ESA

Hi Pitman1961 and welcome to MacMillan and the chat group.

I am sorry you are about to have to give up your job because of your health, and appreciate what a minefield the benefit system is when it’s all new to you. 

My initial suggestion to you would be to call the MacMillan Support line to get some advice from the team who deal with benefits advice. The number is in my signature it’s 0800 808 00 00.

Did you have some sort of health assessment before the decision was made to put you in the work related group? My experience of any sort of benefit is with PIP (Personal Independence Payment) because I’m disabled and can no longer work-I’m 63 so should still have a few years to go before retirement, but it’s not possible for me. 

But I do know from my experience that the DWP is looking for as much medical evidence as possible of your inability to work. i obtained this from various medical professionals involved in my care. I have also had experience of challenging a decision made by the DWP when I believed they were wrong in their decision making.

To challenge a decision by the DWP you need to do something called a “mandatory reconsideration” which is basically asking them to look at your case again and review their decision. This process is not for the faint hearted, so you really need to get good advice from the benefits team at Macmillan or Citizens advice/other charity organisations who can help claimants with this sort of stuff. 

It would make a difference for you to get the decision changed, both in terms of the amount of benefit paid and not having to focus on trying to find work which would not be possible for you with your health. 

I was successful in getting the DWP to change their decision, but I do know how hard it is for those of us who are not used to the benefits system to find their way around it. That’s why you’ll need help to deal with this, so I’d encourage you to call the support line today. Good luck, and I hope the decision is changed for you.

Sarah xx

Hi Sarah , thank you so much for your reply . Your advice is very much appreciated . 
I have letters from Occupational Health and also from my consultant at Christies as well as a letter from my employer requesting a meeting due to my in capability to do my job at work . I will go through other letters I have at home and then contact the MacMillan helpline for advice on Monday . 
Apparently my claim form got lost in the post on its way to the DWP and rather than get me to resend a form they did a brief interview over the phone which doesn’t appear to have helped my case . 

Once again , thank you very much xx

Hi Pitman.

Fantastic advice from Sarah, but as she also suggested to me, it's a good idea to send any further correspondence by registered post/recorded delivery, then you can be confident it won't get 'lost in the post'. Good luck xxx

Hi Gill , thank you for your reply . I did offer to send the forms etc to them again and use registered post but they said they would do things by phone call . 
This has obviously not worked out for me so I will be asking them can I send the relevant letters and forms on to them .

Thanks for your reply . Much appreciated.

Hi again Pitman1961 

I’d recommend sending anything to the DWP as signed for, so you know it’s got there-I do this and get it delivered the next day. It’s not so good getting an interview over the phone unless you’ve had warning in advance it will be done this way, and it’s best to have the call recorded so there can be no doubt about what’s been said.

If you ever know you’ll be getting an interview type call, tell them in advance of the actual day of the call that you would like it recorded so they have time to set this up at their end. I know this doesn’t help you at the moment, but it might in the future. You need to learn to be on the ball with all the things that can happen dealing with the DWP! 

It’s good you’ve got some letters you can submit in support. I had a letter from my oncologist which stated that I would never be able to work again, one from my mental health counsellor, and one from my gp. I also included a list of all my medications, which the gp confirmed. As extra evidence, I submitted a letter from my partner stating how much help I needed, and a letter from their employer to confirm how much time they required off work to drive me to appointments etc-I can’t drive. These are just an idea of what I sent in to support my claim that I couldn’t work, so it might give you some idea of what can help.

Nothing happened quickly for me…the DWP has huge backlogs in some areas. I waited 4 months to be approved for PIP, and then when they reduced my award this summer that took another 4 months to resolve and be reinstated. You need to be persistent with them, and if you come across organisations who offer to help you for a charge, avoid them! You will get the advice you need for free from Macmillan and other charities.

Sarah xx

Hi again Pitman.

More superb advice from Sarah, she's a star, but just to add - make photocopies of everything you send, with your name and any reference numbers on each copy. Be super persistent and don't let them fob you off! Power to you my friend xxx

Excellent Gill-I should have mentioned that. I keep everything I get from them in a file in date order and copy everything I send to them before I send it. Every bit of paper you send needs to have your national insurance number written on it so I’m a bit OCD! but it can come in very handy.

Sarah xx

Same here Sarah with the OCD! Like you say, it does have its uses sometimes  xxx

Hi Pitman,  everyone who claims New Style ESA goes in the work related activity group for the first twelve weeks or so.  If you have a SR1 you immediately go into the support group.  After about 12 weeks you have a Work Capability Assessment this is when they make the decision as to what group you go into.  If you stay in WRAG you have to continue to send fit notes and it lasts for 12 months.  If you go into support group your ESA is increased and you no longer have to send in fit notes.  It last longer than the 12 months, they normally set a review for 3 years or so but they are behind in their reviews so can last longer.  So this is the normal procedure.  Whilst you are claim New Style ESA you also have your National Insurance Contributions paid for you.  Have you made a claim to PIP yet?  If you need any help I worked in DWP for 22 years so know about this.

Lee x

Hi Lee , 

Thank you for that information . Very helpful . I was concerned that I had to contact the DWP within a month of receiving the letter but it appears from what you say I will have to wait until I am placed in one of the groups before before deciding whether to challenge the decision. Should it be necessary . 
I am wondering whether I should still contact them to send medical evidence of my health situation as I would have thought that they would require them sooner or later. 
Does any money owed from the initial assessment get paid in arrears if you are placed in the support group ? 
I have been getting the lower rate of PIP since last year and that only came about during a conversation with another patient at The Christie while we were both having Immunotherapy treatment . 
I have had my Immunotherapy stopped due to the Cancer spreading and am now on Chemo tablets. 
Since then in August this year my health situation worsened and I had to have radiotherapy on a brain tumour and I have applied for the higher rate of PIP and had a telephone assessment earlier this week but it said it could take up to 8 weeks before a decision is made . 
Im sorry if I appear a little naive about the benefits system but I have always worked from being 16 until my current age of 64 and the last time I claimed any benefits was when I left school in 1977 and that was only because my apprenticeship started in the September of that year. 
The hardest part of all this is I love working at my job and always wanted to finish on my own terms but unfortunately it appears that my health situation is now taking control of matters ( along with my not very sympathetic employer ) and it may be something I have to accept . 
Sorry for such a long reply but can I say once more a big thank you to you and the other people who have given valuable advice to me . 
May I wish you all a lovely weekend.