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a new member who has just got my esa decision.

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7 years 2 weeks ago #184287 by Bluelammy
Hi everyone, i'm new here so here goes. I was put IB about 14 years ago after having to leave work because of my disabilities. About 4 years ago i was switched over to esa without an assessment or medical and put in the wrag group. I never challenged this decision as i was hoping i might be able to get employment again. Last year had to reapply for esa and returned the form the dwp sent me in june. I eventually got my esa assessment appointment in february which i attended with my wife. I recieved my decision this week and was told i would be put in the wrag after scoring 15 points because of losing consciousness at least once a week because of my epilepsy. I have suffered from epilepsy for over 40 years, and have also suffered from polio, post polio syndrome for over 55 years plus other problems including spinal problems. I can walk less than 30 metres and wear a caliper on my leg. I was disgusted that i received only 15 points total. Nothing for my mobiilty problems or anything else. The person who done the assessment put on the prognosis. Expected change,Unlikely to work in the longer term and reasons for the opinion given. The available evidence suggests improvement is unlikely in the longer term. I am not happy with this decision and hope to take it further with help from this site.

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7 years 2 weeks ago - 7 years 2 weeks ago #184321 by slugsta
Hi and Welcome to the forum, you might want to have a look at the following FAQ which explains where everything is

Welcome to Benefits and Work

I am sorry that you did not get the ESA decision you hoped for :(

The first thing for you to do is look at the Support Group criteria to see which one/s you believe should apply to you. It doesn't matter how many more points you score, you will only be put into the SG by meeting at least one of these criteria.

Qualifying for the Support Group

If you believe yopu should have met SG critieria, your next step is to request a Mandatory Reconsideration. You have 1 month form the date of the Decision Letter to get this submitted to DWP. The process is explained in our ESA guide.

ESA claims and appeals

It will be helpful to get a copy of the assessor's report (ESA85), DWP usually send them out on request. You can phone and ask but we always recommend following everything up in writing.

If the ESA85 has not arrived in time, do not delay in getting your MR request submitted. You can tell DWP that you will send in more information when you have seen the report and they should allow you more time.

I must warn you that, although it is not common, it is possible for the MR to remove your ESA award completely. This decision would be appealable.

You are required to attend Work Focussed Interviews while in the WRAG. It might be possible for these to be carried out over the phone, this is entirely at the discretion of the advisor. Phone and discuss it if an appointment arrives and you are not able to attend.

Come back to us when you have seen your ESA85 and have a better idea of why you were not deemed to meet the SG descriptors.

May I suggest that you bookmark/favourite this on your web browser now so that you can find it easily in future? This will allow you to return with further questions or comments about your ESA without having to start a new topic each time. We ask members to keep everything relating to the same claim in one topic as it helps us enormously - and I hope you will find it useful too :)

Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
Last edit: 7 years 2 weeks ago by slugsta.

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