Can you get sickness benefits in the UK if you suffer from IBS? The answer to that is yes…but not without a fight, it would seem. One of my lovely readers, Luci, has very kindly shared her experience of applying for employment support allowance (ESA), the sickness benefit that replaced incapacity benefit in 2008.
And in case you were wondering, one way to tell if someone is sick is to check whether they’ve had a shower and painted their nails. Read on if you don’t believe me…
Sophie: Hi Luci! First of all, can you tell us a bit about your history of IBS?
Luci: I have had IBS-D for about 10 years. I don’t know what set it off but when it started it was very mild and infrequent. I thought I’d eaten something and had mild food poisoning. I went to the doctors after a few months and three or four attacks and I was told I had IBS. No examination, no referrals…I was given Fybogel and sent away.
My symptoms gradually worsened over the years and the last three or four years have been horrendous. I sometimes have diarrhea 10 times a day with abdominal pain that stops my breath. Sometimes I can barely crawl to the bathroom.
Sophie: That sounds so tough – IBS can be so difficult to cope with. Can you explain a bit about the circumstances that led you to apply for employment support allowance (ESA)?
Luci: Three and a half years ago I was told that now my daughter was 12 I would not be allowed to receive single parent income support and I would be expected to take a job or lose the benefit. I had to go to the job center to apply for jobseekers’ allowance. I was told I would have to attend interviews regularly, attend the job center every two weeks to sign on, and be seen to be actively looking for work. If I turned down any job offered my money would be cut, which would mean my housing benefit would be cut and my home put at risk.
I was terrified. I had to tell this total stranger about my IBS, in detail, which was intensely embarrassing for me. She informed me that if I felt I was too ill to work then I should be claiming employment support allowance or ESA. So that is what I did – and so began the battle, just when I was at a very low ebb and least able to fight.
Sophie: Can you tell us about the application process for ESA?
Luci: I filled in a form (which was about the size of War and Peace!) and started receiving a low, basic rate. I was told that if I passed the medical the money would go up. About five months later I received a letter informing me that I would need to attend a medical in Brighton, about 45 minutes drive away from Eastbourne where I live.
I phoned the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to explain that I barely leave the house, don’t even travel into town without someone with me, don’t own a car and don’t use public transport due to my IBS being sudden and unpredictable. They told me I would need a doctor’s letter stating this, and getting that was a job in itself as I needed to organize a lift to and from the doctor’s.
The response to the letter was that they didn’t deem it necessary to give me a home visit but would pay for a taxi to and from the medical center. I was absolutely dreading it but they made it very clear that if I did not attend I would automatically fail the medical and would lose the money.
My advice to others – do NOT personally attend medicals! If you normally do not travel you must push for a home visit. If you attend the medical center and you then claim you do not normally travel you will fail the medical. ‘You got to the medical, so you can go to work’, so don’t struggle! Insist on a home visit. I wish I’d known that. Needless to say, I failed the medical.
Sophie: What happened after you’d failed the medical Luci?
Luci: I appealed. This is a daunting process but while your appeal is being processed they have to pay you. It’s a very low rate but at least I knew we would be able to eat and my rent would be paid. Six months later I received a tribunal date.
I had to go to a very posh hotel conference room in my home town. There was a judge and a doctor in attendance. I was asked several very personal questions over about half an hour. I had as evidence a letter from my GP who knew me very well stating that it would be quite impossible for me to attend work with any regularity due to my IBS being so severe and so unpredictable.
The doctor commented that (and I quote), ‘You seem clean and washed, your nails are painted, I think you are simply lacking confidence and a job would be good for you.’ That was that. I had failed the appeal. I was totally devastated, utterly undermined, and I felt like a lazy, workshy scrounger.
I phoned the DWP and as I was now suffering from depression and worsening IBS I was told to reclaim, which you can only do if your condition has worsened or you have a new condition. And so the process all began again. I was absolutely as low as I could be.
I was sent, over the next six months, to a dietitian, a gastroenterologist, and for cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT, all the while trying tablet after tablet to combat depression. And all the time I was dealing with ever increasing IBS symptoms. No wonder I was depressed! As far as the specialists were concerned there was nothing wrong with me. This conclusion was not going to help my next appeal…
Sophie: How did you prepare for the appeal?
Luci: I started to collect evidence. Letters and summaries from all the specialists I had seen. Most did not want to write letters and most would not commit to directly saying I could not work. Those that did would say things like, ‘It would be difficult’ or simply wouldn’t say either way. So I started to keep an IBS/depression diary: details of toilet visits, pain, quality of life…everything. It was not easy. I wanted to be brave and try to put on a brave face and constantly had to remind myself to stick to the facts.
I submitted the diary as evidence. I insisted on a home visit for my next medical, asking my doctor for a very specific letter stating that a home visit was needed. I did not try to ‘be brave’. I was very ill on the day and as uncomfortable as it was I did not get dressed, I did not tidy up. It wasn’t easy. I so wanted to keep going and carry on despite the pain, but I also wanted to show how I would be normally.
When the doctor arrived I was marked down because I got to the front door to answer it within a few seconds and had no difficulty walking from the door to my sofa, 10 feet away from my front door. I was marked down because I offered the doctor a cup of tea, which I made properly with no problems. I was marked down for watching TV (showing I could sit for long periods without discomfort), I was marked down because I have a dog and usually managed to walk him for five minutes a day. It’s a crazy, crazy system.
Needless to say, I failed the medical and received only six of the 15 points I needed to qualify, so again I appealed. After about five months I got the new appeal date. In Brighton.
I got yet another doctor’s letter stating I could not attend. Another two months went by and I got my hearing moved to my home town. Not easy, but better. Do-able with help from a friend with a car and lots of patience!
I was preparing to face defeat as I simply could not do this anymore. About two years had passed since this whole saga began and I was truly done. I was in the conference room with a judge and a doctor again. I was asked a handful of questions, 10 minutes, no longer. They thanked me for attending and said, ‘We are both in agreement that you should have been given ESA last year and can’t understand why it was disallowed.’ And promptly overturned the decision and awarded me ESA. Just like that.
I was so shocked I burst into tears. They were very nice and gave me a tissue and allowed me a few minutes to compose myself. I’m now waiting (three weeks later) for the DWP to sort out the paperwork, but hey…I won!
Sophie: What difference has receiving the ESA made to your life?
Luci: I keep reading the letter, over and over! I think I’m going to frame it! I can now face my future without worrying about losing my home or where the next meal is coming from. It’s that simple. I am in the work support group of ESA which means I will have a case worker who will speak to me regularly and work out if there is any work I can do around my condition.
It’s not compulsory work, they don’t cut your money and they very much work around me, which is what I want, to feel I am at least some use to society as a whole and not just ill and forgotten.
Sophie: Are there any tips you can give to other people who are applying for ESA?
Luci: Get the evidence. Any and all. Pester, telephone, visit in person, but get it! Don’t struggle through. They need to see you for what and how you are. Yes it’s embarrassing and very uncomfortable but they must see you at your worst. Don’t say ‘I’m fine’ when you are not!
It has been the most difficult time for me but all things considered I have now got the support and help I need, so as much as I would HATE to do it all again I have to say it was worth it, although you may have got a different answer during the process!
Sophie: Just one more question – I keep reading terrible things about the company ATOS that carries out medical assessments for the benefits system in the UK. Do you know if you were assessed by ATOS?
Luci: Yes, it was ATOS that carried out my medical assessment, and yes, they have an awful reputation. Many ‘trick’ questions like ‘Do you enjoy watching the soaps on TV?’ If you answer ‘yes’ to this question it is assumed you can sit comfortably for half an hour so are capable of work.
You don’t even realize at the time that these are questions relating to your claim/medical, it’s done in such a way that you think the doctor is simply being chatty and nice. Don’t be fooled! It’s a terrible system.
They don’t take into account good days and bad days so, when you are asked questions about your health you need to tell them the way you feel on a bad day. It’s a real minefield. As I said before, if you attend your medical assessment at one of ATOS’s medical centers you’ve probably already lost. If you can get there you can get to work. Crazy. Hope I haven’t rattled on too much!
Sophie: Luci, thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience. It’s awful that ill people have to go through this kind of ordeal just to get some help, but I’m so glad your appeal was successful in the end.
If any readers have experiences of the benefits system in the UK or elsewhere, please do share them in the comments section.
Ive just been for my first medical… basically same thing.. awarded nil points … just because i said yes to similar things like yes i watch the television soaps,,, etc ,, i could lift my arm up above my head in medical., but thats not to say i can lift my arm up above when my tremors start and ive just washed my hair and i am shaking constantly and cant dry my hair, they dont take these things into account, even though i told them all this on the day, ive got ibs and told them same things i cant control my bowels some days i cant leave house and if i do i need to get back quickly to change if ive lost control, no points awarded yet again,,, its a bloody awful system… they just dont care and dont want anyone on the sick full stop, and if they can stop anyone claiming they will.. ive just re appealed.. and god knows how long it will take to sort it ,, but ive got to go through the whole process all over again .
Hello Tracy, its awful. Keep going. I have tried for a long time for E.S.A. and finally got it last week. I am in England. Lucky for me, I suppose, I have depression and anxiety, aswell as having toilet accidents everytime or most times I go out of my house. I am 58 and have suffered since age 9. Mine could be coprophobia, similar.I am desperate to talk or meet people with my problems, but don.t know how to ??
Hi Luci,
Thanks for your honest story. I used to have predominantly D but but the 4 years since I developed IBS, it has changed to predominantly C (mine came on after a gastric flu type illness) I started a degree as a mature student as although I knew I couldn’t work, I may be able to manage a few lectures a week. I was very wrong, and despite a letter from my doctor, I was more or less forced to give it up as they wouldn’t accept it as extenuating circumstances. My situation is different as although I am unable to work (or go on holiday, or make arrangements etc) my partner earns enough to support both of us. I tried to find some info on claiming benefits as my point of view was that I had aid into the system for 25 years and I KNOW my case is genuine. I gave up at the first hurdle as I was told unofficially that I would need to prove that I was fecally incontinent at least twice a day! – yes, I would have to state and possibly prove that I soiled my clothing a least twice a day to be considered, and that the Rome III criteria is not given consideration. Another case of the UK being in the dark ages.
My partner insists that it isn’t worth putting myself through the humiliation as we can manage financially – at the moment anyway.
This all sounds pretty scary I have diverticular disease and am off work – I am 55 years old and still coming to terms with it – I have had problems since I was primary school age but only now been diagnosed with this – cant get my head round the diet …
Gillian,
As you have been diagnosed with diverticular disease, you will probably find it easier to get help if you need it than somebody diagnosed with IBS, which I think is still regarded by many doctors the way ME was until recently (and still is by some) – ie my doctor thinks I should be over the moon that life-threatening disease has been ruled out and that it is ‘only’ a functional issue. I’m sure if they had to spend a month living with it, they would have a different viewpoint. One minor example is last week I was invited to the xmas party for a charity I volunteer for. The organiser said she needed exact numbers for catering – I had no choice but to decline rather than ‘let them down’ on the day.
We all know we try to lead as normal a life as possible but even family & friends don’t really understand how we feel. I try to keep my ‘bellyaching’ to a minimum even with them, although a good day is the kind of discomfort that would have ‘normal’ people complaining of feeling ill.
Hi Tracy,
I hope today is a good day…. I’m pretty sure that the evidence I collected plus the symptom diary I kept for 6 months helped alot. You can never have enough evidence. Its terriby hard as most medical officials don’t like writing letters, If thats the case ask them to write to you summerising your symptoms, have it sent directly to you and submit it as evidence yourself. But above all do not give up. Bite your lip and tell them like it is. Good luck to you Tracy.
Luci x
Hello Christine,
I know how you feel, If its any use to you I’m happy to chat, either via e-mail, or face book messaging, if you have it? I don’t check my e-mails very offten, probably only once a week, but I will get babck to you
Luci x
Hi Mark,
Honestly, if your managing financially you probably won’t qualify for help anyway. If you felt like a battle you could try but I doubt you’ll get anywhere. I do sympathise with you though. Its a rough illness that gets little or no sympathy because its either seen as being ‘all in your head’ or its a taboo subject. I battled for so long because it really was a case of putting food on the table for myself and my daughter and paying the rent or being homeless, if its not life ot death I’m not sure its worth the fight, and as you say the humiliation. Good luck for the future Mark.
Luci x
I have read with interest all of these comments and stories. I have to say that I feel uncomfortable about most of them. Firstly, we should all be extremely grateful to have a free health service and a benefits system. There are millions of people in the world who do not have access to such things. It is therefore very unfair to make comments such as the “the UK are in the dark ages” as this is simply not the case. We are all aware that unfortunately some people will try and defraud the system and therefore it is only right and proper that certain checks are in place. Unfortunately IBS is a very difficult condition to diagnose and one that can range from being very mild to very severe and for that reason alone it would be completely wrong to allow benefits for every person who has IBS. However, when IBS is in the extreme I do believe that people should be given financial support however I hope that those people still search earnestly to try and find relief so that they can return to work as soon as they can and hence support the system so that others can get help. One should never give up trying to find ways to manage IBS and I have come across many people who have found relief after decades of suffering. I hope that all of you are able to find relief to your suffering as quickly as possible and that if absolutely necessary you are given financial support when needed but I also hope that people do not take advantage of the benefits system.
Steve,
I find your post quite insulting. I think maybe the heading of ‘beating the system’ could have been worded better, but that isn’t what it is about. It is really about trying to get the system to recognize how much pain, discomfort, depression, fatigue etc. that many people with IBS suffer. I stand by my statement regarding the UK being in the dark ages. I understand there are many people in the UK claiming benefits under false pretenses, but there are also many people with IBS who are at their wits end and unable to cope – who are unavle to get help because they don’t ‘tick boxes’ – as we know, many civil servants are totally unable to ‘think outside the box’.
Mark,
If you found my post insulting then it is clear that it doesn’t take much to wind you up because my post was certainly not meant to be insulting but only to put a little balance into the debate. In fact it is you that has been insulting towards Civil Servants which is rather unfair. It should also be noted that being a Civil Servant with IBS would be a good combination as they operate flexitime and workers are paid when having sick leave. Your remark about the UK being in the dark ages is exagerration to the extreme particularly when one oconsiders that most people on this planet have little or no welfare state. As I said in my post, it is only right that there are checks and balances in place because not everyone with IBS has it severely. Also if a person is able to sit for most of the day watching TV or using their computer then it is quite reasonable to expect them to work in a place with an understanding employer. I do agree that IBS can be so disabling that work is not possible and in these instances financial help should be given.
To Steve
I don’t know how you can defend the UK Government’s use of an outfit like ATOS. Of course there are people defrauding the system (just like millionaire tax dodgers and dodgy bankers), but this is not the answer. They are using nonsensical, NON-MEDICAL criteria to deny ill people the financial help to live. There are now cases of people dying while going through this systematic abuse. One man died the day before another ”assessment.” He had heart trouble, was turned down, and the stress of it all saw him off. Another man was refused Jobseeker’s Allowance because he cannot commit to 40 hours a week due to needing to attend chemotherapy for a brain tumour. Yet he has been turned down for ESA. How, Steve, do you propose he lives?
You do realise that GP’s are now incensed and having to spend their time writing letters to support these poor patients. You do realise that, don’t you? Also, many of these claimants were once fit and well and have paid into the system all their life. They didn’t ask to be ill.
Steve, I think you should read Jung Chang’s White Swans, and you will see that this aspect of life in today’s UK has more to do with Mao’s cultural revolution than benefit ”reforms.” It is crass, it is cruel, has nothing to do with truth or integrity, has bullying as it’s core philosophy. One day historians will look back on this pathetic period and consign it to the bin of insane ideologies.
What is additionally worrying is that there is not enough in the media to expose this unfairness, or are they ”reforming” that too?
Brenda, I was merely pointing out that we in the UK should count ourselves very lucky to have a welfare state. I have friends who live in different parts of the world who have no welfare state at all. If they are sick and cannot work they get nothing and are expected to pay for their healthcare. And then of course there is Africa where 3o,000 children die every single day, so we are very lucky indeed.
When you talk about millionaire tax dodgers and dodgy bankers it sounds like you are believing the hype of union representatives because following the advice of your accountant is not being dodgy at all as millions of people do this every year; there is of course a huge difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion – one is illegal. With regards to the bankers, as far as I am concerned they should be paid as much as possible because 50% of it has to be paid in tax, and after all something has to pay for our health service and welfare system.
We have to have a system in place to make sure the welfare goes to the people who really need assistance and unfortunately there are many dishonest people who try and defraud the system so it is these people we have to thank for the system being ‘policed’. I am glad that the welfare system is ‘policed’ in fact I would like it to be more rigorous so that more could be paid to those in real need.
Before you start comapring the UK to Mao’s China I suggest you go and live in China for a few weeks to see how lucky you are to live in the UK.
Guys, this isn’t the place to have an argument about politics or the benefits system. Please keep the discussion focused on IBS. Thanks.
Hi all,
Ignoring all of the above political comments, and only to up date those who are interested…. after 2 years of fighting to be awarded ESA and 2 tribunals, after only 3 months of receiving ESA at the correct rate (i.e not the lower rate awarded while you appeal) the DWP have seen fit to re-assess my claim. Which basically means the whole process begins again. I could be called upon, yet again, before ATOS to be ‘medically judged’ theoretically (I’m assuming they haven’t changed their views about IBS) turned down, again, appeal, again, re-claim… appeal… be awarded, again…. only to be re-assessed 3 months later…. still want to talk about a waste of tax payers money? I’ve had IBS – D for over 10 years… How wonderful would it be to be miraculously cured in 3 months.
I’m really not sure I can go through all this again. I think that’s the plan. I think that’s what they do, I really do.
All the best,
Luci x
Luci, I’m so sorry to hear that. That sounds completely ridiculous, although in keeping with the stories I’ve heard about the insanity of the benefits system at the moment. I mean, clearly patients should be reassessed at certain intervals, but going through the whole process again after three months can’t possibly accomplish anything.
I really hope you find the strength to get through this again and get the support you deserve. And yes, please just ignore the political comments on this entry – there won’t be any more, I promise. This is a place for support and solidarity from people who understand what IBS is really like.
Thank you, as ever, for your support Sophie. I have to say as I am in the ‘work related’ group of ESA I was hoping for, (and assured I would get) help in seeking suitable work that was perhaps part time/flexible with an understanding boss or possibly from home… I was looking forward to that, but instead I’m being re-assessed. I am bitterly disappointed and the extra stress it brings has me on a complete downer which is making my IBS soooo bad right now. All I can do is start filling in the endless forms again and try to get the help, not just financial but the help I desperately want and need to do something useful as a productive member of society, work and put something back. It feels as if the system would rather hound me to death re-assessing me so I give up and they don’t have to help me find a suitable employer or suitable work. ??? I don’t get it.
They said I would get help to work, they simply have not done that. Every employer I have spoken to will not employ someone like me, who needs a very understanding boss, especially when there are so many able bodied people out there who do not need regular time off etc… I despair I really do.
Sorry if this sounds like one big whinge, I just need a little help and a chance. I’m just not getting that at the moment.
All the best to all out there…
Luci x
Not only may individuals be entitled to ESA, but they MAY be eligible for DLA. I would recommend to anyone attending an interview for ESA that they take someone with them who will note the questions and answers. In my experience, the assessors can fabricate and draw inappropriate inferences. I won an appeal last year although I declined to attend the tribunal. Strangely and ironically enough it was because I was too unwell!
Hi Janet – do you know of anyone who has received DLA (Disability Living Allowance) for IBS? Please let me know if you do as I’d be very interested to hear whether IBS people can apply for this benefit.
I think that’s a good tip about taking someone with you. The terrible thing about this process of course is that it all happens when people feel least able to look out for themselves.
I have IBS Diarrhoea version very severley, I also suffer with anxiety and depression, I have not worked since a breakdown in February 2009, I fought really hard to get ESA, I too went to a tribunal because I had it refused, then I managed to get it, but I have had repeated medicals from ATOS healthcare and I must say they dont really ask the right questions for someone who has IBS, so the answers you would give would not benefit you and you are then put in a very bad situation , they dont listen to what you are actually saying and only write down what they think and not what you say. I am due for a review and I am dreading the medical, I dont go out very much and spend so much time in the bathroom and yes I have had accidents, how are you supposed to work. I have taken loads of imodium to try and help, but then I deveoped a prolapsed bowel and needed a operation so now cant take imodium as I cant get constipated, so now I am stuffed. Yes the anxiety fuels the ibs, but also the ibs causes anxiety, but the doctors cant see this. My doctors do not write letters supporting your claim for the ESA, but they will explain to the DWP or Atos if they are contacted as to how bad I am. But I wonder how often what you tell Atos is followed up by them asking a doctor or consultant or pysciatrist.
I am dreading it.
I too suffer with ibs aswell as depression and an anxiety disorder. On top of that i suffered a cruciate ligament injury which has resulted in arthritis in the kneecap. This causes me pain when i use my knee too much or use stairs too often. Ive been suffering excess acid and peptic ulcer for the last year and a half which gives me bad wind and acid reflux. I have applied for esa on 2 occasions and the 1st one for anxiety and depression i was failed and failed at my appeal. The second one was for the above and also my knee and i was apparently refused. I say apparently because i recieved no documentation to say id failed or how to appeal and just kept getting paid basic rate until after another few months passed i was asked to attend another medical. I rung them up and asked what happened about my earlier medical and why i was still on basic rate and they said id been failed and id put in an appeal. I told them they hadnt sent me any documentation to say id failed and how was i meant to appeal against a decision i knew nothing about. They said they had paperwork in their office to say id failed, but it hadnt been put into the computer to send out the paperwork and too much time had lapsed to send out documentation. I told them i was not going to another medical because they had let me down by not allowing me a chance of an appeal against an unofficial decision and that they were lying by putting me on their computer, saying that id filled in an appeal letter, to cover their own mistakes. They told me i should be grateful that i was still getting paid basic esa and that i should go for the medical. I refused and said if i was kept on esa after assessment i should of moved to a higher rate as i have no appeal to put in. They didnt have a leg to stand on and ive been on the basic rate now for over a year and due another medical soon in which i will be refusing, as ive still seen no documentation or definite proof that i failed, or any paperwork for me to appeal. Has this happened to anyone else or does anyone have any information on my rights? I should be getting the higher rate and shouldnt have failed the assessment anyway as i know myself that i couldnt hold down a permanent job with my health issues. As lucy said, who will find such an understanding boss who will let you have time off and pay you for it and not sack you in the process. Its not going to happen. The first time i came off esa i was put on jsa which was horrendous. I was suffering crippling anxiety of having to attend the jobcentre, let alone going to work. I explained this to the advisor and she said i had been deemed fit for work by the assessment and that there was very little she could do. She tried forcing me onto courses and getting me into jobs that were a fair distance away from my home. I couldnt manage to get to them as i was too anxious and this set my stomach off which is a vicious circle. At the time, my knee was painful and i told them that i had so many problems. She told me to go back on esa as there was nothing else she could do, so i did. All in all, ever since, ive been on the basic rate esa.
My husband has Primary Progressive MS and can only hardy walk and when he walks a few steps to get to the toilet, every couple a weeks he doesn’t make the toilet and goes in his pants, and I have to help clean him up. He memory problems and mixes up letter, words and numbers.
He has to attend a medical assessment very soon., but he won’t be able to take public transport besides the pain and fatigue, he called his GP up and I spoke with her and she is giving a letter for a medical reason for atois representative to visit at our flat.
All I can say is that my husband should tell the truth about why is condition prevents him from being able to work.
Also we a Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist and believe in the Lotus Sutra interpreted by Nichiren Daishonin best English translation by Burton Watson, it shows a better path to take in life.
And when I become afraid to remember that we will get what we need, the Buddha does not want us to be afraid.
Hi, I don’t have IBS but do have a friend who suffers it and I have a few conditions myself and receive ESA. I just wanted to leave a comment as I too have an ongoing battle with Atos. When you go for the assessment you can now have it recorded, just let them know you want this when you’re given the date to attend. Always always request a copy of the report that the Atos examiner has completed, you can get this from the DWP, go through the report and check for inconsistencies, omissions and statements you did not make. Check all the timings are correct (examination start time, how long you sat for, examination finish time) complain to Atos about anything in the report that doesn’t match exactly as it should and do not be fobbed off, they will try and defend the examiners so demand it is escalated, especially if the report states you have no problems with certain activities and you know this is false. Yes we have a healthcare system, and a welfare state but its not free at all, don’t forget you have paid for it all your working life so are entitled to fall back on it when you need it. The only people it is free for is people coming from countries who don’t have our systems.
thanks for above i have aletter to go for accessment sickness very bad pain had stoma 13 years ago underpain clinic etc very worried about it all
Update I got my appeal tribunal date june this year. and again failed. .probably coz i turned up… with help. got mum to take me,, and answered questions like yes i watch tv,, and yes i can walk to the shop with help from my daughter.. FAIL… ive got menieres disease too.. dont think that was taken into account either and i know thats classed as a disability,, they just dont give a shit.. ive given up fighting the previous case ,, cant stand the stress any longer .. so im not longer on ESA at basic rate.. ive put in a new appication as my condition has changed since my original first claim, but i got to start the whole process all over again and as ive just moved in with partner they are now saying that im gona be income based assessed which means i wont qualify for ESA anyway. so whats the DAMN point ,,
Sorry to hear that Tracy. I heard a similar story over the weekend from a woman who has IBS and spondylitis in her spine. Even her doctor is angry about it. She said she can’t work with other people ‘just in case’ so cleans for 1 or 2 hours a day at a dental surgery out of hours. Her boss is very understanding so she works around her health – although she said she collapsed cleaning a toilet recently. Even her doctor is angry with the decision as he had given her a letter saying she is unfit to work. In otherwords, the ESA think they know more than doctors!.
Maybe people should make sure they ‘have an accident’ at the tribunal!!!!!
I know it isn’t a joking matter but…
Hi All,
I just though some people may be interested in this news article on the BBC site regarding Atos.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19244639