Hi all, contacted dwp yesterday about pip, they said they contacted atos beginning Feb.

[KarenC]

Rang them they said I am in a Que and will be delt with when my case comes up on their computer. Do they not realise the stress they cause which just makes us feel even worse. Have you any advise where I can go from here.

[misty14]

Hi KarenC

It's shocking the way that the DWP is delaying benefit decisions but they've been told to by the Government. Also delays will occur because the contract for this work will be undertaken by a new company sometime in the future. All you can do is wait for the decision and if your not happy with it go to your local Citizen's Advice Bureau who will advise you what you can do.

Good LuckX

[farmerfester in reply to misty14]

Hi I'm in the same position with pip also waiting on appeal tribunal for esa I had

C A B helping with both but I think the people that helped me were not all that good they were not very familiar with either pip or esa I have the local welfare rights team from the council helping with my appeal for esa hope all goes well for you if you get your pip it will be back dated to when you applied g

[Silvergilt]

This is the shambles many have been warning about. Unfortunately. CAB is Aldo being cut and if you aren't well enough to go to their location you may be out of luck. You may wasn't to look up Benefits and Work site which has a lot of information. I would also consider talking to your MP and getting them involved. The sad reality is PIP is a mess and greatly delayed. Hang in there!

[kulie13]

The DWP, Atos and Capita (the other company who do assessments in some parts of the country) have all publicly acknowledged that there are serious delays in the assessment process - a typical 6 month wait is, sadly, to be expected (and even 9 months is not unheard of). There really isn't anything you can do to speed it up unless you think you have exceptional reasons to be bumped up the queue - and it would have to be truly exceptional, bearing in mind this is a benefit for disabled and vulnerable people, so everyone is in the same boat. In response to the general outcry about this shambles, the government has agreed to stop the national roll-out whereby anyone due for a DLA renewal automatically has to claim PIP (apart from those lucky areas that were at the start of this process, such as Norfolk where I live); they said this will give them a chance to get the situation under control. This isn't so bad for anyone who is already on DLA, as payments of DLA will continue until a PIP decision is made, but it is awful for anyone who is newly disabled or ill, causing terrible financial hardship if extra costs are being incurred. Anyone who is in this situation should contact their MP, and also try and make a case for Atos or Capita giving them an earlier appointment if debts are mounting up. By the way, I wouldn't blame CAB staff - CAB lost their contract to give welfare rights advice when all the cuts were made in legal aid, so most of their highly qualified experts were made redundant, and the ones who are left are doing their best and may well be volunteers. Ask around locally - someone in an advice agency will know who your local experts are, plus there are some good websites.

[kazp]

Its disgusting how those that need the support of the welfare state systems are being treated, the worry and anxiety often causes more pain when then makes the under-lying problems awful and so much harder to cope with.

From what Ive heard all the people that are carrying out these assessments have a very long back log and due to the shambles of the ESA debacle they have been slated many times.

They dont care its not them thats waiting, worrying, panicing etc

[MrsMouseSJ]

Hi. I waited 9 months longer than I should have done to be given an ATOS work capability assessment (WCA). Initially I spoke to ATOS by phone but, even after several calls over several months, no WCA date was forthcoming. So I contacted my MP - he wrote to ATOS (and also raised my experience (anonymously) in a debate in the House of Commons which apparently contained many similar stories). Anyhow, ATOS wrote him a formulaic response ('we are very sorry.... experiencing delays.... etc, etc') but precisely a week later a letter dropped onto my mat with a WCA date. So might be worth approaching your own MP. If you don't know who yours is, stick your postcode in, at this link:

findyourmp.parliament.uk/

[KarenC]

Thank you all, will contact cab see if they can help. My. Husband is working all the hours he can so we can make ends meet he's going to be ill soon if he keeps on.

[onamission]

I put in a claim for ESA and it was sent to Atos on the 24- 6-13 and they are waiting for a Doctor so I can have work assessment my condition COPD stage 4 will never improve it will only get worse I can not understand why Atos Doctors don't know this.

I contacted my MP but it was no use he is labour and it was the labour party who set up Atos even though only 1% of people were claiming disability were fraud. I even wrote a letter to the minister for disabled but he was inundated with letters so he asked DWP to reply to me.

The system should of never been changed Atos should never be took on this exercise has cost the tax payer a fortune GP's are spending hours writing sick notes its a mess.

I have also put in a claim for PIP I did that May 14 so we will see I did get a agency to help me fill in the forms hope you get sorted soon.

[ny209769b]

I did an interview with sky news last week go on the internet and type fiasco disabilities and benefits x