ESA Appeals Process

[Barbykins]

Following a total fail at the face to face interview (points scored 0 !) I intend to appeal. Do I need a statement or something from my own Doctor ?

[Ebony]

hi, sorry about your esa failure. Please go on the site benefitsandworks.co.uk you can access it from this site. It is all to do with claiming ESA and DLA and appealling if you need to. I had to appeal for my ESA and I used this site and I won. It helps you question by question. a great site !!

[Mel68]

I have had fibromyalgia since I was 16 and am now 44 and feel rotten, Ive just taken VR from a part time admin job for health reasons more than anything and welfare rights advised me to apply for esa and dla! so am going to try as have terrible pain , flare ups, depression anxiety and chronic fatigue - the whole purpose is exhausting so am applying on line but have to do little by little. I am registered disabled with a parking badge but never knew I was entitled to claim? so I feel it is my right so will try as feel terrible right now...

[Mel68]

Ive been told to put down how I feel on my worst days! so do that. Gd luck

[Hidden]

yes i have just been awarded a blue badge 3 weeks ago and have called my local DIAL up and got an appointment with one of their advisors on 21 st May to apply for DLA everyone kept saying apply so had GP appointment last week and thought that i would approach the subject with her i did and she said i should apply so will see what happens the worst they can say is no and then i will reapply, but i have been told to fill out thre form truthfully but on your worst day so that is how i am going to approach it love to you and good luck diddle x

[MissKittycat]

Hi just to add what the others wrote - I went to appeal, then tribunal. I did eventually win, but did it with the use of the manual they actually use to score you. I will post a link below this, it is a long file, about 161 pages, but if you go to the index on page 6, it basically tells you what they are looking for, and how they score you. It is worth plowing through! But bear in mind how your condition affects you - and make sure you use your worst day as a normal day!

If I can help with anything, please let me know.

Gentle hugs... Tracy xxxx

[MissKittycat]

dwp.gov.uk/docs/wca-handboo...

When you are looking at the index, if you run your curser over a certain subject and click on it - it takes you right to the section instead of having to scroll down to it - saves a bit of time!

Hope this helps xxx

[barnsleysar]

I failed my medical in november and appealed straight away.

i wrote a 4 page account on what i am like on a bad day and sent in my last 4 letters from my rheumatology appointments and also have sent in med notes from my gp. (i have a very understanding gp as he has fibro too and when i ask for my note all he says is how long and what symptoms do you want me to write!)

the guy who did my medical was a community nurse and knew absolutely jot all about my conditions (i have ankylosis spondylosis, cta and a crumbling spine as well as fm) i had to explain what my epi pen was for as he didnt know what it was

upto now i am still waiting to hear the decision and have been told that due to the amount of people failing and appealing (one worker at dwp told me that everyone was being failed at the medical stage so they could see that the more genuine cases were being appealed and who just gave up and signed on!!) been told today that the average waiting time for a tribunal is 35 weeks

[panda60]

I have been on IB for ten years, never asked to attend a medical, and thought I might be left alone as am 60 next month but have had to fill in the dreaded form as I won't be of retirement age until 62. I only caught a bit of it on LBC this morning but there was a discussion about the assessment and a couple of people commenting on what a joke the whole thing is. And also one man pointed out that he has in fact tried to apply for work he may be able to do but no-one wants to know because he is 55.

Filling in the form worsened the FM because of the stress of trying to answer their stupid questions and having to put down all that I suffer from when I try not to think about it.

Does anyone have any idea how long it takes to hear back from ATOS once you've sent the form off?

[Barbykins in reply to panda60]

Went to medical on 2nd of March. Received "fail" letter on the 29th March. Benefit stopped 20th March.

[barnsleysar in reply to panda60]

i sent my form in on 19th sept, had medical on 6th november. phonecall on sunday 11th december ( i thought it was a prank call at first but the lady on phone told me that they now had overtime at weekends because there were so many people being failed) money reduced to esa assessment rate from 28th dec and now awaiting redecision/tribunal hope this gives you an idea. the timeframe is approx 12 weeks with day 1 being the first phonecall to say that a form will be sent out upto end of week 12 when they change you to esa or assessment rate xxx

[deeplydippy]

i failed my medical for esa and was refused DLA i appealed and was still turned down im at my wits end im in loads of pain everyday and struggle to walk feel like ive got no help some days my fibro / ME is so bad i struggle to get out of bed