What on earth is going on with the Sickness benefits ? A friend of a friend claimed ESA after a brain injury left him unable to work. This man has been really ill, has been terribly affected mentally to the point he forgets to wash, cannot cook a meal etc. He was put on the lower rate of ESA and after a few weeks had to have a medical - done by ATOS a french company. His sister went along with him, he was distressed, talking gibberish and couldnt answer the questions asked. The person asking the questions said he could walk and he could talk - therefore he was deemed fit for work !! An appeal was lodged - ESA benefit was payed but stayed at the lowest rate whilst awaiting the appeal. The appeal was held at Watford some 18 months later. From Hayes to Watford you have to go into London by train and then back out to Watford, the appeal was at a hotel 10 mins taxi ride from the station. The first question asked was 'How did you get here today' .... when they said public transport and taxi they said they knew they had failed. It was all very formal, the people were firing questions from a form filled in 18 months previous, this man got upset and the outcome was 'Appeal rejected' and all benefits stopped !! He has been in a right state and after lots of phone calls they have found that after going all through this, he can re-apply for the same ESA benefit - which will be paid at the lowest rate until he has a medical by ATOS in a few weeks - and so the whole thing starts again. This is a disgusting way to treat people ! It seems its the governments way to keep people in poverty !! I keep hearing people saying about benefit scroungers living a life of luxury ... I'd like to know who and how because everyone I know of has the same bad experiences and end up with nothing !!!!

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I do not suffer fools !!!!!

I know people on Job Seekers Allowance who get nothing for weeks and weeks despite signing on. It's a nightmare for them. Looking for jobs is very hard with constant visits to the Jobcentre..... and still NO MONEY.

... and yet there is a certain portion of society that seems to get large handouts very erasily

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Lets be careful out there !

The system really is broken the Country cannot afford to be spending the same amount on welfare going forward as has been the case in the past. This applies to all benefits be it housing, disability, job seekers, everything across the board. It's clear the Government have started the work of 'clearing out of the system'.
Sadly it's inevitable some genuine claimants are going to get caught up in the crossfire.

All he can do is appeal and wait. If the medical advice confirms he is unfit to work then eventually he will win through.

I know a lady who almost died in intensive care almost two years ago. After months in hospital she finally came home, but has since been unable to walk more than a few yards without resting. She has scarring on her lungs and is now confined to a wheelchair and needs oxygen. She was refused invalidity benefit as they deemed she could walk more than a certain distance without problems. She appealed and was sent an appointment with a doctor in Ealing. However, when she arrived the doctor was on the 3rd floor of the building. Though there was a lift they wouldn't allow her to use it as if there was an emergency she would not be able to get out of the building. So although they class her as not qualitying for invalidity benefit, they recognise that she would not be able to get down some stairs!! She is still waiting for her appeal!!

Don't envy those who have to sort it out, must take forever with so many, genuine, and none genuine claimants, never the less we only hear of the genuine claimants turned down, the none genuine who are found out should be named and shamed, exposed face justice with maximum publicity, all the time people have a better than even money chance of getting away with it, will the problem continue, at the cost of the Genuine taking time out to be proven innocent contrary to the cornerstone of British law, the onus is surely on the British Government to modify the system, as it was them that never even considered it was open to fraud and abuse, the way it stands the genuine claimants who will suffer from the loss of bennifit, will either have to suffer, or even die, while the fraudsters will get a slap on the wrist when caught, as there are too many to all get punished.

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Its not always the biggest and the bestest, its them that make the least mistakes.

Its the fault of central Government and local authorities in allowing abuse of benefits to become systematic. If they had been more diligent in working out who should be entitled to these benefits before dishing them out then they wouldn't need to trawl the system catching genuine claimants in the net.

It probably has to be said and I am not for one moment suggesting this is the case with any persons mentioned in this thread but those who have made a career out of claiming sickness and invalidity benefits probably think they are entitled when in reality they really are not and as such are capable of some work.

From my own personal experience I have to agree with Jane, and I thank her for posting this. Through know fault of my own I find myself in a very similar situation, and it can literally drive a person to despair.

What I find most disturbing is the fact a perfectly legitimate claim for ( in my case ) ESA, is fully supported by my GP, and The Department for Welfare and Pensions. I have written evidence of that from both parties. My claim was fine up until the point where I had to send off a long and complicated form to ATOS. It took me ages to fill that form in, even with the help of a friend. I heard nothing for weeks, so chased up the DWP. They say ATOS cannot find a record of receiving my form. So I am sent another form. I go through the same steps again, filling it all out with the help of a friend, and send that off.

Weeks later I am still not receiving any payments, I chase that up, and again Im told that ATOS cannot find any record of receiving my form. This has been going on since November 3rd 2011. Between then and now I have received just one payment of £57.86. Trying to deal with this complete nightmare has further damaged my health, to the point I have just spent most of this Easter Weekend in Hospital.

ATOS have a lot to answer for, but are apparently immune from being investigated themselves. WHY ?

They are causing a lot of people a huge amount of distress, and are clearly not fit for purpose, but were awarded the contract anyway.

Is this ATOS this mob? http://www.atos.net/en-us/

Must admit I have never heard of them before but they sound a little like G4S.

That is my point Moley you are considered a fraudster until you prove otherwise, the exact reverse of what British justice is supposed to be about, rules are bent to favour the prosecutor, instead of protecting the innocent. typical of this Government, to always go for the easy option.

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Its not always the biggest and the bestest, its them that make the least mistakes.