From a head injury in a motor accident in 2002 I have motivation issues that causes me to get angry when I am pushed. It has stopped me working but we struggle off the benefits.
They had me in the work group of ESA on telephone interviews every six months. I feel that I was in the wrong group. They harassed me dreadfully over constant interviews and assessments.
When I last spoke to them on the telephone interview I asked them why they keep phoning me up. I told them I should not have to keep explaining why I cannot work or what I am doing to make myself well enough to work. My doctor says the inquiry probably cannot be fixed. I feel like a person who has no legs being asked what he is doing to be able to walk across the road.
They asked if I wanted to speak to them and I said no. They then did away with telephone interviews and said I had to attend a face to face meeting. I went but it did not go well. I got angry and walked out. The two security guards took position behind the staff and they were laughing at me whilst I was arguing with the staffs. I reported them to police for disability harassment. They lied and said I had walked out because I had been found fit for work. They kept the ESA going without sanction after that but six months later came the next interview. I was having hate issues from a neighbour and it put me into hyper alertness and I could not go to the interview. I wrote to them and they responded by saying I did not contact them and they stopped the ESA.
The mandatory reconsideration failed and we had no money. The rent went to 8 weeks in arrears but the Council stepped in and paid it at the last minute. My partner then applied for Income Support with me on the claim and she got it. I can tell you I have appetite issues but the lack of money causes me to have to go without food sometimes. In fact just two weeks ago I went five days without.
I have had enough of it in general. People in Prison are treated better. I decided to take them to court for not making reasonable adjustments under the equality act. When I looked for evidence about my head injury I found this.
I need to stop now as I am getting tired. Migraines triggered yesterday and today the medicine is good (zomig) but it knocks the stuffing out of you and its worse without food. Please look at the link you might find it interesting. Thanks
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Wiltshire
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Totally empathise with the telephone hassles Wilts', sounds like your being treated very unfairly, extremely annoying and exasperating, both of which you can do without leading to stress as we all know here, I found the link interesting, suffering greatly with motivation at the mo', nice to find it has a name, now I can say I have 'adynamia', sounds better than "cant be arsed", this led to understanding perseveration, which explains why I cant stop cleaning the kitchen sink even though I want to, so thanks for that Wilts', truly wishing you better fortunes mate.
I didn't know it had a name either. I agree, it is nice to know what to call it. I'm still learning how to pronounce it.
It wears me down having to explain this problem to people most days and then while looking in their eyes you can see they just want to say, "not that old Chessnut again!". It's very hard work and very tiring.
I found that it takes time to recover and if there is time to recover then the symptoms seem to ease of. When you are forced to engage with people and your still not right from being pushed before it's hard work. I have to go to bed to rest. Then the Postman will call and probably think that lazy git is still in bed.
I have told my "latest" GP to either support me or going to find another one. I don't think he's a bad GP he just doesn't understand the problem or the cause of it. They are so very busy these days, I think they have around 350 patients each or something.
You might find it hard to believe but my MP who is Claire Perry has written two letters to me. One was signed by her the other was from her office staff. They were basically the same thing. Both said she would not help me and one went a bit further and said that she had and I quote "more deserving people to help than you", she went on to say that if I enter her home the Police would be called and I am banned from her offices.
I was a bit forward to her in my letters. I am more forward following my accident and I got frustrated at her not responding and not helping. By the way she is part of the DWP complaints process and the only person who can refer them to the Ombudsman on my behalf.
This means she has blocked the complaints process and in my view she is guilty of Misconduct in Public Office. I reported her to Wiltshire Police, it didn't get anywhere, she is a friend of the Wiltshire Crime Commissioner.
Thank you. My partners parents have given her some cash to get some so it's OK thanks. I was just trying to make people aware of the situation rather than get people to feel sorry.
I could sell somethings to eat if it were absolutely essential and in fact I had been doing this but the point is I shouldn't have to be short and parents who are old now shouldn't have to be donating in order for us to eat. Also eventually that plan will not work as I will have no property left.
I also have appetite issues and it does not take much to put me off eating even if there is food or money to buy it. A few months ago my partner went to see her parents for a couple of weeks and I had to go shopping to get my son something to eat. It took me two attempts. I just couldn't buy the stuff, it was making me feel unwell the thought of cooking eating it.
If I know the money or food is short it puts me off.
I use a little beer to get me right for eating an evening meal. It really helps.
Well i like to keep it sensible and make sure i never drink more than 12 pints in one day, unless of course its a celebration of some kind in which case we can bend the rules.
In reality I bottle or two at most. Sometimes my friend shares half one bottle so I might have one and half but I don't like any more than that as it causes headaches to trigger.
Do you have a Headway near you? I take someone from Headway for support not only bevause I struggle with new situations and am cognitively slow etc but because they understand how and why we behave as we do. Why dont you appeal against fhe woek group? Headway helped me with this and found a brilliant volunteer adviser who was very experienced and also accompsnied me to the tribunal. I now get ESA and am in the 3rd work group. Headway also went to the tribunal and were very supportive. Guve them call.
Not sure where Headway are and that's great advice thank you. They said to change groups I would need another assessment.
I am not good on these assessments, I can get angry and then have to leave quick before I start ranting. I can't stop the anger feeling coming but I can stop it from showing but that does then make my hyper vigilant for several days. That's why I couldn't face the process. Pushing myself to do it aggravates other things.
They stopped my ESA completely and ended the claim. I appealed and it never got changed. They mistreated me in the face to face interview they made me attend. I feel that they are using the problem I have to their advantage and that only outside intervention will do anything to change it.
The DWP man came out today as promised and he is going to return to re apply me for ESA again next week.
He said if I get a doctors letter they would change the group. I will see what happens next week now. It's all a bit difficult with this motivation thing.
I think your idea is really good and I did not know that Headway helped in that way. I might well follow that up. Thank you very much.
Headway also said that I can get assistance financially from the council (I live in Kent). Headway Arranged an assessment and a social worker came to my house. - I use the buddy system Headway have so someone was with me for the appointment and were able to speak for me to explain my problems and how my local group can help me. I am lucky in that my local group haved their own building where we can go nearly every day of the week and they arrange therapy sessions such as how to manage fatigue, life skills, pottery and word games. They charge for this tho and I couldn't do it without the financial help I get from KCC to help my rehabilitation. It may worth contacting Headway main telephone help to see if there is such a place near to you. I know some people travel quite a way to get to my local one. Headway drop in centres will also be able to give you this kind of advice and find you the help and support you need. Hope this really gets you the support you so desperately need.
After being visited by the DWP I update the comments.
The guy came out and said both my X Partner and me could claim separately. He said I could claim ESA but they only recently stopped it because I failed to attend the interview. I was unwell and wrote to them but they refused to accept that they had received the letter. Instead of sanctioning me they stopped the claim entirely and left us to go 8 weeks in rent arrears.
The guy also said that he would change my PIP payments to be paid into my bank rather than my X Partners. He assured me that the payments would continue. They didn’t, they just stopped. When we rand them they again assured me that the payments were now going in within 3 to 5 days. They lied about that. It didn’t happen and when the chap from the DWP who came out telephoned them, they said they had only just released the payment. That was 5 days after they said it would take five days.
In short the DWP are notorious liars and I want people to know and understand that they are not people who can be trusted. I have responded to this by sending the DWP a small claims summons for 10k compensation. After all, people who are claiming Income Support are EXEMPT from court fee’s so there is nothing to lose. Especially with small claims as it is unlikely that in the event of a case being lost that costs are applied.
My advice for anyone else is to do the same. Take out small claims against them because they ignore the law and abuse people. The Equality Act 2010, amendment 2012 demands that service providers make reasonable adjustments to accommodate disability. Our sick and nasty government with its Nazi ideology ignores these laws and they think people are just so plain stupid they won’t ever be held to account. I am not well but that won’t stop them having to explain in open court why they abused me in the Jobcentre and why they are failing to comply with the law.
It’s RIDICULOUS wilts ! Going WITHOUT basic things such as FOODis UNNACEPTIBLE, think of this as NOT an interview to find out how much money your DUE but how much the DWP CAN dock/block you for. Remember that these assessors all work to targets, take a SIGNED DR,S letter which should entitle you to a FULL years ESA PERIOD& don’t lay it on thick , just tell them the truth if your wife or partner wakes you &reminds you to WASH everyday etc take meds or ANYTHING she might be entitled to CARERS ALLOWANCE sounds as if she might be. Hope that EVERYTHING works out for you mate & this kinda stuff ANGERS me tooo even read that peoples are being treated like this in 2018!
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