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Won My Esa Appeal


hummm_mabbe

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Im same as you maize, its mental health related issues that affect me. ESA is given for both physical and mental health related reasons.

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Wow Rossie Mcfluffikins, just seen this,

am soooooooo happy for you hun!!! Yaaay!! :masked::masked::masked:

Nw you can go at your own pace, which sounds far more sensible to me!!

x

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Thats great news Ross, i'm happy for you. it must have been really difficult and stressful, that probably hasnt worn off yet but when it has i hope you'll feel happy about it.

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Hello

For some reason I dont yet feel elated, I guess because I had a bit of an anxiety attack when the person phoned and am still de-wobbly-ing ... but I have won my appeal and can now get ESA at the same rate I was having incapacity. Am so glad I didnt have to go to a tribunal hearing, they changed it on the basis of documents sent by my doctor and therapist.

Just want to say thank you to the people here who encouraged me to appeal and supported me, I think it was Snowman (sorry if I got that wrong!) that was prodding me the most to do it :)

This means I can go back to having therapy twice a month instead of monthly. I am going to have to have work focused interviews, but thats ok because my long term plan is to do some voluntary work to ease me back into being around people first, see how I handle that. Hopefully the Job Centre can help with that, pathways to work or whatever.

I dont know why I dont feel relieved though, maybe just got lots of other emotions to work through, I dont know.

Ross

Oh wow you are so lucky if you got that on psychological grounds, i was kicked off ESA even though my doctor said i should be on it, but people with conversion/psycho-somatic disorder get discriminated against by the ESA deciders dispite sometimes being the most incapacitated.. im happy for you and annoyed at the same time, ah well.

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Thanks everyone.

To anyone who may need to undergo an appeal, please do check out the many websites about ESA appeals. Its not right, but there are very specific wordings and evidence types you need to provide, and even loopholes that can be invoked. Sometimes even a letter from a doctor is not enough, because the way the benefit is assessed is via a very jump-through-hoops computerised system.

Get yourself over to http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/ or some of the links in THIS THREAD. Maybe get in touch with your local welfare support or the CAB - you need as much ammo and 'correct' practice as possible.

When you get your assessment through, you should get a copy of how they scored you (if you dont get a copy, ask for one). Its each of these ratings you need to challenge, and if its for mental health reasons then there are about 7 very specific MH 'sections' you need to focus on. There is also an 'all bets are off' clause if a return to work would cause immediate harm to you or other people in some way. If you submit letters from professionals, make them aware of those things too - they need to know what to flag up in a very specific way, or it won't fit the "computer says no" mentality of how the assessment works. Aim at challenging the 'scored' assessment and your appeal will be more directed at the important issues. I have read of a number of people that a doctor's letter didnt help, simply because it was not targeted in this way.

As I said, its not fair, it shouldnt be like this. It IS about getting people off benefits, and justifying sending vulnerable people back to work. The system isnt exactly set up in your favour, so thats why you need to know what it needs to hear and to find that evidence in your own circumstances. A significant amount of people are 'failing' medicals, only to win at appeal, and there is recognition within the system itself that the process is flawed. Sadly it doesnt seem that recognition is going to change it any time soon, so thats why its necessary to find out as much information as possible.

If you are at questionnaire stage, then seek as much written medical support as you can upfront (doctors, therapists etc). The questionnaire says dont include extras - ignore that and send them anyway. This helps a lot of people get over the first hurdle. Again make sure any supporting evidence jumps through the right hoops, using evidence from your own circumstances. Also use the above sites for advice on what to include and what not to include.

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well done :bigarmhug[1]: its a tough thing going through an appeal... im going through one now... i hope life gets easier for you

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well done :bigarmhug[1]: its a tough thing going through an appeal... im going through one now... i hope life gets easier for you

Awww thanks :) What stage are you at with it all, hows it going? I know its horribly stressful isnt it :(

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well dla are waiting to here back from the dr i went to see for a medical examination... which is seeming to take forever. then after that who knows whats next. the dla form itself was stressful let the not knowing if im even going to be approved.... sometimes i wish i had never applied

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