Can an endocrinologist authorise ESA?

[cc120]

GP has no understanding of how debilitating hypothyroidism can be, but finally referred me to endocrinologist. Does an endocrinologist have the authority to be able to have you claim ESA?

[Clutter]

CC, It's DWP who authorise ESA claims after the GP has signed you off as unfit for work. DWP will send you an ESA claim form to complete. You should attach any medical documents which may help your claim.

DWP contact GPs and specialists' if required to substantiate claims and decide whether the claimant is to be placed in the Work Related Activity Group or the Support Group.

[cc120 in reply to Clutter]

Hi Clutter, thank you, so it has to be the GP who signs you off, what if the specialist recommends to GP that he/she signs you off?

[Clutter in reply to cc120]

CC, hopefully the GP will take the specialist's advice. Not much point in referring you if the advice is ignored.

[cc120 in reply to Clutter]

Hi Clutter, that sounds hopeful, now just need to convince endocrinologist : ).

[cc120 in reply to cc120]

Would you know that when you are signed off and awaiting ESA benefits, what benefits if any, you will be receiving?

[cc120 in reply to Clutter]

Hi Clutter, When placed on ESA is this for a period, or indefinitely?

[Clutter in reply to cc120]

CC, I imagine it is for a period of time with periodic assessment/re-evaluation. It may be indefinite for those with degenerative illnesses which aren't expected to improve.

[cc120 in reply to Clutter]

Hi Clutter, thank you.

[cc120]

Hi potnoodle, thank you very much for such helpful information. I take it that the GP has to sign you off first before you can proceed with ESA, despite consultant's letters?

[cc120]

Would you know that when you are signed off and awaiting ESA benefits, what benefits if any, you will be receiving?

[Glynisrose]

No, your form and assessment will go to a non-medical person who mostly throws out all the medical evidence at ATOS. I have to go on Monday even though I turned 61 1/2 in July (62 in January and over the 'working age'). I understand they are 5 months behind with assessments.

[cc120 in reply to Glynisrose]

Thank you Glynisrose. Ridiculous that they increased pension age for women, surely they should have reduced pension age for men to 60 as well, give all the people who would like to retire at 60 a chance to, and give youngsters opportunities. But why would they throw out medical evidence, what do they base the judgement on in that case?

So what benefit are people on who are signed off and awaiting decision for ESA?

[Glynisrose]

It was never going to happen with this greedy bunch in power. They want to bring back the days when people worked till they dropped.

[cc120 in reply to Glynisrose]

Like the horse in 'Animal Farm'. Surely when people retire others can take their places and pay the tax.

[cc120 in reply to Glynisrose]

When placed on ESA is it for a period of time, or indefinitely?

[cc120 in reply to Glynisrose]

Hi Glynisrose, When placed on ESA is this for a period, or indefinitely?

[jellynpain]

When you apply for ESA your checked if fit the criteria to claim. If so they write & tell you you will get assessment perilod benefit, or until your assessed.

You should be assessed within 13 weeks but rare as run behind. Mine was near 10 months!

Lots to read about so you can understand it.

Gp fit note needs to state tick 'not fit to work' & make sure without 'unless' things like adjustments etc as kind of means parshally fit.

Good luck.x

[fiona61 in reply to jellynpain]

Hi just a word of advice bout the ESA asssessment. Get help from CAB or similar. They will fill your forms for you giving you the best chance of getting a posituve outcome. I filled out the forms as honestly as i could and messed myself up. I was found suitable for work and had to wait for almost a year for tribunal hearing which I won. If you get refused dont panic like I did just put in an appeal with CAB help and the bdnefits are reinstated till the hearing.Its a long process but worth it if youre feeling so unwell

[cc120 in reply to fiona61]

Hi fiona61, thank you very much. Potnoodle, earlier in this thread recommended benefitsandwork.co.uk/ to help with ESA assessment forms. The suitable work they found you, was it part-time at least and not too physical?

[Glynisrose in reply to fiona61]

I am lucky, my best friend is an OT (occupational therapist) and filled in my form for me, asking me questions etc.

[cc120 in reply to jellynpain]

Hi jellynpain, thank you for this useful information. So is the assessment period benefit, a similar amount to JSA?

[Hidden in reply to cc120]

Yes its 72.50 a week, same as JSA. That's until you are placed in whichever group WRAC (work related activity group) or Support Group. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a indefinite period of ESA, unless people qualify for the special rules which means expected to die within 6 months. As for the assessment period, it supposed to take 13 weeks, though from my experience in previous roles as a Welfare Benefits specialist at CAB and other welfare right organisations is often takes much longer. I am also now on ESA and have not had a work capability assessment yet. I completed an ESA50 weeks ago. The process takes much longer than its supposed to. If you can get a letter from an Endo, it may help with your claim, however, they can cost a lot some charge around 150-200 and when I was in work we had funding to write to Specialists, consultants & GP's ect. If you go to your local CAB, or contact the Welfare Rights Service at your local council or some other organisation in the area who does the same, they can act on your behalf - fill in all your forms, write to your health team (if they have funding for this - not all organisations have funding for this), they will also do an income max to see if you can get PIP (replaced DLA), Housing Benefit, Council Tax, Tax Credits etc. They can also help with all your reconsiderations and appeals if things go that far, and also provide tribunal representation at your appeal, or if they cant attend, they can do a written submission. I used to do all this in work. Also, the DWP can write directly to your healthcare team for a EMP report. If they write to your gp, your gp will contact you and ask you in for an appointment and you can discuss it with him/her.

[cc120 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Pinkgirl10, are the work related activity groups mandatory? I see that Support Groups are for the most unfit/unable to work. Doesn't the consultant write to the GP, and can this be used as evidence?

Would the benefitsandwork.co.uk be able to help in the same way as CAB or Welfare Rights Service?

[Hidden in reply to cc120]

The DWP will decide which group to place you in, however, if you feel that your condition (the way it effects you) is severe enough, you can appeal being placed in the WRAG if you feel that you should have been placed in the support group. However, if you are placed in the WRAG and condition worsens then you can ask for a supersession to try and get into the support group.

If the consultant writes to your GP, yes it can be used as evidence - gp will probable charge. I know that when I was in work, if we wrote to a gp, they would send the persons full medical history on a CD for £50. It may have gone up, and also we needed IT to change the programme to one that we could open. I am not IT minded lol, but benefits queries, I am better at

The benefitsandwork.co.uk site is good, I used it in work. Also, which may be helpful - if you have access to a library, the books we used in work are:

The CPAG handbook for welfare benefits and tax credits 2014/15

Disability Rights Handbook 2014/15. I don't know what the libraries are like in your area, though I know that I could get them from a city library, or maybe your local library could loan them from another library - though there may be a charge for that:-(. The books are great, they will give details about all the benefit rates, the rules, the overlapping benefits, the appeals process, the work capability assessment - loads of helpful info. If you cant get hold of the books, they are really expensive to buy, so would advise to go to CAB etc.

Another thing that may be useful is keep a diary or notes of how your condition is affecting you. Also, if you can get hold of the ESA descriptors and the scoring - have a look at which ones apply to you and maybe build up a score from there - gives you an idea of where you are - to qualify - need 15 points. Also descriptors help when filling in the ESA50 - limited capability for work questionnaire.

For example - if fatigue affect you greatly - that can count for mobility points. Mobility is not just about whether someone can walk 50 meters ect. If someone has ME/CFS their ability to walk for whatever proportion of the day is affected by x amount of hours per day, this would count for mobility points. Watch how the form is worded.

Hope this helps x

[cc120 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Pinkgirl10, thank you so much for this information. Point taken re: fatigue and mobility points. I will certainly start a diary of how conditions is affecting me and should have already been doing this. I'm having a problem understanding the difference between PIP and ESA.

[Hidden in reply to cc120]

ESA and PIP are both disability benefits. The can be claimed separately or both together. The criteria is kinda different. ESA looks at descriptors and if a person meets the descriptors they will be awarded. ESA 2014/15 descriptors can be found online. With PIP the criteria is harsher than DLA and PIP has two levels for mobility component and now two for the daily living part. There is a standard rate and an enhanced rate. With mobility the standard can apply to those with mental health conditions, wheras the enhanced rate looks at the persons mobility. With the daily living, same it has two rates, standard and enhanced, and depends on how much care a person needs to carry out activities in their daily life. Things like gardening and cleaning are not awarded, however is someone needs meals prepared for them, or help with personal care tasks, other things such as budgeting and managing money. It be worth having a look at PIP criteria also to see if you meet some of that. Also things apply when someone takes much longer to do a task - for example if someone has OCD, then their journey may take several hours over a short distance - they may check the front door is locked several times before they move away from house, they may get to bus stop - bus arrives, too many people on it -the wait for next one, and next ect. Or with CFS how long does it take one to get ready for work in a morning, does the effort make them exhausted and leave them needing bed rest, could they get through a full day or even a half day at work. Be realistic and open and honest about condition so decision-makers get the full picture. If you cant relate to descriptor, use the other info box at end to explain how condition affects you. This is useful for people who have for example PKU, where the condition has a massive impact but they cant link to descriptors.

[cc120 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Pinkgirl10, thank you so much for taking such an effort to answer my questions, and on Christmas Eve too : )

[Hidden in reply to cc120]

That's ok, your welcome

Merry Christmas, have a fab one x

[cc120 in reply to Hidden]

And a very Merry Christmas and Healthy and prosperous New Year to you Pinkgirl10.

youtu.be/RR6xGufBzbU(Not working as expected?)

[Hidden in reply to cc120]

That was lovely.

Thank you

[cc120 in reply to Hidden]

Sweet of you to say : )

[cc120 in reply to jellynpain]

Hi jellynpain, when placed on ESA is this for a period, or indefinitely?

[fiona61]

Hi cc120

They havent found me any work to do. I am still in the work related activity group and have been for the past year. I have told them I am too ill to work so all they do is phone me each month to see how Im progressing.I refuse to go to the office as its in the city centre and I find it too tiring. They have not put me under pressure to work up to now but I have had to be very firm with them.

[cc120 in reply to fiona61]

Thank you Fiona, what does the work related activity group entail. I believe they have cranked up the pressure for people to work all round. When placed on ESA is this for a period, or indefinitely?

[cc120]

Hi potnoodle, When placed on ESA is this for a period, or indefinitely?

[Glynisrose in reply to cc120]

ESA runs for 1 year only, what happens after that I have no idea. ATOS are currently running approximately 5 months behind schedule. I went for my assessment on Monday but the nurse refused to do it because I wouldn't sign a form I couldn't read properly and was not filled in.

[cc120 in reply to Glynisrose]

Can you find out the name or ref of the form to research it. You could have asked for a copy to read at home. Did she explain why it wasn't completed before you had to sign it? Please see other replies in this post regarding length of time of ESA, it can vary depending on condition, etc.

[cc120]

When placed on ESA is this for a period, or indefinitely?

[fiona61]

Hi Catherine Im not sure if anyone gets ESA indefinately but when i won my tribunal the courts advised that I be reassessed in one year but thats not happened yet and should have been due in June. I did however get awarded pip a few months ago and that was awarded for 10years.( I dont have a diagnosis of hypothyroid but chronic fatigue syndrome). Im still not sure about the work related group as have been so brain fogged but as far as I can gather it is for pdople who will be able to work at some point in the future . They can help with training courses and helping you return to work. Apparantly they cant force you to apply for jobs.or force you to do anything you feel you cant do. I have found them to be ok but its still not a nice position to be in when you feel so ill. The good thing is once you have been awarded the ESA then you dont need to provide sick notes anymore. It took me 1 year from assessment to finally winnning the tribunal.

[cc120 in reply to fiona61]

Hi Fiona, that's all very helpful. I might be diagnosed with hypothyroidism by consulting at Jan 2 appt, but will have to wait and see. I'm having problems understanding the difference between ESA and PIP?

[fiona61]

Hi Catherine hope you get your diagnosis in Jan. I had to make do with diagnosis of chronic fatigue as blood results normal despite loads of symptoms of hypothyroid. I am quite happy with that as it got me support at the hospital and they were able to write the letters i needed to support my claims.

Hope you are successful with your ESA claim.

Happy Christmas

[cc120 in reply to fiona61]

What was your TSH and FT4? And were iron, b12 and vit D3 in the high ranges?

[fiona61]

My TSH was 3.2 and dont know what T4 was and I havent had the iron,b12 and d3 done yet. It took me 8 years to get the chronic fatigue diagnosis . One doctor thought i was hypo from my symptoms but then decided it was depression because myblood results were normal. I also tried to tell them about the adenal problem but was fobbed off. Its noteasy to fight when you are feeling so ill. Have decided to try another doctor and get these blood tests taken. Would get them done privatelyif I could afford it have no faith in my doctors at all now Not been for about 6 months so will try again in the new year.

[cc120 in reply to fiona61]

Hi Fiona, so right that it's impossible to fight whilst you are so very tired. My fatigue began approx 7 years ago and when tested my TSH was 4 (rose to 7 following year and 8, last year). I'm pretty sure my adrenals were already in a terrible state judging from what I have learned since. A good site for adrenals is: drlam.com/articles/adrenal_...

Luckily and from the advice of people on here, I had tested B12, folate, Iron and though within range, were low, so attempted to increase before starting NDT, using B12 injections from Germany (very reasonabely priced). When tested again after taking NDT for approx 5 months: TSH under 1, T4 rose from 12 to 21, T3 the laboratory refused to test, B12 over, folate OK, ferritin over double range, and iron from 12 to 9. Iron low, ferritin high can indicate inflammation, CRP test (marker for inflammation) was 4MG (0-5MG). Which is within range but discovered that over 3MG can effect T4 to T3 conversion. I explained to GP that though there had been some improvement, I am not feeling the improvement that the increase of T4 21 should signify and can my T3 be tested. She said that the laboratory will refuse. I then told her, I will just start taking T3 in that case. At this point, I asked to be referred to an endocrinologist (find on Louise's (administrator) list) and she did so. Got sent an appt for the wrong endo first, and rang the one I wanted secretary and after (supposedly) running in past Dr G C, I was sent another appt with him Jan 2. Strangely I also got a letter from GP saying lab has now agreed to test T3. Have been to UCH for my blood test in preparation for consultant. Testing for TFT, LPF, Thyroid antibodies (previous negative), FT3, Liver Function Test, FBC, ESR, Blood sugar test, Bone, Cortisol.

[fiona61]

I really will have to get the b12,folate and ferratin done but putting it off as hate the appointment system at my surgery .We have to ring before1pm and a doctor rings you back. There is no choice which doctor rings back and I dont want to discuss my health with most of them but think will have to bear with it to get the blood tests done.I have totally lost faith in doctors after the fight to get a diagnosis (and the wrong one at that). I have looked at the list of endo's but none in my area. Do you know if a referral can be made out if the area. Could just do with a correct diagnosis so I can get free prescriptions but the I suppose that would mean another fight as thyroxine doesnt do anything for me and would need T3. I think the labs here only test T3 if the TSH is low. I had a thyroid function test 5 months ago as my neck was swollen .My TSH came back at 0.05 so they tested T3 which was 9. The doctor on the phone tried to diagnose me with hyperthyroidism and asked me to come in after scan. I didnt get the scan done as my neck returned to normal after I stopped the T3. I never went back and they havent been in touch with me. Wil have to admit to self medicating and dont really want to as didnt get a good response when i said I had adrenal fatigue.

Not long for you to wait now for your appointment- I hope it goes very well for you.

[cc120 in reply to fiona61]

Hi Fiona, so do you think you have hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism? My GP explained to me that I can only be referred to local specialists. Luckily UCH where the one I wanted is near me. For the b12, etc tests, I don't see why you would have to explain much, just say fatigue for x years and you have read that these should be checked out. I'm surprised you have fatigue if T3 is 9, hopefully others can advise as I'm not very knowledgeable, perhaps you can post this? If you mean T3 was 9 after self-medicating with T3, then perhaps to lower the dose? I'm stressed about preparing for the consultant, being sure I have my list of symptoms, medication, etc, so easy to blow these things, at least there is a chance it will go well being one of the recommended endos.

[fiona61]

I was on T3 at the time but realise now I was takng too much.I had a clear head at the time but apart from that was still very hypo. Yes agree there is no reason not to ask for the blood tests. I think when I am brain fogged everything seems too difficult.

Try not to worry about your appointment with the endo You should be ok if youve got everything written down after all he is on the recommended list.

Let me know how you get on