Work Focused Interviews

A word of caution to anyone involved in WFI's and WRA.

Apparently, there are some "Voluntary" programmes, where once you "Volunteer" you can be subject to sanctions if you do not comply with the full term of the "programme".

Make sure that you get everything clarified in writing regarding any "Voluntary" programme, before "Volunteering"

bro58

To be honest, I am not sure that I would want my ESA50 passed on to someone from JCP. After all, these forms often contain very personal and embarrasing details! I would rather tell the adviser as much as I felt they needed to know at the time.

Hi. I received a letter about my first Work Focused Interview only days after getting the letter to say I was in the WRAG group - this slowed my up with doing my appeal against not being in the support group, because you now only have 4 weeks to send an appeal in.

Anyway - I phoned the number on the Jobcentre letter and asked to speak to the writer - someone tool a message and said she would call me back. I eventually got to speak to her a couple of days later. I asked her if I could have the interview over the phone as I was unwell. She wasn't particularly helpful and seemed to think I was making excuses. I repeated I was not well enough to attend and was supposed to be resting with an acute infection and on a waiting list for some tests. She accepted this and said she would do a telephone interview the following week. (So you need to be prepared to be polite and state things clearly, even when people are perhaps not so polite).

The following week she telephoned me for the interview and asked me quite a lot of questions which meant I told her quite a bit of detail about my main condition, and current acute conditions - and I also explained all the attempts I had made to get back to work over the last 15 years, and how each one had failed and exacerbated my condition. I also told her that my current financial set up meant I was actually saving the Government money, because my house equity is invested to provide me with a small income by the way of interest, to top up the ESA/IB and I lived as a lodger in someone else's house to be able to live cheaply. Whereas if I bought another house and had no other income, I would be claiming all sorts of other benefits.

By the time I had finished, and spoken quite naturally and said how much I would love to have a job and paid holidays, she was quite nice and normal and even gave me some advice. She said my appeal could take a year to go through and I should look out for myself and change my current financial set up or I would be in a mess in a year's time. She said that as I was unwell and appealing she would not ask me to have another interview for six months.

I have to say, it made it harder to deal with the appeal with this happening in the middle of it!

I don't know what your situation is, but they do seem very keen to get you in there for the interview - initially she had said I could get a taxi - it was only because I had an acute infection that worsened with any activity, that she accepted doing the telephone interview. If you are unwell, or any exertion would exacerbate your condition, you could try phoning them and ask for a telephone interview. My impression was that they are not keen to give them, but different people and offices will vary I suppose.

I found it easier to explain some of the reasons why I did not even want to try and work any more, over the phone, because I was comfortable and in familiar surroundings - but I would have done the same if I had had to go in - ie be prepared - have all the info to hand, or in your head, of every attempt you have made to get back to work, and what the problems were, and how much help you had and still couldn't achieve it. Be prepared to have to explain your condition to people who don't know about the medical side of things, how it affects you in environments and time-scales and so on. I found being genuine about how I felt about things seemed to help - they can tell when you are being genuine.

It was only in the first call, before she knew my situation, that she was really quite rude and said I was expected to DO something for this money - it wasn't free. That was infuriating but I remained calm and stayed silent until she said the next thing.

I had my first work focused interview today! Rather an odd affair truth be told. The gentleman taking it was ok when I told him was appealing as I believed I should be in the support group he said I shouldn't be attending in that case. He then said I've no appeal lodged on the system, I informed i had received a letter to state I had sent in form GL24. He then just asked afew questions and stated I've a date for review dated May 14.

I then came home phoned up the office dealing with my claim. The informed me the appeal is with the decision maker but there is a large backlog. I told them I was told no appeal was logged on the system the woman I was speaking too, who was extremely pleasant, said they don't log appeals as such jus the results of them.

I then mentioned I'd asked for the ESA85A form and was told it couldn't be printed of as I had a home visit. I told her I never had a medical. She then said it was the medical I had for the DLA right payment programme that was on their screen.

Confused just a tad lol

Karlo wrote: I had my first work focused interview today! Rather an odd affair truth be told. The gentleman taking it was ok when I told him was appealing as I believed I should be in the support group he said I shouldn't be attending in that case. He then said I've no appeal lodged on the system, I informed i had received a letter to state I had sent in form GL24. He then just asked afew questions and stated I've a date for review dated May 14.

I then came home phoned up the office dealing with my claim. The informed me the appeal is with the decision maker but there is a large backlog. I told them I was told no appeal was logged on the system the woman I was speaking too, who was extremely pleasant, said they don't log appeals as such jus the results of them.

I then mentioned I'd asked for the ESA85A form and was told it couldn't be printed of as I had a home visit. I told her I never had a medical. She then said it was the medical I had for the DLA right payment programme that was on their screen.

Confused just a tad lol

Hi K,

If you have had a "Home Medical" recently for DLA, then it would appear that they have used this as evidence in coming to the decision to place you into The WRAG.

Even if The WRAG award was made as a result of a paper assessment, there would still be an ESA85A, and you should still be able to obtain a copy of the DLA Home Medical Report, (if one took place)

bro58

Hello
I have had a telephone call with JCP, they STRESS how important is is to appear at the first WFI, I was told its mandatory to attend, had a chat to the advisor, tried to get a feel for the type of person who I will be meeting ...

I noted that they have some info on my conditions which I did not mention on my esa50, such as places I had been seen for medical reasons along with dates etc, so I can see that there seems to be a central pooling of info from verious other arms of the nhs services that they can draw on.

How long was the WFI for anyone who had one recently ???

Regards, Derek