Ihave been on incapacity benefit for ... - Fibromyalgia Acti...
Ihave been on incapacity benefit for 15 years now on ESA but have been sent medical form, if i loose my benefit will i get job seekers
If you fail the ATOS medical, you can sign on as normal, if you think you are fit for work. Or you can appeal against the decision, assuming you do not get the points needed ie. But you never know, they will probably stick you in WRAG without a medical to start with.
Hi
I have heard on goo authority that if you are transferring from Incapacity, rather than making a new claim for ESA you have a greater chance of being put in either support or Wrag without needing a medical. However that is not always the case. The trick is to put as much information and evidence into your ESA claim as possible, thus allowing Atos to make a decision without needing to call you in for an assessment.
If you fail altogether then you can claim Job Seekers Allowance or decide to appeal the decision. Hope that helps.
What does WRAG stand for please? IT's all new to me.
Hi
On ESA you have 2 categories, WRAG is known as the work related activity group and the vast majority of claimants will get put into this group, it means that although you are considered too ill to work right now you might be able to make a return to work in the future (well that's what Atos thinks, you will disagree most likely). In WRAG you will be expected to undertake work related activities like attending interviews, workshops etc to help you prepare for a return to work.
For the more severely disabled they get put in the support group where no such activity is expected but you can volunteer for it if you wish, you might well get a bit more money in the support group.
The other scenario is that you will be found fit for work now and will lose any sickness and disability benefits and they will put you on jobseekers allowance. But Atos cannot find you fit for work unless they call you in for a medical.
My advice is too fill out the form as accurately and fully as you can, include as much detail about how your illness affects you, what medication you take, what you can and cannot do on a typical day and try and include any medical letters or evidence that you can.
If you live with someone or have a close friend or relative you can get them to write about the difficulties you face and how your life is affected by your illness. If you have a sympathetic GP or specialist they might be prepared to write a letter confirming your illness and your disabilities.
Take your time, it is a big form, I jotted down everything in rough and kept a notepad nearby as you often think of others things to include but remember you only have 4 weeks to fill it in and send it back. I always advise sending it back via recorded delivery and keep a copy and if you do get called into a medical take your copy and try and arrange to have someone with you and if possible ask for it to be recorded so no "mistakes" will happen.
There can be a long delay between sending off the form and being called in for a medical, or they might decide on the basis of the form and you may not need a medical, another good reason to be as informative as you can. I waited 5 months.
I was also on Incapacity for several years and migrated across to ESA in February 2013, I have been very lucky and was put in the support group without needing a medical. Good luck and I will try and help if you have questions.
hi i am new to all this diaignosed in 2012 with fibro but plus psoratic arthritis,just made my claim for esa 3 wks ago have recieved two payments but no questionaire yet when can i expect to recieve it and when you say you were put straight into support group,can you tell me is it fibro you have or other conditions as well ? i am on morphine,pregabain,and methotrexate does it matter what medication you are on to these atos people,i see my gp,rhumatologist,clinical nurse,dermatologist and today been to the pain clinic and have now been put into the pain referral programme,but that wont start till the end of the year they tell me,do atos look at these health proffesionals you see when they decide,i am getting quite worried about a medical as i get such fibro fog and forget everything and get so mixed up when im questioned,fibro has robbed me of the once confident person i was,i was expecting to be sent the esa questionaire straight away is this the case normally how long can i expect to wait before i recieve it,any help or advise would be most grateful thank u x
