Hi everyone after being diagnosed with ms in 2007 i have finally found out that im relapse and remitting… big sigh… then today i find out that my esa claim has been closed… reason was that i have not attened a medical although i sent paper work off back in feb, so im fuming as i had no letters, phone calls etc, i think the dwp or esa really dont have a clue what they are doing so basically im not sure what to do/where to go from here?? any advice would be appriciated
Hey Si
Having been through the mill that is ESA right from the start of it’s introduction, I know how frustrating the system is. What you must do straight away is lodge a complaint with Atos straight away. They are the company who carry out the Work Capability Assessment for the DWP.
There is a possibility that Atos and/or the DWP have an incorrect post code and have sent it out. Although if you are receiving correspondence from the DWP, as you appear to be, then this means that it is Atos at fault and not the DWP. I have heard of this happenning before and must admit that, if it is this, then you have ground for a complaint. What you need to do is find out which Atos office deal with your claim, You need to ask THEM to confirm what post code is that they have for your address.
Also if you can it would be good to speak to an agency such as the Citizens Advice Bureau as they will be in a position to really help you. I would also do this as matter of urgency as, I may be wrong, it could be up to six months before you are able to make another claim for ESA. Make an appointment to see your MP and let them know what has happened, this is why MP’s are there. I had to get mine involved in my DLA claim which took 6 months to get resolved but only when he got involved.
Another good thing to do would be to join the Benefits and Work website. It costs £20 for an annual subscription and it has excellent guides for both ESA and DLA. I have found these guides extremely helpful and helped several MS’ers to successfully claim ESA. I am no expert in ESA, but I under the frustration and anger you must be feeling right now. PLEASE seek help from the CAB and your MP straight away as you need to get moving on this straight away.
Hi many thanks chubster for the advice :)… i have contacted CAB and im awaiting an appointment with them today… when i last spoke to esa asking why i had not heard from the medical place the chap said that they were behind so it might be a while before i hear anything but they will ring me. that was back in march. I will definatly speak to my local mp later today and i will try that benefits and work website also… once again many thanks 