D.L.A.

[Bill1959]

After 6months waiting for an appeal to take place . I,was awarded £20.65 per week .it made me feel so proud after working for 36 years with out taking any time off work this is what they give you . I understand all about Government cut back but this just takes the biscuit .so after going 6 months with no benefits what so ever . I took the opportunity to tell the 3people assessing me to stuff there £20.65 what a bloody cheek it's not my faults I am Ill . Plus There needs seemed greater than mine . So hope they can find a good use for the money probably pay for the biscuits for the tea . And hope they choke on them as well . Moan over Bye for now

[DevonLottie]

Hi Bill, Having just had my appeal turned down I'm with you... like to see them live just one day with what we deal with every day grrrrrr

[rubysue]

Sorry about that Bill can understand how you feel. Have you thought about donating the award to vasculitis charity you may well then get some benefit eventually from all your contributions.

Take care Rubysue.

[Albasain]

I suggest very strongly that you access the benefits and work website,< benefits and work.co.uk.> This site is dedicated to help you get the benefits you are rightly entitled to. Their advice is invaluable and has helped many in getting their benefit against the deprivations imposed by IDS through the assessors ATOS.

[Albasain in reply to Albasain]

Whoops, meant benefitsandwork.co.uk

[Bill1959]

Hi thanks for your comments find them very encouraging . Albasain when I had my appeal I had representation from the Benifits agency . To put it politely I would have been better represented by Michel Jacksons Monkey Bubbles . He sat i that appeal for nearly 90minutes and hardly uttered one word . To say I felt like a bigger would be right . My wife came with me for moral support . She broke down in the meeting as she could not be leave what was going on . She is now on antidepressant medication . That's when I told them to stuff there benefit . I did try to explain a bit about Vasculitis but they would not listen . But the good thing about the out come I will never need to go back YES so I may be skintight but I am happy

[Tippon]

Albasain: That's a great link, thanks

Bill: I'm convinced that the whole process is designed to make ill people get overstressed and give up. When I applied for DLA, I could barely walk 20 yards. The forms got sent back on multiple occasions saying that I had been denied any help because I could walk more than 50 yards. They then refused to return any phonecalls, or reply to the point when it was raised in letters.

[Albasain]

I'm sorry to hear of your predicament. I think from your comment that you accessed the wrong agency.The only assessors for DLA ,now PIP, is by ATOS and CAPITA. These have been engaged by the DWP to assess claimants as to disability benefits. The former is a French company whose record is abysmal in assessing people with disabilities, Capita, in contrast, is marginally better. It is the current policy by the Go'v't enacted by the minister, Ian Duncan Smith, which has driven this campaign.

The benefitsandwork.co.uk site is independent of the governments campaign to reduce benefit claims, and their advice is most valuable, especially in appealing decisions made. Most assessors are NOT medically qualified and have no knowledge of Vasculitis in p articular its various forms nor of its effects on the person being assessed as to their medical needs, their care needs, their mobility needs. They only read from a script, a tick box questioner. If you fit you are in, if not you are damned!

So far most have been damned!

Only to recover by appealing using the advice from the Benefits and Works site.

But please be aware that the questionnaire used by the DWP contains tricks to stop you getting the benefits you need.