Every day a blog goes up from someone who is fighting for either DLA or a blue badge. ( and ESA but i don't know anything about this)
WHY????
We have been diagnosed with COPD by Doctors who trained for 9 years ( or 12 yrs if a consultant) so i guess they know what they are talking about!!!
We are questioned at every turn and denied things that could help make our lives that little bit easier.
After reading gocats post about the fight for DLA i emailed my MP, i decided to tell her about COPD ( and included links) and how it has affected my life, how fighting for DLA and blue badges causes stress and how i feel it is unfair.
So lets fight back, if everyone writes or emails their MP we may get a voice.
Will email my MP as soon as I finish reading the blogs krazylady You are so right, people shouldn't have to fight for DLA, blue badge, or Employment Support Allowance. I was one of the lucky ones, I guess, I was awarded DLA without having to undergo a medical or go to appeal. My gp, community matron, and the local authority benefits adviser were invaluable to me throughout the application process. Without their support and assistance I don't think I would have received the award.
find out who your MP is gran - and basically send them an email telling them the affect it has on yours and especially your husbands life. then ask why, as a sufferer of an illness that will not go away we have to fight to get our entitlements like DLA and blue badges ( i also mentioned ESA, i know a lot of people have trouble with that too) i just sent my MP an email about my symptoms, how i feel and how i felt the dwp refuse us knowing that we will probably not appeal due to the stress. i don't know if it will do us any good but its worth a shot so that future claimants dont have to go through the stress.
You should change Your Name to something else , You are a godess , i'am going to tribunale on the 3rd of August , thats 7months since i was turned down by ATOS health care ( second year running ) messaged my MSP he got onto it , STILL waiting a reply from ESA/Jobcentre Manager about it???????
Tke it that i will go to Tribunal AGAIN even though i Still quilify UNder there NEW discriptors have too fight them again, thats 7mnths of short benefit they need to pay me back ( abot 750 pounds not including the cost's )
Do the blf have a campaign team that can use this effort ?
I completely agree - COPD is a long term chronic illness - all the doctors agree but when it comes to DLA it is as if they haven't read the same diagnosis! TAD xx
You are so right Krazylady. I wrote to my MP some time ago when the Spartacus report came out (written by disabled and chronically sick people) about the changes from DLA to PIP. I have since written to my labour MP to ask what the labour party's position is on these changes and to tell him I found it confusing that both Ed Milliband and Ed Balls both say the cuts are too hard and too fast but then refuse to say they will overturn any cuts in the future!!!
My main gripe is that DLA, by the DWP's own figures, has the lowest rate of fraud 0.5% and yet ATOS (whose head is getting £1m as a bonus) is hoping to claw back 20%. That means many genuine claiments will be wrongly penalised and many others will be scared and upset and have to go through lots of worry.
I'm with Krazylady here - do all you can to fight your corner.
Love XXX
One big problem here is whether you are trying to claim ESA, a disability benefit or whatever, the relevant department contacts your GP to ask for confirmation of the information you have given them. 99% of GPs do not reply to this request. Many of them will not write a letter unless paid to do so , so the department making the request has to assume you are not as disabled as you claim. I had to fight for DLA and for ESA and, after complaining, was told by both that my GPs non-response was the reason I was initailly turned down.
That is disgusting. Don't know about ESA but I took the DLA part for my GP to fill in. I would be interested to hear what your gp's response was when you explained he/she was the reason you were turned down.
Hope you managed to get your deserved claim eventually sweet.
XXX
thats incredible ! - this is one of the things we need to shout about, I know Doctors are very busy but why should you suffer.
• in reply to
My doctor supported me through the ESA claim and replied to ATOS with copy to me, stating I was unfit for work, I didn't even need to go to interview or medical. I think it very much depends on the communications between doctor patient and the doctor's appreciation of the difficulties we experience.
• in reply to
Zoee, it sounds like you have a lovely doctor. My surgery is one of the larger trusts, with 12 GPs and several other professionals. Part of the problem is that one rarely sees the same GP twice. And, when I complained to the surgery about the letters being ignored, I was told by the practice manager that the GPs did not have time to reply to every letter and that charging for a response helped weed out the ones that were "not serious". She said if they did not reply the onus was then on the other party to contact the surgery and send the appropriate fee. Unortunately, they are so large a practice because they have amalgamated with all other local surgeries, and so changing GPs is not really a viable option.
just had a quick look at this Gordon - looks like its just what we need to help us.
popping out so will look at it properly when i get back
thanks
Good luck every one who is still struggling with this. Its a very difficult and stressful time needing to prove the difficulties we experience with the worry of having our benefit withdrawn and being forced into a work situation, knowing we are unable physically to do this, not to mention putting our health more at risk. Alas lung patients are not the only people in the system of assessments for ESA and DLA ], if we were I think there may be a better understanding of the difficulties we experience.
Hi Krazylady, ive been turned down too, my gp care advisor has asked for reconsideration. but u are so right the amount of stress has just caused more distress and chest infections it is totally unfair, my 10 yr old daughter has to help n look after myself and disabled son, and it cert ainly isnt fair on her she has enough on with changing schools in september without added pressure of my illness.
I will email my MP lets hope we can change this together!!! xx
Has BLF started any campaign on this yet - it would make it easier if we all did this together - so a petition would be best via 360 or whoever. BLF could do it..that would be more powerful.
We can get a campaign going with massive potential here .... anyone want to do this?- someone more informed than I am is needed.
Is BLF checking the actions suggested here - or do we need to alert them to do what you suggest here - great idea of yours to have guidelines for completion.
thanks Juliekkay that made it a lot simpler and done !
I am one of the lucky ones to get DLA and ESA first time as i had help from welfare rights ,they filled out my form but i am afraid of the changes they are about to make and what affect it will have on us all
It is ok to ask that we 'rally to the call' but who amongst us has the strength to keep banging the drum and stating what we all know already. In the beginning I had fire in my belly, I refused to let them get me down but believe you me, there comes a time....
Thus is my lot it would seem to have to undergo a yearly ATOS assessment, followed months later by a Tribunal hearing. They care little for chronic illnesses, these medical professionals employed by ATOS and it is regardless of doctors or consultants letters, CT scan results or breathing test results. It is futile to offer any personal details pertaining to the chronic illnesses you may be suffering from. Any attempt to do so will no doubt be quickly rebuked and you will be advised that the person dealing with you is only interested in you answering their questions.
It is barbaric that in our society today, those that govern us have brought this into being. I recently missed an ATOS assessment appointment purely because I was that stressed out and came quite close to the edge. My doctor has had to increase my anti-depressants, sadly without any effect. I despair, I really do. I now have to fill in a form stating my reasons for not attending. God help us all.
I really do wish that consultants and doctors would speak out about the negative effect all this extra stress from applying for either DLA or ESA is having on their patients. Our path is hard to start with but all this extra pressure is just one continuous nightmare that not one of us deserve..
Hi im with u there, undergone the atos examination, just got copy of his letter suggesting i faked my peak flow!!! just because it was so low, i was even in tears at the examination as soo tired and washed out, it made me feel worthless as a person, at the moment though im determined to fight back they cannot be allowed to get away with the lies they write, we have to have hope!
i agree Seams we need to keep this going until the end, but we are so ill sometimes it is hard to "keep the faith", the stress it causes can make us worse.
The personal details refer to how COPD has affected my life. Although we all have different lives the impact of COPD is the same, it limits us.
I totally agree that Doctors need to speak out - it amazes me they are happy to allow the DWP to get private Doctors (ATOS) to check their diagnosis - surely that is questioning their ability as doctors.
Hi everyone there is a campaign site on the Labour Parties webs site labour.org.uk. A 16 year old girl has already started a campaign re ESA and her mental illness. Maybe if we all took a look at that site we may be able to get something of our own started.
PS. Campaign Engine Room and you don't have to be a member of the Party.
Gordon, totally agree with everything you have written, i'm afraid that until recently i refused to accept a lot of the changes in my body and so didnt tell my doctor. i never told him the real extent of my breathlessness, ( like you, going to the loo is akin to climbing a mountain and i live in a flat!!!!) because i was embarrassed !!! can you believe how stupid i was - he told me he knew i hadn't been entirely honest and then i became REALLY embarrassed !!!
Politically we can't blame any one party - lets face it no matter what party is in power they tend to make changes in an attempt to save money, including changes to individual benefits, As a taxpayer i appreciate the intention but as a human being i find it abhorrent that sick people, no matter what the illness, suffer stress and anxiety due to the changes.
Sorry this is a general reply, and not to anyone in particular, but as it already has been stated in replies There is a need for reform with regard to ESA, ie if you get a tribunal OVERTURN a ( (atos) YEs small people)) descision then SURLEY the next year should be easier if you have the Tribunal letter / result to take ( NOT So i won last Year took letter and hey ho ZERO points awarded this year???), got 21 last year , Yes descriptors have changed for this year , But still qualify for the work related rate , did it count? NO was the answer , Got my MSP involved He agreed it was a waste of Govt money to take it to Tribunal , But hey ho yet again NO response from ESA about it , Tribunal is in August , thats from January this year. could go on but that is just a rant about this Govt, if you want ESA and DLA you need to be a druggie and a threat to yourself and those around you ( its on the forms/ medical assesment ),As to people with Health PROBLEMS ( get back to work) thats the message, ESA and DLA are NO longer for the Sick or Disabled but the dregs of society, free bus passes free money for pets/ all down to their social workers i suppose
YES Thanks to YOU cofdrop for finding this, Says it all,
The GoVT, ( so called ) is willing to spend money hand over fist to cut the ESA / Income Support benifit paid to Sick people,
have any of YOu noticed that even if if you have a double ampute of Your legs and You get Prostectics fitted , YOU DONT qualify???for ESa as You can Walk more than 100mtrs???,
Yet a Druggies Will get it as He/ She is a danger ???( not to mention their Social Worker is on the case), they also get FREE bus transport and extra benefit to support Dogs ( too show that they can take care of something), Yet their children are taken into care???
i was turned down at my appeal for esa, my doctor wont refer me to a specialist for my COPD even though i spend most of my time on antibiotics and steroids, i am constantly tired, i get out of breathe walking upstairs alot of the time, he wouldnt even put copd on my medical certificate, he says i only have it mild, even though i feel so ill all the time. I emailed the PM, had a reply, emailed labour, they never even bothered replying to me at all
We are showing that we may be ill physically but we are strong mentally ( she says with a chest infection so currently a bit weak!!!!!) -
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You are so right, people shouldn't have to fight for DLA, blue badge, or Employment Support Allowance. I was one of the lucky ones, I guess, I was awarded DLA without having to undergo a medical or go to appeal. My gp, community matron, and the local authority benefits adviser were invaluable to me throughout the application process. Without their support and assistance I don't think I would have received the award.
It's not just about COPD
Just discovered i have moderate copd (not mild as i was led to believe). Fev1 is 1.78 and 68% i haven't a clue what this means....
DWP Loses Fight To Stop Claimants Appealing
The hidden fear of having an Invisible illness!
