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Newbie needing ESA and PIP advice please!
- spaceinvader
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5 years 11 months ago #220164 by spaceinvader
Newbie needing ESA and PIP advice please! was created by spaceinvader
Hi all,
Came across this site almost by accident and how glad I am that I did. This whole ESA/PIP thing is a minefield to say the least.
I am hoping someone can help me with the following. I'll try to keep it brief, sorry in advance for any waffling...
Worked until Dec 2016 when I went on sick leave from work due to suffering a miscarriage. Had complications afterwards but with it being Xmas I tried to push it all to the back of my mind and get on with making it as wonderful as possible for my then 1 year old son.
Having suffered the misery of anxiety since I was 14, in the January of 2017 it came back with a vengeance. I found the guts to end my abusive relationship which then triggered the anxiety more. The panic attacks and being stuck miles away from my family (my son's father lived in a different part of the country) and on my own escalated things. By February my family were so concerned I ended up walking out my house with my son and driving over 200 miles home to my parents house. I didn't go back to my own (rented) house till the June of 2017 to collect our belongings. I just couldn't do it. I ended up in a and e twice with 'acute panic attacks'. Went to my doctor and was prescribed escitalopram at 10mg a day.
Work held my job open for me but i knew I wasn't going back.i had had a breakdown and could barely function day to day. I got prescribed a higher dose of escitalopram of 20mg per day and also 40mg of propanalol.
After my sick pay from work ended. I went onto contribution based ESA. Went for the medical and was put into the work activity group. I knew at the time I should have been in the support group but just didn't have the headspace to try and fight it
Then I get the letter this year to say my contribution based ESA has tan out so no more payments. I got send for another medical. Put back in the work activity group again. NO payments. Was told I had to then apply for income based ESA. NO ONE had told me this when I had rang them countless times.
I filled in the forms and have just been told I've been accepted for income based. I'm still waiting for the paperwork. I've already had to go to JCP for a meeting about helping me back into work. The anxiety building up to that was almost bad enough to make me just tell them where to shove it. The woman at JCP said she didn't know why I had been sent either as I was waiting for psychotherapy to start which I had already explained in my ESA application.
I want to appeal it this time to be moved into the support group. I've had no paperwork about my medical assessment results or my income related ESA 'award'.
In between all of this I've been to CBT sessions and have been on the waiting list for psychotherapy. I'm now just waiting for my assessment for psychotherapy thanks to my GP pushing it on for me as I've waited over a year and a half now just for the assessment
I know there is no way I can return to work yet. If i could, I kept definitely would. This benefits thing has been an absolute nightmare and not worth all the stress!
Do I need to wait for the letters confirming my medical assessment results to appeal against me being put in the work activity group or can I appeal now?
I've alsojust applied for PIP for the first time. I have received the forms yesterday. Will be using this site to get help filling them in too as not sure how they react to someone with anxiety.
Many thanks in advance for your help!
Came across this site almost by accident and how glad I am that I did. This whole ESA/PIP thing is a minefield to say the least.
I am hoping someone can help me with the following. I'll try to keep it brief, sorry in advance for any waffling...
Worked until Dec 2016 when I went on sick leave from work due to suffering a miscarriage. Had complications afterwards but with it being Xmas I tried to push it all to the back of my mind and get on with making it as wonderful as possible for my then 1 year old son.
Having suffered the misery of anxiety since I was 14, in the January of 2017 it came back with a vengeance. I found the guts to end my abusive relationship which then triggered the anxiety more. The panic attacks and being stuck miles away from my family (my son's father lived in a different part of the country) and on my own escalated things. By February my family were so concerned I ended up walking out my house with my son and driving over 200 miles home to my parents house. I didn't go back to my own (rented) house till the June of 2017 to collect our belongings. I just couldn't do it. I ended up in a and e twice with 'acute panic attacks'. Went to my doctor and was prescribed escitalopram at 10mg a day.
Work held my job open for me but i knew I wasn't going back.i had had a breakdown and could barely function day to day. I got prescribed a higher dose of escitalopram of 20mg per day and also 40mg of propanalol.
After my sick pay from work ended. I went onto contribution based ESA. Went for the medical and was put into the work activity group. I knew at the time I should have been in the support group but just didn't have the headspace to try and fight it
Then I get the letter this year to say my contribution based ESA has tan out so no more payments. I got send for another medical. Put back in the work activity group again. NO payments. Was told I had to then apply for income based ESA. NO ONE had told me this when I had rang them countless times.
I filled in the forms and have just been told I've been accepted for income based. I'm still waiting for the paperwork. I've already had to go to JCP for a meeting about helping me back into work. The anxiety building up to that was almost bad enough to make me just tell them where to shove it. The woman at JCP said she didn't know why I had been sent either as I was waiting for psychotherapy to start which I had already explained in my ESA application.
I want to appeal it this time to be moved into the support group. I've had no paperwork about my medical assessment results or my income related ESA 'award'.
In between all of this I've been to CBT sessions and have been on the waiting list for psychotherapy. I'm now just waiting for my assessment for psychotherapy thanks to my GP pushing it on for me as I've waited over a year and a half now just for the assessment
I know there is no way I can return to work yet. If i could, I kept definitely would. This benefits thing has been an absolute nightmare and not worth all the stress!
Do I need to wait for the letters confirming my medical assessment results to appeal against me being put in the work activity group or can I appeal now?
I've alsojust applied for PIP for the first time. I have received the forms yesterday. Will be using this site to get help filling them in too as not sure how they react to someone with anxiety.
Many thanks in advance for your help!
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- Gordon
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5 years 11 months ago #220173 by Gordon
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
Replied by Gordon on topic Newbie needing ESA and PIP advice please!
spaceinvader
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
You can't do anything about your ESA until a Decision is made, however, you do not need to wait for written notice of this, as soon as the Decision is made and you know the result, then you can take action.
To be placed in the Support Group you are going to need to show that you meet one or more of the SG Descriptors, can you do this?
The first stage to challenging a Decision is for you to request a Mandatory Reconsideration, this needs to be done in writing to the DWP, within one month of the Decision, to the office that dealt with your claim, have a look at our ESA MR & Appeal guide for details of the process, the ESA area also has template letters that you can use to make the request with.
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/help-for-claimants/esa1
You should contact the DWP for a copy of the assessment report if you have not already done so, It's an ESA85 if you had a face to face or an ESA85A if you did not, I would phone them but again follow up the request in writing. Once you have the assessment report you will have a better understanding of how the DWP Decision Maker has come to their conclusions and will then be able to argue against them.
Re your PIP claim, have a look at our PIP Claim guide for assistance with completing the form]
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/help-for-claimants/pip
If you have any specific questions then please reply to this post and we will do our best to help.
Gordon
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
You can't do anything about your ESA until a Decision is made, however, you do not need to wait for written notice of this, as soon as the Decision is made and you know the result, then you can take action.
To be placed in the Support Group you are going to need to show that you meet one or more of the SG Descriptors, can you do this?
The first stage to challenging a Decision is for you to request a Mandatory Reconsideration, this needs to be done in writing to the DWP, within one month of the Decision, to the office that dealt with your claim, have a look at our ESA MR & Appeal guide for details of the process, the ESA area also has template letters that you can use to make the request with.
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/help-for-claimants/esa1
You should contact the DWP for a copy of the assessment report if you have not already done so, It's an ESA85 if you had a face to face or an ESA85A if you did not, I would phone them but again follow up the request in writing. Once you have the assessment report you will have a better understanding of how the DWP Decision Maker has come to their conclusions and will then be able to argue against them.
Re your PIP claim, have a look at our PIP Claim guide for assistance with completing the form]
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/help-for-claimants/pip
If you have any specific questions then please reply to this post and we will do our best to help.
Gordon
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
The following user(s) said Thank You: spaceinvader
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5 years 11 months ago #220214 by spaceinvader
Replied by spaceinvader on topic Newbie needing ESA and PIP advice please!
Thank you Gordon for replying and for the advice
How do I find out what the support group descriptors are?
How do I find out what the support group descriptors are?
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5 years 10 months ago #220237 by Gordon
They are listed in the ESA Claim guides, link in my previous post.
Gordon
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
Replied by Gordon on topic Newbie needing ESA and PIP advice please!
spaceinvader wrote: Thank you Gordon for replying and for the advice
How do I find out what the support group descriptors are?
They are listed in the ESA Claim guides, link in my previous post.
Gordon
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
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5 years 10 months ago #220284 by spaceinvader
Replied by spaceinvader on topic Newbie needing ESA and PIP advice please!
Ah yes I have them now. Thank you
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