Grandad passed fit to work by Atos - despite brain damage, depression, diabetes

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Northerner

Northerner

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A grandad has been passed fit to work by Atos - a month after a stroke left him unable to hold a pen.

David Waite, 60, suffers from a string of health problems including brain damage and depression.

He was referred to a stroke clinic after taking ill in November, just weeks before he was assessed by Atos.

But he was left shocked when examiners told him his benefits were being axed because he was fit for work.

His family say David suffers tremors and shakes and is having more tests to establish his underlying condition.

He also suffers from neck pain and diabetes.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/grandad-passed-fit-work-atos-5039957

:(
 
I scored 1 on ATOS' scale when I had to go. I'd had a nervous breakdown and the ATOS doc dictated her reply saying I wasn't fir by any means but ought to be able to return to work in 2 or 3 months if my progress hitherto continued.

So they stopped my benefit immediately on receipt of the report. I only had a few months to go till retirement - would you train someone who says they intend to retire in 7 months time? Or even employ them for that length of time. Madness. So I registered an Appeal.

All good fun.

My doctor was really lovely and issued me a new note every month until I reached retirement.

Several months later when my OAP had been in payment about 4 months, I had to attend the Appeal. What a joke.

I didn't actually want or need the money - what I wanted and needed were the NI credits, that's all. I could have paid them myself anyway - but you aren't allowed to. So be it. Play it according to their silly rules then.
 
I thought you could pay the NI to bring you up to full entitlement? I'm sure I got a letter about that a few years ago asking me if I wanted to top up after a couple of years of idleness 🙂
 
its all such a sham. When I was made redundant I couldn't claim anything because I was signed off sick from work at the time, but my old company told me they didn't need a sick note for the last month, so despite not being mobile or able to stay awake for more than three hours at a time I was considered fit for work. I could have signed on for universal credit and then had a medical assessment but they'd want to know why I was fit in April but then not fit for work and Diabetes doesn't qualify. When I said it's not the diabetes it's twelve months of a crushing B12 deficiency and then a coma and kidney failure slash partial liver failure, which sort of catches up with you, her face was a picture. The man who lives across the road from me has been claiming disability for at least 20 years for social phobia has never been bothered, and his social phobia doesn't seem to extend to the pub, buses or the two holidays he has in a year. I say again they prey on the weak, because those rare individuals who are pulling a fast one don't give two hoots and will just keep going until they get what they want 😡
 
You can see why ATOS are running away from this contract. They are only working to government processes, the IT systems, assessment criteria and workflows are all set by the government.

Only 40% of assessments are challenged, and of those 40% are upheld. That gives a rate of 86% assessments are correct. That's a higher accuracy rate than the 111 system, just to put it in perspective.


Now the contract is being given to an American company, it will be exactly the same but they're not a "big" name so they will not care about the publicity.

The government has done a great job of diverting publicity to ATOS on this whole process.
 
Can't get Mirror website just now, so can't check, but ATOS carry out medical examinations, then DWP decision makers decides which group of Employment & Support Allowance. If you go to appeal and decision is overturned, then you get back payment. Plus judge often makes it clear to DWP why their initial decsion was wrong.
 
Not quite right Copepod - in fact as long as you can still send in medical certificates, they continue paying you pending the Appeal, then if you lose the Appeal you don't have to repay it.

Have to say I didn't bother much about defending myself, since it really didn't matter by then what they decided. Purely academic.

Northerner you can only pay for gaps where you qualify, eg looking after kids/elderly relatives etc. My gaps in contribution records were by choice - ie I had elected not to pay the full stamp when I married in 1971. Consequently after starting to pay full stamp in 1957, to get the full 20 years basic contribution record for s Stae Pension - I needed to get stamps right up to my 60th birthday, then I'd just squeeze in. I always worked continually right up to age 57+ when I had a nervous breakdown and wildly swinging BG, plus the ruddy statins were causing memory loss (like I'd totally forget eg whole hour-long meetings at work where I was asked to do certain things eg renew a company's insurance policies, nothing important! - and I'd agreed to do that, but didn't. Nightmare - thought I was literally losing my head)

Consequently if someone asked me what can you do? I'd burst into tears and have a ruddy relapse (literally prostrate) because actually - how could I state what I could do, when it was blatantly obvious I couldn't. I only USED to be able to do it. eg That happened one day when I was simply asked for an up to date CV by someone. See what I mean?

Try explaining that to anyone - when you can't understand it yourself. Nightmare.
 
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If someone fails the WCA and is disallowed then first stage of the process is to ask of a Mandatory Reconsideration. If you can get written support of your case from your doctor verifying your medical condition is advantageous. DWP decision makers will look at the case again and if they can will overturn the original decision. If they can't you can then go to appeal. During the appeal process your ESA will continue to be paid. It all started to go downhill when ATOS were investigated and it was found that their health care professionals were not performing the WCA's properly and reports were inaccurate. From then on every piece of their work was under scrutiny. So because of this cases started building up until at one point there was a massive backlog. I know of people who have been on ESA and to this day have still not had a WCA. It was during this time that ATOS decided to give up the contract for DWP. There is another company taking the contract however my guess is they will just employ ATOS staff. If anyone remembers ATOS were originally called ATOS Origin and they rebranded and just called themselves ATOS. I highly doubt much will change.
 
trophywench said:
Not quite right Copepod - in fact as long as you can still send in medical certificates, they continue paying you pending the Appeal, then if you lose the Appeal you don't have to repay it.

Have to say I didn't bother much about defending myself, since it really didn't matter by then what they decided. Purely academic.

Northerner you can only pay for gaps where you qualify, eg looking after kids/elderly relatives etc. My gaps in contribution records were by choice - ie I had elected not to pay the full stamp when I married in 1971. Consequently after starting to pay full stamp in 1957, to get the full 20 years basic contribution record for s Stae Pension - I needed to get stamps right up to my 60th birthday, then I'd just squeeze in. I always worked continually right up to age 57+ when I had a nervous breakdown and wildly swinging BG, plus the ruddy statins were causing memory loss (like I'd totally forget eg whole hour-long meetings at work where I was asked to do certain things eg renew a company's insurance policies, nothing important! - and I'd agreed to do that, but didn't. Nightmare - thought I was literally losing my head)

Consequently if someone asked me what can you do? I'd burst into tears and have a ruddy relapse (literally prostrate) because actually - how could I state what I could do, when it was blatantly obvious I couldn't. I only USED to be able to do it. eg That happened one day when I was simply asked for an up to date CV by someone. See what I mean?

Try explaining that to anyone - when you can't understand it yourself. Nightmare.
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You get backpayment of diffence between rate you were getting and the rate awarded at tribunal, if upgraded. I know you don't pay back if overpaid.
 
You may well be correct, I didn't qualify for anything but the basic payment so I don't know. Anyway I lost anyway cos as I said I didn't tax meself defending it, why bother? And if they disallowed me - well hopefully they might allow someone else who WAS in dire straits.
 
Basic rate of ESA is for the first 13 weeks (92 days) of a claim. This is called the assessment period. When ESA was first thought of the Government envisaged by 92 days claimants would have gone through a WCA and would either be placed in WRAG or Support Group. As we all know very few people have their WCA by the 92nd day but when you do get your WCA and if you get through it your WRAG or Support money is backdated to the 92nd day. It might well have been worth your while fighting for it Trophywench. Then again sometimes you do get to the point you say it's not worth the effort.
 
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