Medical evidence

Teadrinker61

Hello, I'm new here and wanted to ask about the medical evidence you sent in with your UC50 form? I'm already in LCWRA group and I have been sent a UC50 form, so I got Age UK to come to help with filling it in. 
I'm a total bag of nerves and recently my mum passed away 😢 and I'm not coping with life well.  I'm seeing a bereavement counsellor too. I had very little medical evidence to send in so the lady from Age UK said that I shouldn't bother because if they needed to know about your conditions they will just contact your GP. 
I'm suffering with osteoarthritis and my hands are so painful.  I have fibromyalgia, bowel problems, severe anxiety and depression. Carpel tunnel syndrome and a suspected inguinal hernia still pending investigation. Do you think I should have listened to the advice not to worry about sending any medical evidence in?
Has anyone else not sent any in and has it affected the outcome 🤔 

AtlasShoulders

@Teadrinker61 I'm really sorry to hear about your loss, but I'm glad you are receiving the appropriate support.

When it comes to reassessment, they are essentially trying to establish whether your functional ability has remained the same/worsened or whether it has improved.

I feel the lady from Age UK is right. As you have already been found to be LCWRA, there's no need for you to prove that your condition has worsened. If you have limited evidence anyway, unless it significantly supports your arguments about your functional abilities, there might not be any great advantage in sending it in.

(HOWEVER, I caveat this by pointing out that if you don't provide the evidence at assessment stage, it would then be very difficult to introduce this later on during Mandatory Reconsideration or Tribunal if the decision doesn't go in your favour.)

In your case, the Health Assessor will need to prove that your condition has improved since the last assessment in order to change the decision. If you haven't provided any supporting evidence, they will have to contact your GP for more information.

That can be a double-edged sword: if you have a good relationship with your GP and they understand your situation, this can be beneficial; however, if you have a difficult GP or they haven't seen you recently, it can sometimes be troublesome if they give an inaccurate or overly optimistic response.

If it were me, I would arrange to have a chat with my GP and tell them about the reassessment and my current functional abilities. That way, if they are contacted, they should be better able to complete the form with the most accurate information.

On the flip side, the GP might not even respond to the DWP request, so the assessment would just have to proceed based on the previous assessment findings, your current assessment/questionnaire, and the judgement of the Health Assessor/Case Manager as to whether the findings are consistent with the typical progression of the health condition. In that case, I would expect there to be more latitude for you to challenge the findings in the case of an unfavourable decision, as the basis for the decision would be less secure.

Having said this, I'm sure you will have no difficulties with your assessment, and I hope everything goes well for you. Remember we're here if you need any more help.

Teadrinker61

Thank you for your reply @AtlasShoulders. I never see the same GP so don't have a clue what they will say , and it does worry me. I used to see the same GP and she was really supportive but she retired 😔 
I have been going to the doctors quite often recently with severe anxiety and crying because I feel overwhelmed after looking after my mother the best I could before she went into a care home. She had mixed dementia and then they discovered her widespread cancer so it was very distressing for me and my siblings. 
I also have a ex partner/friend who has terminal cancer so my life has been somewhat torn apart and I'm feeling totally lost. So I'm grateful to have my children and family and also support from organisations and counsellors , and it's really good to talk to people who are in the same situation as well. 

AtlasShoulders

Wow, that really is a lot to be dealing with right now @Teadrinker61, let alone this reassessment as well. I can't begin to imagine how you must be feeling right now. I can only commend you for your strength and courage in seeking out help and support, and for sharing your story with us here. 

Hopefully your health assessor will be understanding and your GP will share the relevant information with them. But even if things don't go entirely to plan initially, please don't despair. Sometimes the DWP puts hurdles in our way in the hopes we will give up. But if you remain calm and persist, the chances of eventual success are high 😊

poppy123456

AtlasShoulders said:

(HOWEVER, I caveat this by pointing out that if you don't provide the evidence at assessment stage, it would then be very difficult to introduce this later on during Mandatory Reconsideration or Tribunal if the decision doesn't go in your favour.)

I will disgree with that, sorry. What makes you think that it would be difficult to send evidence later if the MR or Tribunal route is needed? Providing the evidence relates to how your conditions affected you at the time the assessment took place then evidence can be sent at any stage. What they won't be able to do is take into consideration any worsening of condition.

AtlasShoulders said:

In your case, the Health Assessor will need to prove that your condition has improved since the last assessment in order to change the decision. If you haven't provided any supporting evidence, they will have to contact your GP for more information.

The assessor wouldn't need to prove it because they don't make decisions. It would be the decision maker that needs to prove this.

For my last 2 reviews the supporting evidence i sent was very little because i didn't have any medical evidence. My last assessment in 2020 was paper based and the majority of evidence i sent was my own real world incidents. The only medical evidence i sent that time was a prescription list and a very short OT assessment letter.

It is also worth remembering that they very rarely contact anyone for any evidence. If a GP is contacted then they will be sent the UC113 form. In 10 years of claiming ESA my GP has only be contacted once.

Hannah_Scope

Hello @Teadrinker61

Welcome to the community!  

I wanted to comment with my condolences on the loss of your mum. I'm glad to hear you have support around you. I hope the community can be a place of support and friendship for you. Please don't hesitate to reach out  

Teadrinker61

@Hannah_Scope Thank you 😊