Atos are still doing (re)assessments despite what Gov and Press say..
- Thread starter Chris.H.1961
- Start date
friendofdorothy
Solidarity against neoliberalism!
Nick3535. You didn't ramble on, and you are welcome here.
Get you doctor/phychiatrist to write something and take it along to add to that thin file, don't assume they know anything, gather anything you have on paper about your treatment/illness. I know its daunting. I hope they don't make your health worse.
I wish you all the very best.
Get you doctor/phychiatrist to write something and take it along to add to that thin file, don't assume they know anything, gather anything you have on paper about your treatment/illness. I know its daunting. I hope they don't make your health worse.
I wish you all the very best.
panpete
Blokes name, birds body.
What a beautifully written post, I can feel the despair, and the despondency in it.
Just popping in briefly to say that my friend won his appeal today. All those battling the system, take heart. It's slow, it's bureaucratic, and the DWP will throw as many hurdles in your way as it can (and IDS will continue insisting that everything is fine and dandy when that is manifestly untrue), but if you stick at it you can win. Good luck.
longdog
What is it you can't face?
I can now reveal to an expectant world that that friend is me
Long story short(ish)...
This time last year I was sent an ESA50 having been on ESA and before that IB for about 10 years. I eventually had a assessment in February this year.
At the assessment I was seen by a physiotherapist who quite clearly didn't understand anything about mental health. He spent most of the session copying information from my medication boxes and even though he had them right in front of him he still managed to get it wrong. Then he spent most of the rest of the session checking the mobility in my arms, legs, back and neck which had precisely sweet fuck all to do with my claim.
A few days later I got a phone call from the DWP telling me I had received no points and my claim had been ended and I'd have to claim JSA.
Naturally I decided to challenge this and got hold of the Medical Report written by the jumped up PE teacher... It was a joke. It was so bad I started to wonder if I'd actually been there at the time because so much of it was irrelevant, trivial or just plain wrong. Apparently it was considered supremely relevant that I 'can drive but does not own a car for financial reasons'. Quite what being unable to afford to drive a car has to do with anything is anybody's guess particularly when it was cited time and time again as evidence in descriptors which had sweet fuck all to do with anything.
Anyhoo... I applied for mandatory reconsideration which of course went against me (there's a surprise) and the MR notice contained more crap that the decision maker had pulled directly out of her arse. So I went to appeal.
One very long wait later I get a hearing date and a copy of the 'secretary of state's submission' to the tribunal which, once again, contained new crap and flights of fantasy such as 'has fitted smoke alarms'
and references to a medical assessment in 2012 which never happened.So... The appeal date comes around and me an Roadie arrive, spend a few minutes in the waiting room before being ushered in to face a judge and a doctor. Five minutes (if that) later we walk out victorious.
After all of the stress and upset they caused the fucking DWP didn't even show up.
mentalchik
"I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit."
It really is startling how ramshackle the whole system is. With the exception of the tribunal yesterday, which was done quickly, efficiently and as pleasantly as these things can be, not a single part of the process has worked well. The assessment was a farce, the healthcare professional's report was laughable, the initial decision was therefore wrong and the letter advising longdog of it verged on incoherence. Mandatory Reconsideration was conducted quickly, but the conduct of DWP staff at that point was deeply unprofessional (I shan't go into detail) and the MR decision notice was frankly dishonest. And then after all that there was a six-month wait for a tribunal hearing that lasted a few minutes. It's ridiculous.
Moreover, the new assessment system is supposed to save money, but once you factor in the costs of the ATOS assessment, the tribunal and the DWP staff time that went into the initial decision, MR, tribunal preparation and all the rest, I can't believe it's achieved that. Indeed, I'd love to know how much the whole fiasco has cost the taxpayer.
Moreover, the new assessment system is supposed to save money, but once you factor in the costs of the ATOS assessment, the tribunal and the DWP staff time that went into the initial decision, MR, tribunal preparation and all the rest, I can't believe it's achieved that. Indeed, I'd love to know how much the whole fiasco has cost the taxpayer.
Longdog, congrats on your eventual victory. There's no way that you ought to have been put through this long and shambolic process (including being lied about) in order to get the money you need and are entitled to.
And Roadkill, well done supporting him through it; knowing that even one other person believes that you're not a fraud and that you're not alone can make all the difference in the world.
And Roadkill, well done supporting him through it; knowing that even one other person believes that you're not a fraud and that you're not alone can make all the difference in the world.
No way was I going to sit back and watch my best mate lose his entitlements at the behest of a know-nothing physiotherapist and a bunch of lying incompetents at the DWP!
Tbh, I've learned so much about ESA assessments in the last year or so that I'm starting to wonder if there's any way I can use it to benefit others in the same position as longdog - some project I could volunteer for, or something. As you said on another thread, it's up to us to outlive this failed system, take it to pieces and get something workable and fair put in its place. Helping other people take on the DWP and hopefully win might be a small step in that direction.
friendofdorothy
Solidarity against neoliberalism!
I can now reveal to an expectant world that that friend is me
Long story short(ish)...
This time last year I was sent an ESA50 having been on ESA and before that IB for about 10 years. I eventually had a assessment in February this year.
At the assessment I was seen by a physiotherapist who quite clearly didn't understand anything about mental health. He spent most of the session copying information from my medication boxes and even though he had them right in front of him he still managed to get it wrong. Then he spent most of the rest of the session checking the mobility in my arms, legs, back and neck which had precisely sweet fuck all to do with my claim.
A few days later I got a phone call from the DWP telling me I had received no points and my claim had been ended and I'd have to claim JSA.
Naturally I decided to challenge this and got hold of the Medical Report written by the jumped up PE teacher... It was a joke. It was so bad I started to wonder if I'd actually been there at the time because so much of it was irrelevant, trivial or just plain wrong. Apparently it was considered supremely relevant that I 'can drive but does not own a car for financial reasons'. Quite what being unable to afford to drive a car has to do with anything is anybody's guess particularly when it was cited time and time again as evidence in descriptors which had sweet fuck all to do with anything.
Anyhoo... I applied for mandatory reconsideration which of course went against me (there's a surprise) and the MR notice contained more crap that the decision maker had pulled directly out of her arse. So I went to appeal.
One very long wait later I get a hearing date and a copy of the 'secretary of state's submission' to the tribunal which, once again, contained new crap and flights of fantasy such as 'has fitted smoke alarms'
So... The appeal date comes around and me an Roadie arrive, spend a few minutes in the waiting room before being ushered in to face a judge and a doctor. Five minutes (if that) later we walk out victorious.
After all of the stress and upset they caused the fucking DWP didn't even show up.
That sounds like a long stressful process. Well done for getting through it.
equationgirl
Respect my existence or expect my resistance
Congratulations longdog and Roadkill - well done indeed!
You are right that the system is farcical. Even the DWP don't seem to follow their own guidelines on assessments, and to send a physiotherapist (and a crap one at that) to do a mental health assessment, well, it's no wonder that many people applying for the benefit say to hell with this and just sign off it.
If you'd like to help others, Roadkill, try your local CAB or even the Atos Support thread here on urban (in P&P).
You are right that the system is farcical. Even the DWP don't seem to follow their own guidelines on assessments, and to send a physiotherapist (and a crap one at that) to do a mental health assessment, well, it's no wonder that many people applying for the benefit say to hell with this and just sign off it.
If you'd like to help others, Roadkill, try your local CAB or even the Atos Support thread here on urban (in P&P).
I haven't looked on here for a while and have hugely cheered up by hearing of Longdog and Roadkill's success. Many congratulations, firstly on the result and, secondly, on giving hope to so many others who, like me, have felt like giving up the struggle.
I am in the throes of it at the moment. Having been sent away from my first interview with Atos because the "Healthcare Professional", having claimed that his holistic training as a nurse meant he was competent to judge on all aspects of health, had to call a halt to proceedings because he couldn't cope with the fact that I was taking a mild form of medication after a bout of Shingles. Summoned back a month later, I was confronted by a cold, poker faced woman, who clearly felt that any pretence of empathy would have been unprofessional. After a farce of an interview, I was told I would hear the result in four weeks time. After ten days, I received a letter saying I had been awarded 0 points and that I was no longer entitled to ESA. I was more than a little annoyed to discover the payments had been stopped three days before they even wrote to me.
I had hand delivered a letter, requesting a copy of the report. Instead, there was a message saying that the report was not being sent, but I could write to request a copy. There was also a claim that attempts to reach me by phone had been made and that, in spite of leaving voice mail messages, contact had not been possible. The voice mail went as follows: " I am phoning from the Department of Work and Pensions". Helpful, eh?
In the short report I received, description of a bad day was glossed over and description of a good day was turned into a typical day. The fact that I drive to appointments with my psychiatrist elicited this:
" Driving is a complex activity requiring planning, insight, awareness of hazards and the ability to cope with change at short notice. This demonstrates an ability to attend unfamiliar surroundings alone and interact with strangers in a stressful situation."
I am firmly of the view now that this is a process with a start and a pre-ordained conclusion. What happens between the two is of no consequence and words are just toyed with to create an assessment straight out of Alice in Wonderland. The process is crass, insensitive, politically motivated, profoundly unjust and one where people are "processed" much as animals are when they arrive at an abattoir.
At the end of their letter I read that I could ask to have the decision reconsidered by phoning the DWP. When I did so, I said that it was my intention to appeal, only to be told that this phone process was the appeal. I was told that somebody from ESA would ring and that, if I declined to go through this process, I would not be allowed to appeal further.
The phone call duly happened and, largely fuelled by adrenalin and anger, I made my feelings very clear about the whole process. I was not rude, but I was forceful. I was told: a) that my comments would be passed on and that I would be called back within 48 hours and b) that I would receive a full copy of the report.
That was a week ago and I have heard nothing.
After the initial burst of anger driven energy, I have come back down with a bump. I think IDS and his demonic crew work on the basis that "victims" won't have the confidence, the nous, the energy or the self belief to put up a fight. Most will just accept what happens, no matter how unjust.
I can't do this on my own, but I am lucky in having an exceptional psychiatrist who is strapping on her armour as I write, ready to battle on my behalf.
I don't know how this will end, but I would rather die fighting the bastards than acquiesce. I am, by nature, courteous, and that was held against me in the potted report I received. That makes me fume.
I will probably read this in a few hours time and think it was all just hot air. But I have to believe I can win this or I might just as well give up.
Long winded as ever! Sorry.
PS ATOS had not read anything from my psychiatrist and had made no attempt to contact her. They claimed that was the responsibility of the DWP. But they hadn't bothered either. Happy days!
I am in the throes of it at the moment. Having been sent away from my first interview with Atos because the "Healthcare Professional", having claimed that his holistic training as a nurse meant he was competent to judge on all aspects of health, had to call a halt to proceedings because he couldn't cope with the fact that I was taking a mild form of medication after a bout of Shingles. Summoned back a month later, I was confronted by a cold, poker faced woman, who clearly felt that any pretence of empathy would have been unprofessional. After a farce of an interview, I was told I would hear the result in four weeks time. After ten days, I received a letter saying I had been awarded 0 points and that I was no longer entitled to ESA. I was more than a little annoyed to discover the payments had been stopped three days before they even wrote to me.
I had hand delivered a letter, requesting a copy of the report. Instead, there was a message saying that the report was not being sent, but I could write to request a copy. There was also a claim that attempts to reach me by phone had been made and that, in spite of leaving voice mail messages, contact had not been possible. The voice mail went as follows: " I am phoning from the Department of Work and Pensions". Helpful, eh?
In the short report I received, description of a bad day was glossed over and description of a good day was turned into a typical day. The fact that I drive to appointments with my psychiatrist elicited this:
" Driving is a complex activity requiring planning, insight, awareness of hazards and the ability to cope with change at short notice. This demonstrates an ability to attend unfamiliar surroundings alone and interact with strangers in a stressful situation."
I am firmly of the view now that this is a process with a start and a pre-ordained conclusion. What happens between the two is of no consequence and words are just toyed with to create an assessment straight out of Alice in Wonderland. The process is crass, insensitive, politically motivated, profoundly unjust and one where people are "processed" much as animals are when they arrive at an abattoir.
At the end of their letter I read that I could ask to have the decision reconsidered by phoning the DWP. When I did so, I said that it was my intention to appeal, only to be told that this phone process was the appeal. I was told that somebody from ESA would ring and that, if I declined to go through this process, I would not be allowed to appeal further.
The phone call duly happened and, largely fuelled by adrenalin and anger, I made my feelings very clear about the whole process. I was not rude, but I was forceful. I was told: a) that my comments would be passed on and that I would be called back within 48 hours and b) that I would receive a full copy of the report.
That was a week ago and I have heard nothing.
After the initial burst of anger driven energy, I have come back down with a bump. I think IDS and his demonic crew work on the basis that "victims" won't have the confidence, the nous, the energy or the self belief to put up a fight. Most will just accept what happens, no matter how unjust.
I can't do this on my own, but I am lucky in having an exceptional psychiatrist who is strapping on her armour as I write, ready to battle on my behalf.
I don't know how this will end, but I would rather die fighting the bastards than acquiesce. I am, by nature, courteous, and that was held against me in the potted report I received. That makes me fume.
I will probably read this in a few hours time and think it was all just hot air. But I have to believe I can win this or I might just as well give up.
Long winded as ever! Sorry.
PS ATOS had not read anything from my psychiatrist and had made no attempt to contact her. They claimed that was the responsibility of the DWP. But they hadn't bothered either. Happy days!
Sorry to hear that. Nick3535. 
You ain't wrong that the process is a politically-motivated farce that bears no meaningful relationship to a sensible assessment of your condition, but unfortunately that's the system and all you can do is fight your corner within it. FWIW I'd save the (justified!) vitriol about the process, the competence of the assessor and the conduct of DWP staff for the complaint after you've won: it won't get you anywhere at this stage and could conceivably work against you.
This isn't the full appeal process, unfortunately: it's Mandatory Reconsideration (MR), in which a DWP decision maker (supposedly not the same one who made the original decision, though I don't believe for one minute that that is always the case) looks again at your claim and the initial decision. It's basically a hurdle thrown in your way to demoralise you and deter you from appealing, and don't be discouraged if they knock you back and insist the decision is correct: that's the whole point of the exercise.
I'd have advised against asking for MR by phone. Seems to me that it's better to do it in writing, providing a statement detailing how and why you take issue with the decision, backed up by as much evidence as you can gather from clinicians who've dealt with you. However, if you've already done it by phone it's too late, and given that it rarely seems to result in the decision being reversed it may not matter anyway. Either way, do chase up the report (I take it you mean the 'Healthcare Professional's' (*hollow laugh*) report? If so you are legally entitled to receive a copy of it), and if you've not heard anything about the progress of your reconsideration claim in the next couple of weeks, chase that up too.
Assuming the reconsidered decision goes against you, you can then move to full appeal. This is the real chance to get the decision overturned, so grab it with both hands. Submit as much detail as you can on your condition, how it impacts you and why the assessment has failed to assess it properly, and back it up with as much evidence as you can. After that all you can do is wait - and you'll have to, as the backlog of appeal cases is enormous - but at least you can go back on ESA, albeit only at the assessment rate.
That's exactly what it's all about. That's why the appeals system has been made needlessly complex, and why the deadline for MR is so ridiculously tight: they've worked in as many pitfalls as they can to deter victims from challenging decisions and disqualify claims when they try to do so. That is also one reason why they've very happy to see community law centres closing left, right and centre (because they are: this government is systematically destroying the non-profit legal advice sector), and Citizens Advice Bureaux so overloaded with cases that they cannot offer timely assistance. Not only is this shitty government removing support from people who need it, but it's trying its damnedest to kick away the means for them to fight back too. Evil fucking bastards every last one of them. But yes, all you can do is fight it, and although it may feel at times as if you can't win it, you still can: it'll be a long, frustrating and depressing process, but you'll get there in the end. Good luck, and full credit to your psychiatrist for helping.
Please don't feel the need to apologise.
You ain't wrong that the process is a politically-motivated farce that bears no meaningful relationship to a sensible assessment of your condition, but unfortunately that's the system and all you can do is fight your corner within it. FWIW I'd save the (justified!) vitriol about the process, the competence of the assessor and the conduct of DWP staff for the complaint after you've won: it won't get you anywhere at this stage and could conceivably work against you.This isn't the full appeal process, unfortunately: it's Mandatory Reconsideration (MR), in which a DWP decision maker (supposedly not the same one who made the original decision, though I don't believe for one minute that that is always the case) looks again at your claim and the initial decision. It's basically a hurdle thrown in your way to demoralise you and deter you from appealing, and don't be discouraged if they knock you back and insist the decision is correct: that's the whole point of the exercise.
I'd have advised against asking for MR by phone. Seems to me that it's better to do it in writing, providing a statement detailing how and why you take issue with the decision, backed up by as much evidence as you can gather from clinicians who've dealt with you. However, if you've already done it by phone it's too late, and given that it rarely seems to result in the decision being reversed it may not matter anyway. Either way, do chase up the report (I take it you mean the 'Healthcare Professional's' (*hollow laugh*) report? If so you are legally entitled to receive a copy of it), and if you've not heard anything about the progress of your reconsideration claim in the next couple of weeks, chase that up too.
Assuming the reconsidered decision goes against you, you can then move to full appeal. This is the real chance to get the decision overturned, so grab it with both hands. Submit as much detail as you can on your condition, how it impacts you and why the assessment has failed to assess it properly, and back it up with as much evidence as you can. After that all you can do is wait - and you'll have to, as the backlog of appeal cases is enormous - but at least you can go back on ESA, albeit only at the assessment rate.
That's exactly what it's all about. That's why the appeals system has been made needlessly complex, and why the deadline for MR is so ridiculously tight: they've worked in as many pitfalls as they can to deter victims from challenging decisions and disqualify claims when they try to do so. That is also one reason why they've very happy to see community law centres closing left, right and centre (because they are: this government is systematically destroying the non-profit legal advice sector), and Citizens Advice Bureaux so overloaded with cases that they cannot offer timely assistance. Not only is this shitty government removing support from people who need it, but it's trying its damnedest to kick away the means for them to fight back too. Evil fucking bastards every last one of them. But yes, all you can do is fight it, and although it may feel at times as if you can't win it, you still can: it'll be a long, frustrating and depressing process, but you'll get there in the end. Good luck, and full credit to your psychiatrist for helping.
Please don't feel the need to apologise.
StoneRoad
heckling from the back!
I wonder if "Benefits and Work" can be of use here ?
http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/forum/index
I think some info is free, other parts and downloads are for subscribers only.
http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/forum/index
I think some info is free, other parts and downloads are for subscribers only.
Sorry you've been messed around so much when this money should be paid promptly and with far less of a process so that people can concentrate on recovering or stabilising instead of having to fight the system. You're still in with a chance. I'll wish you luck, but if there was enough justice in the way this is run, luck wouldn't be needed.
Thank you so much, Roadkill. You have taken a great deal of trouble and what you say is very helpful. You clearly know your onions!
I wish I had found out a bit more about the MR earlier. I know that you can't expect any help from these people, but I was definitely told that I had a choice: go through the reconsideration by phone, or lose the right of appeal. I was not given the option of a written process.
You are right of course about holding back on the vitriol. It was just that an adrenalin rush and a fair degree of anger made it possible for me to make my views very clear. When my mood drops badly it will be virtually impossible to carry on fighting with that degree of energy, so I am glad at least to have made my point while it was manageable. It is really why I put so much hope in my psychiatrist. Her dander is up and she fully intends to take them on!
Thanks Greebo, too. This forum is immensely helpful, both in terms of support, but also in making one realise that so many others are having to contend with the same shit that is currently coming my way.
I wish I had found out a bit more about the MR earlier. I know that you can't expect any help from these people, but I was definitely told that I had a choice: go through the reconsideration by phone, or lose the right of appeal. I was not given the option of a written process.
You are right of course about holding back on the vitriol. It was just that an adrenalin rush and a fair degree of anger made it possible for me to make my views very clear. When my mood drops badly it will be virtually impossible to carry on fighting with that degree of energy, so I am glad at least to have made my point while it was manageable. It is really why I put so much hope in my psychiatrist. Her dander is up and she fully intends to take them on!
Thanks Greebo, too. This forum is immensely helpful, both in terms of support, but also in making one realise that so many others are having to contend with the same shit that is currently coming my way.
panpete
Blokes name, birds body.
Sorry to hear you had to go through all that Nick and I hope you find the energy from somewhere to fight it.
The medicals are a farce. I once read on atosvictims group (site now closed) that it's best to try not to attend a face to face medical, because all the hard work you do in the ESA50 is wiped out by the face to face assessment, where they can lie and omit.
Having said that, I just read through the fifth and final review of the WCA and it expressed concern that people were getting into the support group without a face to face medical and this needed looking at.
The medicals are a farce. I once read on atosvictims group (site now closed) that it's best to try not to attend a face to face medical, because all the hard work you do in the ESA50 is wiped out by the face to face assessment, where they can lie and omit.
Having said that, I just read through the fifth and final review of the WCA and it expressed concern that people were getting into the support group without a face to face medical and this needed looking at.
Yes, Nick3535 I'd definitely advise signing up to this: there are some really knowledgeable people on it and a wealth of info. Well worth signing up to IMO.
They ought to have told you that. One thing I should have said yesterday: keep a log of communications with the DWP, including brief details of what was discussed and, if possible, details of whoever you spoke with. Whether through incompetence (and IME there's a fair bit of that) or anything else you may well be given misleading or incomplete info and it might conceivably help your case at appeal if you can give a few examples of how your case has been mishandled. And, of course, it provides ammo for a complaint when it's all over bar the shouting...
friendofdorothy
Solidarity against neoliberalism!
I'm glad you have a psychiatrist on your side, I'm sure that will help. Atos really have behaved badly suggesting a phone call was your only appeal option. Please don't give up - that's what the system wants that everyone get so demoralised that thay give up and die. You be as outspoken as you like here - I hope it helps.
Wishing you all the strength needed to fight your appeal. x
The process of being buggered about from pillar to post has continued since my last post a month ago. The Mandatory Reconsideration Notice came back riddled with inaccuracies, distortions and lies. Great notice was taken, apparently, of a letter from my GP. No such letter was ever written! Extensive attempts were made to contact me by phone - funny that - I have a landline and an ancient steam driven mobile. I barely left the house on the the days the calls were allegedly made and I had my mobile with me whenever I did. The rest was just a regurgitation of the drivel that ATOS had come up with. In spite of repeated requests, I only received the full report of the ATOS interview after the MR process had finished. The whole thing is just a nightmare.
Over Christmas, I downloaded the notice of appeal form and the guidance notes you are asked to read - form T97. At the end of the guidance notes, there is a clear instruction on where to send the appeal notice. More of that later!
I went to see my psychiatrist on Christmas Eve, armed with all the documentation. She gave me a lot of time and wrote up a report that afternoon. Christmas then intervened and she had to wait until she returned to work on January 5th to have it typed up. I received it on January 6th and was faced with a rush to beat the 28 day deadline. Christmas post meant I did not receive the MR notice until 5 days after it was sent and an 11 day break over Christmas and New Year made it very tight. I had spent hours and hours and hours trying to come up with an appropriate submission, but I simply could not get it right and my mental state was deteriorating at a rate of knots. After further discussion with my psychiatrist, it was felt best to produce something short and to try to do the job properly prior to an eventual tribunal. My hope is that such a strongly worded report from my psychiatrist may render that unnecessary, but I won't be holding my breath.
So on Thursday, I photocopied everything and sent it by special delivery (at a cost of £6.40 when my money has been stopped) to the address given at the end of the guidance notes. The deadline was met and I thought I could put it out of my mind for a while. This morning, I received a letter from the Courts and Tribunal Service returning my appeal, saying that the office to which I had sent it does not administer appeals against DWP decisions. Somewhat unhelpfully, it did not tell me where I should send it. It seems to me that there are two possibilities: either the guidance notes are wrong, which is disgraceful, or addresses have been changed in which case, surely, my appeal should have been forwarded to the new address.
The net result is that I still have my appeal, I have missed their deadline and I don't know where to send it. I will go on the Benefits and Work website later and try to make some sense of it all.
I was not in too bad a state when I had the ATOS interview and I was entirely open, courteous and honest. My every word has been twisted to create a wholly unjust picture. Since then my mental state has deteriorated drastically and the crisis team has had to become involved. I had truly hoped that the malice of ATOS, the DWP and ESA was behind me and I could expect better treatment at the hands of the Courts and Tribunal Service. After this latest setback, that doesn't appear likely. I fear that for the penpushers a corpse represents a good result.
Over Christmas, I downloaded the notice of appeal form and the guidance notes you are asked to read - form T97. At the end of the guidance notes, there is a clear instruction on where to send the appeal notice. More of that later!
I went to see my psychiatrist on Christmas Eve, armed with all the documentation. She gave me a lot of time and wrote up a report that afternoon. Christmas then intervened and she had to wait until she returned to work on January 5th to have it typed up. I received it on January 6th and was faced with a rush to beat the 28 day deadline. Christmas post meant I did not receive the MR notice until 5 days after it was sent and an 11 day break over Christmas and New Year made it very tight. I had spent hours and hours and hours trying to come up with an appropriate submission, but I simply could not get it right and my mental state was deteriorating at a rate of knots. After further discussion with my psychiatrist, it was felt best to produce something short and to try to do the job properly prior to an eventual tribunal. My hope is that such a strongly worded report from my psychiatrist may render that unnecessary, but I won't be holding my breath.
So on Thursday, I photocopied everything and sent it by special delivery (at a cost of £6.40 when my money has been stopped) to the address given at the end of the guidance notes. The deadline was met and I thought I could put it out of my mind for a while. This morning, I received a letter from the Courts and Tribunal Service returning my appeal, saying that the office to which I had sent it does not administer appeals against DWP decisions. Somewhat unhelpfully, it did not tell me where I should send it. It seems to me that there are two possibilities: either the guidance notes are wrong, which is disgraceful, or addresses have been changed in which case, surely, my appeal should have been forwarded to the new address.
The net result is that I still have my appeal, I have missed their deadline and I don't know where to send it. I will go on the Benefits and Work website later and try to make some sense of it all.
I was not in too bad a state when I had the ATOS interview and I was entirely open, courteous and honest. My every word has been twisted to create a wholly unjust picture. Since then my mental state has deteriorated drastically and the crisis team has had to become involved. I had truly hoped that the malice of ATOS, the DWP and ESA was behind me and I could expect better treatment at the hands of the Courts and Tribunal Service. After this latest setback, that doesn't appear likely. I fear that for the penpushers a corpse represents a good result.
Oh bloody hell. 
So sorry to read all that, Nick3535. Do go and ask on Benefits and Work - there are people on there who really know their stuff and should be able to advise on the best way forward. Based on a hazy recollection of something I read during Longdog's appeal I think there is a provision for extending the deadline for appeals if you've good reason for having missed it. I may be wrong there, but do try and find out.
Also, do remember that if your mental health has worsened then there is nothing to stop you putting in a fresh claim. You'll only get assessment rate, but that's better than no money at all.
Good luck.
So sorry to read all that, Nick3535. Do go and ask on Benefits and Work - there are people on there who really know their stuff and should be able to advise on the best way forward. Based on a hazy recollection of something I read during Longdog's appeal I think there is a provision for extending the deadline for appeals if you've good reason for having missed it. I may be wrong there, but do try and find out.Also, do remember that if your mental health has worsened then there is nothing to stop you putting in a fresh claim. You'll only get assessment rate, but that's better than no money at all.
Good luck.
friendofdorothy
Solidarity against neoliberalism!
Thats bloody awful! I don't know have you've had the strength to deal with this twattery. Please don't let the bastards win.
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