Attendance Allowance

[am64]

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=6437

first part ...more to come 😉

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=11025

and finally

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=11396

quote ....




I WON!

The hearing took about 35 minutes with a judge and a doctor on their side and me and the CAB Rep on the other. They worked their way through the assessment report point by point, asking me questions about how true the statements were and what I had been like then (February). Then they asked me to wait outside while they discussed things and less than two minutes later I had the decision. The original assessment gave me a total score of 9 (you need at least fifteen to be declared unfit for work). The tribunal upped that score to 18, so I win and they've thrown away thousands of quid on a flaming farce.

That last bit is the one that really angers me. It cost a blasted fortune to pursue this, at a minimum, ?2,000, probably more. Multiply that by x thousand people across the country and the cost is staggering. CAB here had around 700 of these appeals last year and didn't lose any. They haven't lost any this year and aren't likely to. It beggars belief.
__________________

and more ....COSTINGS

The whole thing involved:

Medical assessment
Document production, correspondence and postage
Staff costs
Judge
Doctor
Court Reporter
CAB Rep
Security
Transport costs and loss of earnings
Venue, facilities and utilities

Based on data from a friend who knows. She tells me it probably cost more like ?3,000 to pursue this appeal. Multiply that by the roughly 1,400 people going the the process in Inverness in the past two years and it's costing upwards of ?4.2 million in this town alone. There are tens of thousands of people across the UK in the same boat, maybe a thousand or so are actually malingerers. Add it up and the costs are horrendous.

last bit i promise ..just food for thought

Sorry, I'm still harping on about the costs of all this. 1,400 people is about 10% of the population of this area. So, 10% of the population of the UK is around 7 million. 7 million times 3000 = ?210 bmillion. So it seems that our beloved leaders have conceivably spent ?210 million on failed attempts to cut benefit costs by hounding folk who are genuinely ill.

Is your mind boggled yet? Mine is.

 

[ypauly]

Sorry, I'm still harping on about the costs of all this. 1,400 people is about 10% of the population of this area. So, 10% of the population of the UK is around 7 million. 7 million times 3000 = ?210 bmillion. So it seems that our beloved leaders have conceivably spent ?210 million on failed attempts to cut benefit costs by hounding folk who are genuinely ill.

Is your mind boggled yet? Mine is.

You seem to have gotten a bit of a bee in your bonnet as all I did was offer advice in the form of a useful link and advocated truth.

Surely just by putting the truth on the forms you will get what you are entitled?

Money saving expert has a benefits check up service.
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/benefits-check

I did point out that I am aware of the system due to my parents who have had benefits stopped several times over the last eighteen or years and I don't think I need educating on it.

wealthfare fraud is not a crime against the goverment nor is it against the taxpayer, it is against the most needy and deserving people in this land.

You also use a case where the truth won. You also failed to mention how many claims were dropped by people that didn't want to attend court for fear of having to repay moneys claimed fraudulently, which may or may not show that ?210 million (if this figure is accurate) is well spent.


ETA anyway none of this is going to help the OP who seems to be having a bad time trying to manage the condition and I hope that gets sorted soon.

 

[am64]

hehe Ypauly ...i know but i just love winding you up !😉 take care and happy new year !

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Surely just by putting the truth on the forms you will get what you are entitled?

Money saving expert has a benefits check up service.
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/benefits-check

Yes you have to be very truthful filling in the forms.
Which means telling the office people what your worst day is like. They like the forms filled in just so.
So simple solution is to get the experts to fill in the form for you. 🙂

Hopefully OP will get all she is entitled. 🙂

 

[trophywench]

What happens with ESA Paul, is that after 6 months if the DWP doc decides you are still worthy, you get paid a higher rate. If they say you aren't but your doctor says you are still writes medical certs (I dunno what happens now they are 'fit' notes) they continue to pay you at the lower rate then should you win your appeal, they owe you all the back pay of the difference between the two. And of course you continue to get paid at the higher rate every fortnight thereafter and don't have to submit monthly doctor's certs. Or whatever the rules say now.

If you lose the appeal OK so your ESA would stop immediately, but you do NOT have to repay what they've already paid you.

However if you say - I ain't going to this hearing, what's the point, eg cos I'm retired now anyway and haven't even been claiming ESA for X number of months - and they find against you - THEN and only then, do you become responsible to repay the monies. So you MUST attend the hearing even though you don't care and have absolutely no interest in what they decide since it's purely academic, entirely pointless and a waste of time effort and money. (Except it wouldn't be - had you been entirely dependant on those benefits - luckily since I continued to send my husband out to work plus I was claiming occupational pensions - I wasn't)

Obviously if it becomes an actual court case because they suspect you of fraud or whatever, then the court can decide you need to repay whatever.

 

[Copepod]

Actually, decision for DLA / AA is made on what you're like most of the time, so that's why form asks what help you need and how often you need that ie how many days / nights per week, and how long each time.

ESA is different - looking at in/ability to work, not need for help with care / mobility needs.

 

[ypauly]

What happens with ESA Paul, is that after 6 months if the DWP doc decides you are still worthy, you get paid a higher rate. If they say you aren't but your doctor says you are still writes medical certs (I dunno what happens now they are 'fit' notes) they continue to pay you at the lower rate then should you win your appeal, they owe you all the back pay of the difference between the two. And of course you continue to get paid at the higher rate every fortnight thereafter and don't have to submit monthly doctor's certs. Or whatever the rules say now.

If you lose the appeal OK so your ESA would stop immediately, but you do NOT have to repay what they've already paid you.

However if you say - I ain't going to this hearing, what's the point, eg cos I'm retired now anyway and haven't even been claiming ESA for X number of months - and they find against you - THEN and only then, do you become responsible to repay the monies. So you MUST attend the hearing even though you don't care and have absolutely no interest in what they decide since it's purely academic, entirely pointless and a waste of time effort and money. (Except it wouldn't be - had you been entirely dependant on those benefits - luckily since I continued to send my husband out to work plus I was claiming occupational pensions - I wasn't)

Obviously if it becomes an actual court case because they suspect you of fraud or whatever, then the court can decide you need to repay whatever.

Why are you telling me? I am familiar with the system and have said so several times.

All the facts for costs used were supplied by AM64 including the judge and court reporter. So it is safe to assume that we are talking about court cases and only court cases.

and more ....COSTINGS

The whole thing involved:

Medical assessment
Document production, correspondence and postage
Staff costs
Judge
Doctor
Court Reporter
CAB Rep
Security
Transport costs and loss of earnings
Venue, facilities and utilities

 

[FM001]

Take a read of this http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/nov/21/benefits-appeals-system-near-collapse to see what a shambles the ConDems have created.

 

[ypauly]

Take a read of this http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/nov/21/benefits-appeals-system-near-collapse to see what a shambles the ConDems have created.

Funny that, it was under Labour it went pear shaped. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10159717 Take a look at the date. It was also under Labour the current mess was born and is absolutely NOT caused by the coalition. But as we are now aware Labour ruining the economy and doing NOTHING about the debt and deficit for the last two years in office in order to buy votes has stopped any chance of it being sorted soon.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmworpen/313/313.pdf


But don't let your hatred get in the way of facts.

 

[Northerner]

Can we calm the language please. I know people have passionate feelings about politics, but remember that this is not the House of Commons. Whatever the background to these things, I suspect things have always been difficult when it comes to claiming certain benefits.

 

[ypauly]

Can we calm the language please. I know people have passionate feelings about politics, but remember that this is not the House of Commons. Whatever the background to these things, I suspect things have always been difficult when it comes to claiming certain benefits.

Why have you quoted me when you say calm the language? it wasn't me that stated a lie nor was it me that was petty name calling "condem"


I have re-read my postand do not see any problem with the language.

 

[trophywench]

LOL - FWIW the benefits system was a shambles when I went to work for it in 1966 and although there have been changes - Oh yes, many changes - not all of em have been improvements!!

It's too big, it's like mist wrestling. Always has been IMHO.

Incidentally - it wasn't my fault, I left in early 1967 !!!

 

[ypauly]

LOL - FWIW the benefits system was a shambles when I went to work for it in 1966 and although there have been changes - Oh yes, many changes - not all of em have been improvements!!

It's too big, it's like mist wrestling. Always has been IMHO.

Incidentally - it wasn't my fault, I left in early 1967 !!!

Very well said. We could look back to who stopped the public using social security offices or when they were merged with job centres but there would be no point. The benefits system is too big and too costly and always has been and every goverment since it's creation has looked for ways of saving money.