Disability claimants pushed to the brink by 'faceless' benefits system

[Northerner]

Fourteen years ago, Christian Dalley sustained serious brain damage in a motorbike accident and had to undergo two emergency lobotomies in the days after the crash. Although in some ways his recovery has been remarkable, the injuries to his brain have left him barely able to read and struggling to organise his life.

His neurosurgeon's assessment is that he will find it "very difficult to return to any form of paid employment", a conclusion that Dalley, with some regret, views as accurate.

However, shortly before Christmas, Dalley had his third Atos work capability assessment in as many years. He points out that since 2009, he has been caught up in a near-continuous process of persuading benefits staff that he cannot work. He was twice ruled fit for work and he twice appealed against the decision at a tribunal, where judges on both occasions found him not capable of working and reinstated sickness benefits.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/jan/04/disability-claimants-work-assessments-atos

 

[trophywench]

Well Northie, it's amazing. My ATOS assessment said - and I didn't basically disagree with this prognosis - that I wasn't fit for work right now, but that if I carried on improving the way I had already done so far, I could be fit for work again in about 3 months' time.

Yet the DWP totally ignored that and immediately disallowed my ESA. So I then had to contact the CAB - because I had absolutely NO CLUE whatever what to do - who couldn't help, I wasn't entitled because Pete has some money stashed - but put me in touch with someone ay a charity who could, who advised me to appeal immediately, so then you have to ring up and press buttons and wait and wait till half an hour later (by which time you are worked up into a burbling wreck since you know they are doing it deliberately just to persecute you; they aren't - but that's what happens to your head eventually when you are mentally ill) you get through to a person and request the forms.

This set me back at least 6 months frankly, it was SO stressful to me, I only knew how to work, not how to claim benefits and all the benefits agencies expect you to know everything immediately - kinda like the police turning up out of the blue today and asking where you were at 19.32 oclock on the 14th September 2011 - or something. Christ! - at times, I could hardly tell anyone my name.

The whole caboodle is a complete shambles.