist in other areas of financial services and where they are unrealistic, they lead to poor practice.

If financial regulators recognise that they cause irresponsible selling, why are we so ready to accept targets on staff in industry and government?

 

I am not, therefore "we" are not

 

A part of me can't believe that's right... but then, I'm often surprised how much anything costs when it involves lawyers/drs/etc.

Appeal everything!

 

That's it for today. Converted my doc into word (on iPad - yuck, can't cope with tech for long these days) and sent now as written evidence.
Hope our efforts bring about changes to horrific WCA.

 

Actually I'm surprised it's as cheap as £7000.

Cost of copies of all evidence for DWP, 3 Tribunal Members, Claimant and (if they have one) Claimant's advocate. My full bundle was something like 240 pages I think. Any new evidence (I took colour prints of photos of ramp outside our caravan as the black and white stuff in photocopies didn't really show ramp clearly) that you take to Tribunal you have to take 6 copies. OK, that was my choice to take and I paid, but all the rest is distributed via Tribunal Service to everyone.

Cost of court room, cost of the 3 Tribunal members. One of those Tribunal members is a Judge, another is a Medical Professional (a proper one, not the pretend ones used for assessments. A proper doctor.) and the third is either a disabled person or someone who is carer or who has close links to disability. So far as I know they all get paid, and so they should.

 

I have to admit that I've never actually tried to run a tribunal. It's possible my hunches on cost are not worth much.

System seems extra crazy then. Some people seem to be going to a tribunal every couple of years over the tiny extra cost of ESA over unemployment. Is that £20 a week? They must just really hate sick people having that money.

 

These days I am led to believe ESA pays the princely sum of £0.00 over JSA for new claims. And the conditionality is also getting much closer, from what I read.

 

In their 'medical health professionals' opinion. They stipulate on their report how long; from memory it's 6months, 1 year, 18 months.

What they don't tell you (and will probably deny if you ask), is that you can be moved back into the support group from the WRAG and payments are resumed at the previous level. By this I am not talking about going to appeal, but by being re-assessed (ie going thro the process again).

This is on the Citizens Advice Website:

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/b...ith-your-esa-claim/getting-your-esa-decision/

"How long you get ESA for
If you’re in the work-related activity group and get contribution-based ESA, you’ll only get it for up to a year. When you’re almost at the end of the year, you’ll be sent an ESA3 form to fill in to see if you can be moved onto income-related ESA instead. If your disability or illness gets worse and you would qualify for the support group, you can reclaim contributory ESA.

If you’re in the support group or getting income-related ESA, your claim will be ongoing. Your ability to work will be re-assessed every 1, 2 or 3 years to make sure you’re still not fit to work."

eta: I don't know anyone who has tested this but if you are put into the WRAG group you can ask for Supersession of your ESA on the grounds that your condition has deteriorated. It would mean filling out the ESA50 again and getting a letter from your doctor to say your condition has worsened (since the last assessment), and you would need to outline the support group criteria that you now meet. This might be an alternative to trying to appeal.

I think the same might apply to PIP:
"
In the first instance the quickest way to get started is to ring and say you want to report a change of circumstances which means you want to claim for your condition getting worse.
They will send the forms out.
It is like making a new claim. You will need all the info and evidence to show your condition has got worse so you need the extra allowance."

 

The payment rates are out of date now on the citizen advice site. I guess you can go from support to work related at any point, and even though you may have been ill for years, still be classed as a new claimant and awarded the new measly rate of just £73.10 ?

https://www.gov.uk/employment-support-allowance/what-youll-get