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top tips to survive on benefits
Ringing the DWP to make your claim!
The quickest way to apply for ESA & PIP is over the phone directly to the DWP.
Enjoy the quick response, because once you've rang them and made your claim, then you have to call the regular DWP number and it is a very arduous frustrating experience to get through to a Human being - infact, I'm not too sure if they even employ human beings, but actually have outsourced their lines to another planet where Aliens man the phones because these DWP employees seem to lack compassion or even a Human heart.
These Aliens or other non human entities, will ask you a series of questions to find out if you're suitable and meet the needs for the particular benefit. They will fill out the application form for you to get the ball rolling. This should take no more than 30 minutes as a standard time.
This the easiest bit of the claim, dont be fooled it's all going to be plain sailing, because it isn't trust me!
Contact numbers are as follows...
ESA - NEW CLAIMS LINE - 0800 055 6688
TEXTPHONE - 0800 023 4888
WELSH LANGUAGE - 0800 012 1888
MONDAY - FRIDAY 8AM - 6PM
PIP NEW CLAIMS LINE - 0800 917 2222
TEXTPHONE - 0800 917 7777
MONDAY - FRIDAY 8AM-6PM
After a few weeks of calling the DWP, the dreaded ESA 50 Questionnaire will come through the post.
It's so thick!! This part of the process is only the start, but puts so many people off claiming who feel unable to fill it in.
Do not fill this form in alone! Seek help from a disability organisation or your local CAB centre who will be able to help you fill in this form properly. They will be able to offer you sound advice and make you realise you qualify for things you otherwise thought you wouldn't. So don't be alarmed and don't be afraid to seek help. The DWP would just love for you to give up at the first hurdle!
Also, I would recommend gathering as much information as possible to support your claim for ESA & PIP.
For example, with my claim I also provided the following information.
1. Letter from my GP detailing my medical records
2. Letter from my specialist, which detailed my conditions and how the affect my daily life, plus his opinion on my future prospects of working.
3. Witness statements off family and friends who have witnessed my condition and the effect it has on my daily life.
4. Seven day diary detailing my week living with my disability and how it affects my normal day to day life and also detailing my routines.
5. Ambulance reports and Hospital admissions.
The more informatiion you can provide the better!!
The dreaded esa 50 and PIP 2 questionnaire's
I can honestly say it is one of THE worst experiences I have ever had.
Be prepared, the horror stories online and in the Media are true. These assessors are there to deny you your benefit, through lies and tricks. They are void of a human heart. You're going to go to Hell and back.
My First issue was the parking. The car park was staff only so all patients had to park on the street in the city centre with only one hour parking and no return within 1 hour. This presented so many problems throughout which I'll get to. We had to park quite some distance from the entrance so had to slowly negotiate my way there with assistance from my wife.
Before going to the Birmingham centre we were told it would be Wolverhampton which is closer, but because of it not being on the ground floor or recorded, they moved it to brum. Turns out when we got there it was on the first floor and they didn't know it was to be recorded! We waited an hour and a half in the waiting room to be seen. My wife had to go and move the car twice during the waiting time and we had to have a receptionist sit with me because I can't be left alone. Several people were complaining. One guy started kicking off. All the windows were open and people were complaining of being cold. (I think they wanted someone to get up and close them so that they could fail them!)
We were eventually called and walked slowly to a tiny assessment room where it turns out they didn't know the meeting was to be recorded. My wife demanded it be recorded as this is what we requested.
We then had to walk all the way back to reception and sign a document and then they agreed to record it. We waited another 20-30 minutes to be called again by the same lady.
I couldn't walk very fast as I was in a lot of pain and very breathless and I actually collapsed in the corridor but the assessor charged on ahead Ignoring me, leaving my wife to help me alone.
She was really quite abrupt and funny from the get go. Snapped at my wife because she was texting the baby sitter and accusing her of making her own recording! She then asked me to explain my conditions and the side effects they have and noted it all down.
She asked me to explain my des first and then ibs after.
She asked what affect these conditions have on my dressing, washing sleep. I explained I suffer with insomnia and get about 3 hours sleep a night. I told her my wife has to help me in and out of the bath and often has to help me wash. I also need supervision in the bath and also dressing. She asked about eating and I explained food and meds get stuck often leading me to choke.
She asked me about cooking and cleaning. I told her that I don't cook full stop due to falling into a turned off cooker and that it's too risky! I told her I don't clean other than to dust maybe once a week and that my wife does everything.
I explained that I can't cook even with a microwave because the food would be hot when it comes out.
She asked me about any hobbies and I explained I lie down most the day and don't really have hobbies anymore. I explained that I try and spend most of the day sleeping trying to catch up on what I missed during the night.
She asked me when was the last time I went out. I told her Sunday to church becsuse my wife drove me and I wouldn't have got there myself. She asked me how long a service is. I said an hour but I have to go lie down he majority of the time in the vestry and can't sit though a full service but feel it's important to go to church when I feel able.
She asked me how I go out and shop if I can't walk far and I explained my wife does online shopping and online banking so we have no need to go to town.
She asked me about my kids and I explained I am no longer able to do simple things like play with them or discipline them when necessary.
She asked me about my previous job and I told her how I lost it because of my condition and that I terrified my colleagues. I told her I was let go on the grounds of impaired capability due to ill health.
My wife had to go move the car again leaving me in there with her and I gave her my spray and explained how to administer it in case I was unable to do so myself.
She then asked me the same sort of questions but skewed differently in order to try and catch me out.
She took my blood pressure but didn't do the breathing exercise as she said it would probably cause me too much pain and I agreed it would.
She did an examination with my arms and legs asking me to do stretches I did them but explained I wouldn't be bending over and squashing my chest.
I don't see how me moving my arms and legs has anything to do with my oesophagus but ok.
Tested my hearing and sight. All fine. Again relevance?
The security guard brought my wife back up the lift and commented that it was rare for a nurse to take so long with a claimant and they are normally done within 30 minutes.
Before finishing I asked to make a statement for the benefit of the recording. I said that I had a well paid job and I have always worked and enjoyed working and I'm only claiming because I have to. That this condition has wrecked my life and future plans.
The meeting was drawn to a close after nearly an hour and 30 minutes!
Through the whole thing I felt like she thought I was lying and seemed judgmental.
FACE 2 FACE ASSESMENT
WITH
ATOS.
Stepping into
Hell!
The agonising wait begins!!!
All you can do after the f2f assesment with either Capita or ATOS is wait for the decision maker to call you. ESA decisions are usually pretty quick, within a few weeks, PIP however can be up a couple of months or more.
All I can advise you is to be patient. It's out of your hands.
Your have 28 days from the date of their decision to submit a Mandatory reconsideration. After this point, they will only accept one under strict special circumstances!
You can only appeal against a decision on a DWP benefit, after you have asked the DWP to ‘reconsider’ their decision. As this is a required step on the way to making an appeal, it is called ‘mandatory reconsideration'. Mandatory recon's were brought in because of the amount of people winning their case against the DWP at appeal.
In simple terms, if you're not happy with the outcome of your claim, you can ask the decision maker to re-assess your claim for benefit. It will then go to a different Decision maker who will look at your case with fresh eyes. Do not get angry with them over the phone it will only harm your case and you may jeopardise yourself.
You also need to understand that with Mandatory reconsiderations, the whole award will be re-assessed and you could be worse off, not better. For example. If you have been put in WRAG and want to appeal for support group, the new decision maker could change your award as fit for work.
If you have pip and want to appeal any aspect, then both Care and Mobility components will be looked at again. A MR doesn't mean it will automatically go in your favour, it could be to your detriment!
Please be aware, it can take any length of time to get a MR the term 'how long's a piece of string?' springs to mind. So just be patient.
I actually lost my job because of my disability last year and it was a well paid job at a leading Telecommunications provider. They had to let me go through no fault of my own or theirs, it was for my safety.
Atos had actually awarded me 0 points! Even though I am unable to swallow food without the risk of choking, I collapse around 4 times a day with acute chest pain and also pass out at least weekly. However, based on the evidence I provided, the decision maker over rided their report and awarded me the WRAG group. I was not happy with this as I am unsafe to be left on my own and attend seminars and training etc.
I told them I would be appealing over the phone and I also put it in writing to leave a paper trail for evidence.
My letter addressed the fact I was awarded 0 points and how factually incorrect Atos were and the fact that they totally disregarded what evidence I presented them and the report was basically an act of fraud because they lied. I explained my condition in even further depth andspecifically referred to the support group descriptors. Within 2 weeks, I was called by a decision maker and I was put in the Support Group. The new decision maker said she was very impressed with the amount of evidence I provided and it had made her decision easy. Should have been this case in the first place I felt!
Don't feel disheartened by the wrong decisions, FIGHT THEM! It's your right to do so.
The Mandatory reconsideration
Appealing a decision after Mandatory Reconsideration...
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Always ask for a proper hearing where you are present and can present your case as paper appeals have a very low success rate!
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Make sure you know all the appeal deadlines and don’t miss any of them.
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Look at every point scoring Descriptor for ESA and PIP. Make sure you know indepth which one's apply to you and how they apply. You might not have realised when you filled out the forms which would have neccessarily been applicable to your condition and tell the panel how you meet those descriptors.
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There are ‘exceptional circumstances’ regulations and that may automatically qualify you for certain groups or benefit. For example; I have issues swallowing food and this automatically qualified me for the Support Group after I went for a MR. Check which ones if any, apply to you.
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Submit supporting medical and non-medical evidence for your ESA appeal.
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There are videos of hearings available on Youtube. I suggest you watch these before attending yours so youu fully understand the process and to settle your nerves.
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