Atos Medicals - Questions, Answers and Support

[ViolentPanda]

Same here recorded is defiantly the best option.

Defiantly and definitely!

 

[WouldBe]

What happens if you're on JSA and hand a sick note in?

I vaguely recall seeing something that they stop your JSA.

If you request to go back on ESA do they pay you anything or do you have to live of thin air until you've been through the ATOS mill?

 

[Frumious B.]

This is off the top of my head and could be wrong - I haven't the energy to look up chapter and verse. JSA stops right away. Assuming enough time has elapsed since any previous ESA claim, and your case is a simple one, not complicated by stuff like having assets, you should start getting payments at the assessment rate after three or four months, i.e. after your ESA50 has been processed and before your ATOS medical. If you run out of money for food in the meantime you can get a crisis loan.

 

[WouldBe]

If you run out of money for food in the meantime you can get a crisis loan.

This will happen and I can't face the shit of more DWP paperwork.

 

[equationgirl]

This will happen and I can't face the shit of more DWP paperwork.

{{{wouldbe}}}

 

[Frumious B.]

Wouldbe, you might just have to bite the bullet sooner or later. Being ill while claiming JSA is tough and risky. Can you get help with the paperwork? If you subscribe to benefitsandwork you will at least know precisely how to answer every question. And if/when your ESA claim is finally processed and you get into the WRAG or the Support Group your benefits will go up a fair bit, and the increase will be backdated to when you started the claim, so you get a big fat lump sum.

Re the crisis loans, it's all done on the phone, so there's bugger all paperwork.

Are you getting housing benefit? You have to plan for the effect that a switch from JSA to ESA will have on that.

 

[equationgirl]

If there is anything I can do to help please ask, wouldbe

 

[WouldBe]

If you subscribe to benefitsandwork you will at least know precisely how to answer every question.

Can't concentrate for long enough to wade through a massive website like that. Then my memory is so bad I wouldn't remember what I've read anyway which is why it takes me 3 months to fill in an ESA or DLA form.

Re the crisis loans, it's all done on the phone, so there's bugger all paperwork.

Are you getting housing benefit? You have to plan for the effect that a switch from JSA to ESA will have on that.

They haven't sorted out the switch from ESA to JSA yet and I#'ve been signing on since July.

I'm waiting to hear about my DLA appeal at the moment and I've put in an appeal to the tribunal about my ESA as neither the DWP or the tribunal could come to a fair decision when they were lied to by the HCP.

 

[Frumious B.]

You need someone to help you with the paperwork. Is there anyone you can ask?

 

[Treacle Toes]

http://wearespartacus.org.uk/wca-peoples-review/

The People’s Review of the Work Capability Assessment (link to report)
Anticipating the publication of Professor Harrington’s third (and, for him, final) annual review of the Work Capability Assessment, the WeAreSpartacus group have published our own review, from the lived experience of the sick and disabled people going through it. The People’s Review of the Work Capability Assessment includes the experiences of more than 70 claimants who have been wrongly assessed, humiliated, badly treated and forced to go to tribunal to secure the benefits to which they are legally entitled. The review also highlights press reports of some of the claimants who have died after being found fit for work or whose suicide has been linked, at least in part, to the stress of a process which is essentially abusive, demeaning and not fit for purpose. In the final section of the review, we examine what has been said about the WCA by the Government, MP’s, courts, professional bodies, medical organisations and individual medical professionals. This section includes full references, including replies to Freedom of Information requests, so readers can check the facts for themselves.

 

[audiotech]

If you run out of money for food in the meantime you can get a crisis loan.

Last time I rang to get a crisis loan, I got a lecture on 'protecting the public purse'. Bad move, it's a loan to be paid back muppet. Then the conversation moved onto: 'Sir do you have any food?' That said, I got bugger all.

 

[Greebo]

Last time I rang to get a crisis loan, I got a lecture on 'protecting the public purse'. Bad move, it's a loan to be paid back muppet. Then the conversation moved onto: 'Sir do you have any food?' That said, I got bugger all.

FFS tbf the question about food could have been a gateway to a foodbank referral, but even so.

 

[tufty79]

every crisis loan application i ever made has asked what food i've got in.

 

[toggle]

asessment on tuesday.

in the meantime, i thought i'd share this little exchange after my daugher and i cooked cakes.


me: fruitcakes need a lot of TLC
bakunin: yes, I do.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Good luck toggle

Are you going to take your fruitcake with you?

 

[toggle]

which one?

although they might think i was the loopy one walking in with a wrapped up chrimble cake

 

[equationgirl]

Best of luck toggle & bakunin

I'm not likely to be on urban until Friday night so will catch up with the outcome/fallout then.

 

[toggle]

if we keep the lower rate care, we will accept that, even though, as you say, he likely should get more.

but


we are expecting nothing, then to have to appeal to get that.

 

[WouldBe]

although they might think i was the loopy one walking in with a wrapped up chrimble cake

I'd like to see them assess it's walking capabilities.

Mind you knowing ATOS they would probably still declare it fit for work.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

which one?

although they might think i was the loopy one walking in with a wrapped up chrimble cake

hm, depends really. If it's a female assessor who may fancy Bakunin, then obviously you need to bring the Bakunin fruitcake.

If the assessor looks like they enjoy a bit too much food, then maybe you should produce the other fruitcake, on the understanding that you're not trying to bribe them of course

 

[toggle]

going through some of the stuff he has trouble with and relatin it to the descriptors. he is getting stressed about not being normal. im getting stressed cause having to do this is upsetting him.

i don't care about what he can't do. I don't care about the things he needs help to do. cause it's all minor inconveniences compared to the joy i get from having him in my life. and there is so much he can do that i forget until times like theser that he has never been able to do this much without having someone there who can help him focus. but with that, he is achieving so much.

but as much as we are focussed now on explaining the mess he would be in without me there to guide him, I need to remind him that I would be a mess, just in different ways, without him in my life. I've been through a long relationship with a narcissist that ended as a living hell. I never thought i'd trust anyone close to me again. but i think his openness and honesty about who he was and his difficulties in life helped me see that he was someone who wasn't going to try to be someone else. plus, you really don't get aspies who are narcissists.so in a way, being loopy is the reason i was able to take that leap of faith and risk trusting him. i'm not idiot enough to think i can portray being loopy as a positive thing, but it isn't all negative on top of negative.

but i think at times like these, he needs a reminder that he is the support I need as much as i am his. and just because he is the one that is diagnosed as needing some extra help, dosen't mean that he needs to feel bad about taking that from me, cause I know, every day, how much better my life is with him. how much support i take from him.

and if i tell him, he will brush it off.

if i tell everyone, that tells him i really believe it.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

going through some of the stuff he has trouble with and relatin it to the descriptors. he is getting stressed about not being normal. im getting stressed cause having to do this is upsetting him.

i don't care about what he can't do. I don't care about the things he needs help to do. cause it's all minor inconveniences compared to the joy i get from having him in my life. and there is so much he can do that i forget until times like theser that he has never been able to do this much without having someone there who can help him focus. but with that, he is achieving so much.

but as much as we are focussed now on explaining the mess he would be in without me there to guide him, I need to remind him that I would be a mess, just in different ways, without him in my life. I've been through a long relationship with a narcissist that ended as a living hell. I never thought i'd trust anyone close to me again. but i think his openness and honesty about who he was and his difficulties in life helped me see that he was someone who wasn't going to try to be someone else. plus, you really don't get aspies who are narcissists.so in a way, being loopy is the reason i was able to take that leap of faith and risk trusting him. i'm not idiot enough to think i can portray being loopy as a positive thing, but it isn't all negative on top of negative.

but i think at times like these, he needs a reminder that he is the support I need as much as i am his. and just because he is the one that is diagnosed as needing some extra help, dosen't mean that he needs to feel bad about taking that from me, cause I know, every day, how much better my life is with him. how much support i take from him.

and if i tell him, he will brush it off.

if i tell everyone, that tells him i really believe it.

Listen to toggle Bakunin. Loves ya to bits!

 

[ViolentPanda]

going through some of the stuff he has trouble with and relatin it to the descriptors. he is getting stressed about not being normal. im getting stressed cause having to do this is upsetting him.

He bloody well shouldn't! Who'd want to be "normal" if those fucks at the DWP measure normality in terms of "normal people are people like me"? Not me!
Besides, having BPD doesn't make him "abnormal", nor does having an ASD, they merely make him non-average and (very) non-boring.

i don't care about what he can't do. I don't care about the things he needs help to do. cause it's all minor inconveniences compared to the joy i get from having him in my life. and there is so much he can do that i forget until times like theser that he has never been able to do this much without having someone there who can help him focus. but with that, he is achieving so much.

but as much as we are focussed now on explaining the mess he would be in without me there to guide him, I need to remind him that I would be a mess, just in different ways, without him in my life. I've been through a long relationship with a narcissist that ended as a living hell. I never thought i'd trust anyone close to me again. but i think his openness and honesty about who he was and his difficulties in life helped me see that he was someone who wasn't going to try to be someone else. plus, you really don't get aspies who are narcissists.

I've met a few who are self-absorbed, but that's not quite the same.

so in a way, being loopy is the reason i was able to take that leap of faith and risk trusting him. i'm not idiot enough to think i can portray being loopy as a positive thing, but it isn't all negative on top of negative.

but i think at times like these, he needs a reminder that he is the support I need as much as i am his. and just because he is the one that is diagnosed as needing some extra help, dosen't mean that he needs to feel bad about taking that from me, cause I know, every day, how much better my life is with him. how much support i take from him.

and if i tell him, he will brush it off.

if i tell everyone, that tells him i really believe it.

I think it was pretty much absolutely obvious to all of us how you felt about each other, as soon as you outed yourselves as a couple.

 

[toggle]

i know, we'd only been together a few weeks by then.

but in day to day life, i remind him of what needs doing and he's all ok about that. and i take care of stuff he can't do and we talk together about stuff that need doing and we write lists so he remembers. this is a reminder that he can't cope on his own. that although what i do is no big deal to us when it's happening, that i am carer as well as partner. cause he wouldn't be achieving what he has without me.

and while he's never going to be the sort to get arsey about it, he has always wanted to be an independent person. to not rely on others. to not cause trouble.

the place he was living in in plymouth, belonged to a relative of his stepfather. bakunin didn't say to anyone the state it was in. didn't tell his parents, didn't report it to the housing officer, cause he didn't want to cause trouble. and he wanted to 'cope' without having to fuss about everything. when living in piss poor conditions and with constant abuse from neighbours caused him to loose the plot, the housing people took one look at the place and condemmed it. in a way, trying too hard to cope has caused some of the worst problems he has had. having to admit he needs that help is always going to be the hardest thing for him.

what he needs to understand is that to me, it's no big deal. what he brings to me is far greater than what he takes. as a mother of 3 lovelly kids, i can't say he's the best thing that has ever happened to me. but they love him as well. he is the best thing that could have ahpened to us. so having to take a day off work to go to apointments with him, cause he gets wibbley, or reminding him that the washing up won't do itself, that's no biggie.

and i'll point out i've had no work in a couple of weeks and we are living off what he is earning from his writing. so it's about time he stopped thinking of himself as useless. cause he isn't.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I think it was pretty much absolutely obvious to all of us how you felt about each other, as soon as you outed yourselves as a couple.

 

[Firky]

Wasn't sure which thread to post this in, I think it speaks volumes.

ATOS work assessment centre:

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Wasn't sure which thread to post this in, I think it speaks volumes.

ATOS work assessment centre:

Would be funny if it wasn't so fucking tragic and probably part of the test itself

 

[ViolentPanda]

i know, we'd only been together a few weeks by then.

but in day to day life, i remind him of what needs doing and he's all ok about that. and i take care of stuff he can't do and we talk together about stuff that need doing and we write lists so he remembers. this is a reminder that he can't cope on his own. that although what i do is no big deal to us when it's happening, that i am carer as well as partner. cause he wouldn't be achieving what he has without me.

and while he's never going to be the sort to get arsey about it, he has always wanted to be an independent person. to not rely on others. to not cause trouble.

the place he was living in in plymouth, belonged to a relative of his stepfather. bakunin didn't say to anyone the state it was in. didn't tell his parents, didn't report it to the housing officer, cause he didn't want to cause trouble. and he wanted to 'cope' without having to fuss about everything. when living in piss poor conditions and with constant abuse from neighbours caused him to loose the plot, the housing people took one look at the place and condemmed it. in a way, trying too hard to cope has caused some of the worst problems he has had. having to admit he needs that help is always going to be the hardest thing for him.

what he needs to understand is that to me, it's no big deal. what he brings to me is far greater than what he takes. as a mother of 3 lovelly kids, i can't say he's the best thing that has ever happened to me. but they love him as well. he is the best thing that could have ahpened to us. so having to take a day off work to go to apointments with him, cause he gets wibbley, or reminding him that the washing up won't do itself, that's no biggie.

and i'll point out i've had no work in a couple of weeks and we are living off what he is earning from his writing. so it's about time he stopped thinking of himself as useless. cause he isn't.

I don't have a tear in my eye, it's dust, damn it. Dust!!!

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

what he needs to understand is that to me, it's no big deal. what he brings to me is far greater than what he takes. as a mother of 3 lovelly kids, i can't say he's the best thing that has ever happened to me. but they love him as well. he is the best thing that could have ahpened to us. so having to take a day off work to go to apointments with him, cause he gets wibbley, or reminding him that the washing up won't do itself, that's no biggie.

Can you send him in here so we can all line up to give him a kick up the arse please whilst holding up a big notice stating your feelings?

*gets hobnails ready*

 

[toggle]

atos now claiming he called and cancelled the apointment.

he didn't. he requested a home visit, and was told that he had to get gp's letter, but to assume that the original apointment stood until their decision.