ESA work group / support group ? I'm confused :-(

[Bearess]

Morning all - I hope you're well

I've just had a massive form arrive from dwp

My ESA contribution based ends on 17th of this month - I'm in work related group - I've heard I should be in the support group and claiming ESA income related and that my weekly money of £105 (which I had to fight to get for 6 months) will be reduced to £64 !!! And it takes 4 months to sort it all out - what am I going to do until then ?

I've just been awarded council tax benefit 5weeks ago - I don't get housing benefit as I own my home, I paid off the mortgage when I was well enough to work

I'm so upset and confused

This was the last thing I needed

[Julie63]

Sorry to hear you're having probs getting the money you deserve, but not surprised. Seems we have to fight for every penny & prove that we are actually ill before they give us anything! I was put into the WRAG at first, but I appealed & last month I won my Tribunal.

They ask you specific questions about the stressors section on the atos form - numbered one to thirteen. I clinched it when I said to number thirteen, that I'd almost pushed a door into my manager as I couldn't get her to understand what I was trying to say - there was a lot of problems with management over how much time I had off being ill, then for all the appointments I needed, so they got in touch with HR to get me out.

Anyways, I said that this proved how my mental state was not good for working & that I also couldn't cope with being phoned up to see if I was looking for work like I would have been in the WRAG & I said that firstly I would have to ask them to speak slowly & to repeat themselves as I have hearing problems as well as fibro fog & I would also get stressed as they were asking me to go into work situations & look for work.

On my form I was given for why my Appeal was allowed, there was one sentence that made me think that they'd actually started believing that fibro is a disability in itself - the sentence about why they'd allowed it was, 'Mrs Julie Sxxxxx has Fibromyalgia.

I'd get in touch with CAB or someone at the Jobcentre - the person I was sent to to discuss the WRAG was so helpful - it was he who told me to appeal.

Good luck & gentle hugs,

Julie xxx