It’s taken me 3 days as I had to have so many breaks. But I just finished it and all the additional pages for relavent questions.
I’m exhausted but also SO pleased that it is done! I feel like I’ve been through a trauma of some kind… BUT it is done!!!
I’m just waiting for letter from physio and one from a close friend who has written how she has seen how MS affects me and I can post it off. Oh and yes make a photocopy of it… trivial stuff compared to answering all of those damned questions!
What did I do before I started on the form? I can’t remember normal life…
Well done Pat, now put your feet up, have some choc, relax, and forget it. If there is any justice in this world, it should take you straight into the ‘not fit to work’ group (sorry I can’t for the life of me think of its proper name). In fact, we should not have to go through the palaver of all these forms, it should be common sense to these people that we are not going to wake up one morning and find we no longer have ms.
I send mine recorded that way gets there. It will be fine it’s just one of those hoops we have to struggle through to tick their boxes for them. They have no idea nor care how stressful situations like that are for us. I am lucky I have Heather she sorts all that stuff now.
well done Pat…bet you are so exhausted but so relieved… i am still waiting for the dreaded brown envelope …good luck with it hope you get put in the support group,im sure you will…
I am SO tired today. Ache all over. A day in bed for me.
I will definitely send recorded. Thanks for that. Great idea!
Mrs J… it doesn’t start with an envelope coming through the door. First you get a letter from DWP saying that the process is starting. Then within 2 weeks you get a phonecall from DWP saying same thing and asking if you have questions. Then a half-size white envelope comes (don’t know what you call that size, but it’s half the size of those big envelopes) and on the back it says Atos Healthcare…(care???).
Hi Pat, well done for completing that epic questionnaire!
My daughter filled mine in and took 3 hours! She did learn a lot more about how difficult life is for me and her dad.
I got a phone call about 2 weeks after Id sent it off, to say I was in the support group.They said I wont need to claim again. But as I will be 62 next month and will receive my state pension in March, thats why!
As you are now 60+ Pat, I think you`ll hear the same.
Three days sounds impressively quick to me, particularly given that you need to identify all the traps laid to catch the unwary. Well done. Can I ask if you need to include a supporting letter from GP, Neuro or nurse, as I never see mine and doubt they have the faintest idea about my condition.
I am more concerned about Scotland right now, but no doubt my time will come.
Hi Whammel, they say to give contact details of specialist, specialist nurse, any other contact.
I asked my MS nurse if she could do letter and she said give them her contact details… but my physio is doing letter. I’m including letters from neuro (the good ones… there’s one useless one), letter from bowel nurse and a good friend has written a letter saying how she see’s MS affecting me.
I went all out to do it quickly. Last time I applied for DLA I decided to do a bit a day… and then would frequently put it off… and it became like a never ending nightmare… a big black cloud always hanging over my head.
So this time I did it full on… with lots of breaks… but I did little else for 3 days until it was done. I think it’s 5 pages of ‘additional information’. They basically have everything there is to know about how MS affects me.
Well we’ll soon know if Scotland is staying with us or not. For our sake I hope they stay, but honestly if I was Scots… well why on earth would you want to stay with our rotten corrupt Westminster?
Thanks Pat, that gives me a clear idea on the strategy to adopt. Fingers crossed Atos pull their finger out and the process is as painless as possible.
I think Smart Alex has run rings around Dave and will win whatever the result, but like you, I prefer to keep 40 Labour MP’s if at all possible. The fallout in Westminster will almost certainly be a bloody affair, which is probably no bad thing.
Pat well done for getting it all done. Have to say I agree with your description about the black cloud if you don’t start almost immediately, until you forget and start panicking at the last minute. Crossing fingers for you getting a quick and positive response. Rest now with chocolate of course.
I filled in all my ESA stuff last February. I then completed an ATOS medical questionaire. I’m on contribution based ESA which runs out next April. I haven’t heard anything from them about a personal assessment yet. Either they’ve lost my forms (unlikely) or they’ve decided I’m disabled enough to leave until as late as possible!
Steve I had a little browse through posts on EL board about ESA and saw that one woman has been waiting since May 2013 to hear back after submitting form!
Jeeez if they leave it that long I’ll be even more disabled than I am now!
Pat xx (I’m still in Post ESA Form Is Actually Filled Out Ecstasy)
Good luck with it