Hi Candy
As Shelly says don't give up on yourself nor on the dwp. Fight your corner with every bit of strength you have. I will probably have to do the same thing by the sound of things! I'm certainly going to stand my ground!
Stay focused we're all behind you, good luck
Sheffy x
Sea Angler
I have no doubt i am in for a very long wait for esa to be assessed as you say the longer were on assessment rate the more savings for dwp but i think i did read somewhere that your esa will be backdated to the 14th week of your claim if you stay on assessment rate beyond the 13 weeks so if you do get put in support group however much extra it is a week you will get back , but it does not change the horrendous delays , it really is deja vu for me as i have only just sorted out my pip claim that took just under 30 weeks to sort 6 months of that was spent waiting for Capita to hire some assessors in my area
Candy as Sheffy said were all behind you stand your ground dont give in , hope you dont have to wait as long as we did Sheffy xx
Paul
We can but hope that any future government make the whole disability benefits structure simpler but i fear not sack Mr Ian Duncan i have my head up my ass Smith and send him to register on his Universal jobmatch see if he can find a job ,
hi shelly
sorry being off topic all..
I read last night on here about E.s.a, on the Q&A Page, I am on contributions based e.s.a that lasts for a year and i'm at 10 months almost without being assessed, it could be the case i'm not assessed within the year at which point the benefit will end if im not put in a group.
I hope it's not the case i have too go through the rigmarole of freshly applying for 'means tested' e.s.a, or pushed on j.s.a which im not fit for.
Sea angler
Yes i will have the same problem as well i am also on contributions based esa , mine has only just started though so i am ok until June 2015 but i think i read some where that they are trying to do paper based reviews where possible to try cut down the delays , so i am hoping the evidence i sent will enable a paper review but i will not hold my breath my option will be means tested esa when my contributions based run out , have you considered calling Atos to enquire ?
Hi
Yes i have considered it,
But then d.i.a.l said they'd write a letter on my behalf,
then the neuro hit me with a 'dat scan' last week, I spose it could be because all my fit notes have said 'under investigation' so neither I or they have the full evidence of my illness yet too back up or dismiss fitness too work or not, i have another fit note to organise in a couple of weeks and hopefully transport as well for the dat scan, i'll ring them then.
Hi everyone,
I thought you might be interested to know that there are two consultations open at the moment for people to feed into with their thoughts on PIP and ESA. It sounds like a lot of you have had problems and found the process less than ideal (to say the least!) so it would be great to hear your thoughts.
I have just started a new topic with all the information here: http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/forum/thread/62112
Thanks,
Amy
Hi guys,
Hope you are all as well as can be at the moment, Any news on your appeal yet Paul, I have sent in all the evidence for my manditory reconsideration and so the waiting game begins again
Best Wishes
Candyxx
Hi Candy
No news for me yet It must be close to a month since I sent in my request for mandatory reconsideration I did ring up after 2 weeks and they said it can take 8 to 9 weeks with the caveat added but not always. I suppose at the end of the day there a law unto themselves they give you a month to appeal but they take as long as they want to answer you sounds like a fair deal to me is'nt it great living in a democracy Candy. There should be some sort of watchdog like they have for telephones and energy providers someone to oversee the process and someone that has to be answered to I am going to have a look at the link the lady from Parkinsons uk has posted and inviting people to feed in I think its a good idea to make as many views known as possible Good luck Candy..................Paul
Thanks Paul,
I really hope that your reconsideration goes well for you, Do they write to you to tell you that they have received your letters, Or are you just left guessing?
Best Wishes
Candyxxx
No Candy they just leave you guessing you could not make it up but you can phone up like I did thank you for your support Candy and I hope yours goes well to dont whatever you do cave in..................Paul
Hi guys,
Well the waiting begins again, I rang PIP and asked them if they had received my letters for the Manditory Reconsideration.
They have and so now I have to wait. Again inconsistent information it would seem. Paul was told it can take between 8 and 9 weeks for a new decision to be made.
However I was told Between 14 days and three weeks for the decision to be made.
Because I sent my documents in and they were received on the 25th June he said anytime between now and the end of June.
Good luck Paul, You should get your new decision before me, I hope it is changed for you not just for you but it also might give me a bit of hope that these unfair decisions are changed.
Best Wishes
Candy.xxx
Candy and Paul
Do dwp make there own rules up as they go along , certainly looks like they do how can they say 8 weeks to Paul and 3 weeks to Candy , i am not sure about the reconsideration process do they write out to Atos/Capita for more information on the assessment reports maybe that is what causes the delay it would depend how quick Atos/Capita respond , but whatever the system it really is not a fair system and one that is clearly not working , it was bought in to save money but has ended up costing more to implement .
Good luck with the reconsideration Guys i hope you both hear soon xxx
Hi Shelly,
Yes I do think they make it up as they go along. Ridiculous isnt it?
Not sure how the reconsideration process is done. From what I have been told they look at the claim again along with any additional evidence you submit.
I was also told that a different decision maker had to look at the claim again, I assume this is to say if it is turned down again that two different people still came to the same decision.
I am not sure if they get back in touch with Atos/Capita. Maybe they just go by the information that is added by yourself plus the original claim and reports and then decide if they have underscored the points.
My support worker told me that in her experience it is very inconsistent in who is awarded PIP and who isnt.
She said that she has had a couple of cases where she thought that they would not get it but ended up getting enhanced on both living and mobility.
Then another case of someone clearly disabled and being in need being turned down.
She also said that some assessors have more knowledge of Parkinsons Disease than others, Of course this again is unfair because if your assessor happens to have a deeper understanding of the condition they will know that how you are when seen can change very quickly, Where as an assessor with very limited knowledge will see you maybe on a good day and think well there isnt much wrong with you.
Well we shall see, I hope both myself and Paul end up with more understanding decision makers this time. We are not asking for more than we are entitled to.
Best Wishes.
Candy.xxxxx
Hi Paul,
Have you had your decision yet? You have been waiting a long time so it should be due soon.
I havent heard yet but its only been a few weeks.
I hope if you have had your decision its the one you wanted.
Best Wishes
Candyxxx
Hi candy and Shelly
No have not had a mandatory new decision as yet I phoned up last Thursday which was the 10th of July to ask had they reached a decision yet.
I was told that they still had not made a decision but new evidence had been received on the 5th of June. I never said anymore but received the usual bog standard apology for it taking so long. While I have never agreed it is well documented tht an original application takes 26 weeks I cannot understand why reconsideration should take any longer than 14 to 21 days.
I have had my appeal lodged since the 28th of May so must be 6 or 7 weeks now. I assume its because they look at the whole claim again rather than just the clients objection. And this is probably the mistake really causing delays which are unacceptable
The bottom line is I could get a letter saying the decision cannot be changed and then will have to start the tribunal process I tell people about how bad all this is and they are amazed at the inefficiency of this system I smile at them and say you could not make it up good luck Candy keep us all informed.............................Paul
Hi Guys,
Its been a while since I have been on, Any news yet Paul?
Its ridiculous to have to wait such a long time, I think the Manditory Reconsideration should be done quickly, Because if it is turned down then the appeal process can begin which will probably take forever.
I have not heard anything yet, I was told I should have a decision by the end of the month, But going by Pauls endless wait I dont hold out much hope of hearing by then.
Good luck Paul and I hope you get your decision soon. Let us know please.
Take Care all.
Candy.xxxxx
Hi Candy
Thanks for asking Candy hope your ok. I actually rang up yesterday to find out how the reconsideration was going to be told we still have not looked at it yet its weird you would think that after 8 weeks there would be some progress. The man on the phone said it can take 9 weeks hello thats next week
I also rang to report a change of circumstances that is I am being retired from work due to PD In my job it just is'nt safe with this illness anymore. He was pretty kean on tapping this in to the computer he also asked me if my condition had gone worse and I said yes it had from the orignal claim and assessment I reckon wew ill all get whats owing to us in the end but were made to work for it as they cant deny that PD is serious enougth to warrent pip both living and mobility.......GLA..............Paul
Hi Paul,
I still cant believe that they havent even looked your manditory reconsideration yet, Did he ask you to provide any evidence that you had to retire from work and that you had got worse since the last assessment?
The reason I ask that is because will it mean another assessment, You know and I know that PD is a progressive condition but will you have to prove some way or another that things have got worse.
I really hope that doesnt happen because you have waited long enough, But wouldnt it be annoying that they just accept that without the need for backing it up when we have had to jump through hoops and when it still hasnt got us very far.
l havent heard yet, I was tod I would probably have my decision by the end of the month, Somehow I doubt it as you have had to wait so long.
Please let us know how you get on and I really hope they pull their fingers out and you get a decision soon.
Best wishes
Candy.xxxxx
Morning Candy
Call me cynical if you like I even call myself that but I believe the following the original claim I was told the wait is 26 weeks I actually waited the full 26 weeks to be given what in my opinion was a wholly inadequate decision.
After about 4 weeks of waiting for mandatory reconsideration I rang to be told the wait can be up to 9 weeks but thats unusual and not always the case as from the start of this week I will have been waiting 9 weeks
I am past caring how long it takes my annoyance has turned to bermusement . But even if they dont change the decision in my favour I will be going to tribunal and you should do as well Candy if the outcome is not in your favour dont go through all this only to give up as I said in an earlier post because I firmly believe they just try it on to see if you give up (go quietly) and I bet you quite a few have due to being beaten with the large dwp stick. Its a pretty awful way to treat disabled people given that we have enough to cope with already but the end to this particular story is surely insight now..........................Paul
Hi Paul,
I hope neither of us have to got to tribunal but that is what I intend to do, A friend of mine works in a hospital and she was talking to an Occupational Therapist about my battle with PIP, She was appalled, She said basically appeal, appeal and appeal again!!!
She said that people with a chronic progressive condition should be awarded PIP without any question and then as things worsen you keep them informed and your claim changes as your condition worsens.
In an ideal world that would be fair but its not an ideal world is it?
I havent dared to phone yet about how my Manditory Reconsideration is going as I am scared to hear the bad news. I am certain of being turned down again, The decision maker hinted as much to me on the phone that was probably going to be the case.
I am going to fight it al the way, I am sick of hearing about people who have been awarded sickness benefits only to be found later on running around football pitches or climbing ladders etc after claiming that they can hardly walk. These selfish people have made it almost impossible for those of us in genuine need to claim what we are entitled to.
I hope the end is in sight for you now Paul and that for you the fight will be over.
Maybe I will phone them tomorrow and see, If I am brave enough I will update tomorrow.
Good luck and keep going, We will win in the end, We didnt ask for this disease and we are not asking for anything more than we are entitled to.
Best Wishes.
Candy.xxx