has anyone else been told they were awarded 0 points at an atos medical?

[tyra]

I've just got off the phone with a pleasant chap from the benefits office, who needed more information about my conditions (fibro & ptsd) as i'd been awarded 0 points at my medical in august. Personally i felt like asking him if the lady who did my medical was ignorant to the fact that i use a walking stick, could lift one leg about 1 inch off the bed and the other i couldn't lift at all. Apparantly because both my conditions fluctuate it makes it harder for me to be assessed. They don't take into account that if you live on your own you have no choice but to do things like go out on your own from time to time even though you know that you will suffer for at least 24hrs afterwards. He also told me that he had no record that i was under a psychiatrist and that my own gp has confirmed the diagnosis but had not told them about how the two conditions affect me. I know they have a job to do in stopping those who put in false claims but why do the rest of us have to pay the price. Sorry for venting but i'm fuming at the mo

[sings4him]

Yes, i recieved 0 points with an Atos medical, but i appealed it and got 15 points, enough for me to get ESA in the support group, don't give up, appeal the decision.

[tyra in reply to sings4him]

Thanks sings, nice to know i'm not the only one, the decision maker is going to get more info then make his decision, if necessary i will appeal, i've been through the process before

[realsorelady]

I got 0 points and was basically called a liar, I wouldnt mind but they even put someone elses name at the bottom of the report. They stopped my money and I had to get a loan, for food etc and I had to pay this back, plus I had to take a drop in my money. I have been getting messed about since I went off work nearly five years ago!

[tyra in reply to realsorelady]

if it stays at 0 or less than the points need to qualify i'll just put in an appeal again this will be the 2nd time in 3 years, i won my previous appeal in aug last year after 11 months on just over £50 a week, so i feel for what you have had to go through too, its an unfair system.

[LindseyMid]

It's not uncommon sadly. The WCA has come in for a huge amount of criticism.

If you haven't already got them, email [e-mail] and we can send out the guides from Benefits & Work for free.

[tyra in reply to LindseyMid]

Hi Lindsey, thanks, i'm lucky in that i have a support worker who helps fill out forms and things for benefits and between us we have the guides. She told me this morning that almost everyone in my area that she and her colleagues deal with have also been awarded 0 points. So while i'm waiting for a final decision there will be letters going off to the relevant people.

[fibro]

I have just written on another thread about the way GPs treat people so differently from one GP to another, my guess is that their same is happening with the WCA. How do you know if you were seen by someone dong the assessment, the five minutes later someone different doing the assessment, that the results wouldn't be completely different.

As patients/Claimants or whatever, we have no way of knowing or the ability to challenge them. I don't understand why after all this time when the government can see for themselves that so many claims are going to appeal and more often than not winning, that something must be wrong with their system.

this is just my personal opinion, but they should have left the system how it was, decisions made locally where the staff could meet the claimants and just employ more fraud staff to check up on those like you say tyra, to stop the ones who shouldn't be making false claims.

just think of the money the government could have saved in paying to ATOS, and wasting on all the unnecessary appeals! xx

[tyra in reply to fibro]

i won my last appeal with 11 months back pay, fortunately i have help and support in place already should i have to go through it all again. The old system was fairer and it seemed to me at least a little more personal now its just a balance the books and numbers game. I suppose the important thing is to not get stressed about it easier said than done i know, its bad enough to have two conditions that both cause depression without having any extra stress.. so should i win just think of the money they will have saved up for me Its nice to have extra support on here when you have a very limited support network in real life. Thanks for the reply and take care x