Atos Medicals - Questions, Answers and Support

[Barking_Mad]

It's in relation to her claim for Incapacity benefit.

Thanks for your help Yardbird.

 

[Libertad]

http://www.abcofesa.co.uk/board/index.php

Try this.

 

[culder]

Barking, I don't think I can help, but I wish you all the luck in the world.

 

[ViolentPanda]

By the end of 2006 I was in no fit state to deal with this anymore. I'd spent more than half my life trying to make things better, and I'd failed. The person I signed on with was such an idiot that I went home crying every time I saw him. There was no such thing as stress. He could go out in his lunch hour and get three jobs, why couldn't I do that?

The three jobs were probably:

1) selling his arse to randy sailors down the docks.

2) selling his arse to undiscerning labourers on the local building sites, and

3) selling his mother to all comers.

It does occur to me that if this person was such a paragon of job-finding abilities, what the unholy fuck was he doing working at a job centre, given his obvious over-qualification for the role?

 

[culder]

Also, given his 'knowledge' about the 'non-existence' of stress, he'd clearly been on an extensive, in-depth, half-day course on Psychology, and was able to remember what it said on the hand-out.

PS - I have a BSc in Psychology, for what it's worth...

 

[yardbird]

Now, how can I say this..?

The JobCentre people and the ATOS people that I have had to deal with were not my intellectual equals.
There. I've said it. In both cases I've asked questions and made observations that they just couldn't cope with.
I'm sure I could fill a vacancy at jobcentre

 

[culder]

But would you want to?!

 

[Barking_Mad]

Reading all this information on ESA's is stressing the fuck out of me.

I think my other half has adopted the 'head in the sand approach'.

 

[yardbird]

I'm not s

Reading all this information on ESA's is stressing the fuck out of me.

I think my other half has adopted the 'head in the sand approach'.

I'm not surprised that you're stressed
Please persevere, because you need to.

Remember that it is financially to their advantage to turn your mrs down.

 

[audiotech]

11 suicides due to the results of ATOS assessments?

Chris Grayling Corporate Manslaughter Atos Healthcare?​

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0yRaBth9w6Q#!

 

[yardbird]

W

11 suicides due to the results of ATOS assessments?

Chris Grayling Corporate Manslaughter Atos Healthcare?​

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0yRaBth9w6Q#!

Why say that people who choose to commit suicide due to their assessment situation are mentally ill and use that as a let out?
I have and do consider this and I'm totally sane, not mentally ill in any way.
Fuck you Ian Duncan Smith!

 

[audiotech]

Why say that people who choose to commit suicide due to their assessment situation are mentally ill and use that as a let out?

Because he's a self-serving, career politician, who sold his soul to the devil?

 

[audiotech]

Welcome culder. My experiences are no too far away from yours, except for giving birth and the teaching bit. I've run out of hoops to jump through and fuck know's where I'm going next? I've an appeal in, we'll see what happens.

 

[Greebo]

Because he's a self-serving, career politician, who sold his soul to the devil?

I seriously doubt that even the devil would ever be so desperate and so lacking in self-respect as to buy whatever remnants of a soul which a career politician might just about still have.

 

[Barking_Mad]

Can anyone confirm, does this assessment affect any ongoing payment of Disability Living allowance directly, or is it just incapacity benefit. Im struggling to work this out

 

[WouldBe]

It doesn't affect DLA at all. They do separate assessments for that. Think I've got to wade through the forms again this summer.

Good luck with it.

 

[Barking_Mad]

Thanks. I spoke to my wife this morning and she said she thought it was for DLA, so i think she got a shock. She hasnt asked the doctor for accompanying evidence, so ive urged her to get something before Friday.

She didnt seem keen. Ive no idea what's going on with her at the moment, she's not in a good place and she wont speak to me

Thanks for your help.

 

[Streathamite]

Excellent point, Choc. Interesting that we never hear about the money they're grasping for, isn't it?

It's probably clear from my first post that I'm feeling very angry. Apologies in advance - this could be a very long post.

For many years now I've been regarded as worthless - by the government (of any colour), and of course the Daily Heil, Melanie Phillips and, more recently, ATOS.

First, I was stupid enough to become pregnant by rape. Then I was stupid enough to keep my child and bring her up on my own. Immediately I was a feckless single mother, a scrounger. Worthless. Next, I was stupid enough to think it might be a good idea to return to education, in the hope of improving my chances of getting a half-decent job. It didn't work. I tried vocational courses, which got me nowhere, and eventually I moved my daughter and all our belongings to another part of the country, so that I could get a degree. So now I was worthless because I was a student.

I graduated, and couldn't find work of any description. I was always rejected because I was over-qualified. I was then stupid enough to qualify as a teacher. I got 3 months' supply work, but things were so bad by then, financially, that I ended up attempting suicide.

I was now worthless because I was unemployed.

After that I got several NVQs, courtesy of the Job Centre, because that's just what your average graduate/teacher needs, isn't it? Unsurprisingly, I was feeling a bit pissed off by now.

I had two more periods of employment between then and now. First was a temp job in an Education Department, where I seemed to be the only person who knew anything about correct English. Then a couple of years later I did some work experience in a place that ran Literacy and Numeracy classes for unemployed people. I loved that, but of course it didn't last. The existing government won the election that year, and the funding dried up.

By the end of 2006 I was in no fit state to deal with this anymore. I'd spent more than half my life trying to make things better, and I'd failed. The person I signed on with was such an idiot that I went home crying every time I saw him. There was no such thing as stress. He could go out in his lunch hour and get three jobs, why couldn't I do that?

Eventually my GP signed me off on the grounds of mental health. It was about 6 months before I had my assessment, but I was found not fit for work.

Now, 5 years later, and with my mental condition worse than it was before, I am still worthless.

For the record, my daughter is now 30, and she's never claimed any benefit in her life. She is the only reason that I won't make another suicide attempt.

what a heartfelt, impossibly moving post. It just makes me so angry at the bastards in charge of the welfare system

 

[smokedout]

W
Why say that people who choose to commit suicide due to their assessment situation are mentally ill and use that as a let out?

in fact it's the precise opposite of a let out - it's a point of attack. the most extreme manifestation of some mental health conditions such as depression is suicide. if atos declare someone with mental health problems fit for work and they then go on to kill themselves then clearly the assessment of their current mental health condition was drastically flawed.

 

[Psychonaut]

Can anyone confirm, does this assessment affect any ongoing payment of Disability Living allowance directly, or is it just incapacity benefit. Im struggling to work this out

There is an indirect effect. im sure ive read ( probably on benefitsandwork) that as part of a DLA assessment they may look at your ESA claim as evidence, so its best to fill in the forms etc for ESA with this in mind.

 

[Barking_Mad]

There is an indirect effect. im sure ive read ( probably on benefitsandwork) that as part of a DLA assessment they may look at your ESA claim as evidence, so its best to fill in the forms etc for ESA with this in mind.

Thanks, ive read that since myself.

 

[WouldBe]

I filled my ESA form in using the same info from the photocopy of my DLA form. I will be using the same info next time I need to fill in a DLA form.

 

[maldwyn]

I had an assessment with a nurse this morning who paid very little attention to what I was saying and insisted on asking me questions unrelated to my condition. I had two recent reports from different specialist suggesting two of my ailments were connected and showing they were coordinating treatments - the nurse refused to link them in her report and instead decided to focus on a minor aliment and discount a MRI scan I had last week, an up coming SeHCAT scan scheduled for the 8th Feb and a possible re-doing of a colonoscopy to be discussed when I see by GI consultant next month. I have arrived home feeling deeply frustrated.

Rather than wait for their decision I'd now much rather start working on gathering stuff for an appeal, what kind of things do I need to get together; write up my version of the meeting, presumably ask for a copy of the report, refuse to transfer to JSA and gather letters from my Doctors/Consultants.

Perhaps I'll be lucky and be allowed to stay on ESA until my diagnosis has been sorted, but judging from today's meeting I seriously doubt it.

 

[culder]

I'm not expert enough to answer all your questions, Maldwyn, but I would say definitely write up your version of the meeting while it's still fresh in your mind. You probably can't ask for a copy of the report until after you get the decision, but you're definitely entitled to ask for it then. Get as much as you can from doctors and consultants. You shouldn't have to transfer to JSA during your appeal, should you need one, but ESA would be at the basic rate.

It's bloody disgraceful that people should have to consider doing all this even when they haven't had a result yet, but if you can do some of those things, all the better.

My current situation - I got nowhere with CAB because their phone number just gives a recorded message, and it costs about £4.50 in bus fares to go there and sit and wait for however long to be seen. I ended up phoning Welfare Rights, who are going to help me as much as they can. They did say, though, that the appeal can take 6 months, during which I'll be on the basic ESA rate. The difference is refunded if you win, but that doesn't really help when the bills are due in the meantime.

Thanks to all for your comments and encouragement. I'm really glad I came here.

 

[audiotech]

http://victimsofatoscorruption.word...hey-really-are-taking-the-piss-with-this-one/

 

[equationgirl]

http://victimsofatoscorruption.word...hey-really-are-taking-the-piss-with-this-one/

Thanks for highlighting this article and the blog audiotech

 

[ymu]

How in holy hell is that man required to apply for benefits? He should be living in the lap of luxury courtesy of TVP with the PC concerned employed to lick his arse clean when he has the shits.

Fuck's sake.

 

[equationgirl]

How in holy hell is that man required to apply for benefits? He should be living in the lap of luxury courtesy of TVP with the PC concerned employed to lick his arse clean when he has the shits.

Fuck's sake.

Exactly. What makes it worse is that he will not be the only one with such a bad state of health.

I bet Atos deduct points for being able to breathe.

 

[Quartz]

Is it not possible to terminate these interviews early when the assessor is clearly not listening or trying it on? Something along the lines of, "I'm sorry, but you have not listened to my statements about A, B, and C. You are not conducting a proper and fair assessment. I am therefore terminating this interview and will be making a formal complaint immediately."

Or (being cynical) will that be taken as sufficient intelligence to hold down a white-collar job regardless of disability?

 

[LiamO]

Yep, same with my friend who has severe auto immune disorder. She never knows when a flare is going to happen. Anyway she's had a shit year last year, heart attack in August (after which they took away her DLA). She came out of hospital yesterday, she was in fora fortnight because she'd had a stroke, they discovered evidence of another six strokes since her heart attack. All of this seems to make no difference to Atos. If they see her on a good day, they'll pass her.

and therein lies the nub.

This is what happened to my friend. They stopped his DLA at a stroke.

7 months later we attended a tribunal whose members were a retired Barrister, a retired Surgeon and a top professional quango-sitter. We won and his benefits were reinstated and back-dated. He was lucky in that a) he knew me and b) we got top-notch advice and guidance from a local elected representative who used to be a Welfare Rights worker/advocate.

But the person who helped most was the fella who worked for the crowd who facilitated the tribunals. He told us bluntly (but privately, outside) that 75% of people just folded when they got the original 'You are fucked' letter. Of those who pursued an appeal, most were so intimidated they did not turn up for the tribunal. Of those who did, many just got so wound up that they either could not speak effectively for themselves or they just lost the head and told the panel to stick their benefits up their hole. Then he said he had no vested interest, but this was M's last chance saloon so we should hold nothing back - he even used the old Football expression of 'leave it all on the field, it's no use to you back in the dressing room'.

He also told us yer wan from the Social was a right nasty, vindictive cunt and the panel were not exactly impressed by her total lack of human warmth and her determination to humiliate people. He also gave us some info on the backgrounds of the panel which we used.

This shifted our focus a bit and we went for it big time. We gently pushed her buttons and she bit like fuck and you could actually see the growing disdain they had for her position. Between her snatching defeat from the jaws of inevitable victory and us playing a blinder, we managed to shift them into (what your man later told us was) a unanimous decision.

Like a Court, there was no justice to be had in that room. Just a loaded system. Fortunately, we had learned the rules of engagement. Most people don't have that resource.