The benefit trap and my experiences — Scope | Disability forum
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The benefit trap and my experiences

thespiceman
thespiceman Community member Posts: 6,388 Disability Gamechanger
edited August 2017 in PIP, DLA, and AA
Hello reading these stories about the benefit trap and the experiences of others.  I ready to talk about my experiences.  I had just had a enough.  I was born with a genetic disorder and have also a mental illness.  Ever since claiming benefits I have been put under undue pressure firstly by DWP and the Job centre since 1995.  I have done a job like a lot of disabled mental ill people in our community.  I became aware what was happening to me with claiming benefits when I applied and had to go on to do tests assessments to claim.  Having a medical professional say you are fit to work in a catalogue of reports from 1995 to even now.  Even you know you have this disability and mental illness.  That you struggle everyday and like is getting hard.  You are frightened to spend anything on yourself or the house because every two years you are subjected to this barrage of tests and appalling mistreatment by so called medical professionals.  All my medical reports are sent to DWP are fitted to suit their own purpose not my own.  Total fabrication.  I have the support of Mental Health charities who do wonderful fantastic things for me.  Got a great medical report from my support work plus doctor.  I will already know what will happen in the next assessment I have in a couple of weeks.  The same roundabout  I will turn up more insensitive probing questions.  The medical professional will have a dig a target me and my support worker.  Last time the support worker was a young girl who has just joined the charity I was a service user of.  Ended up getting flustered and red faced this young support worker.  I got dragged out into the centre of this room told to do floor exercises.  I got mad and said no which ended the medical professional shouting at me.  Anyway got a phone call one Friday always a Friday saying ESA finished starting on Job seekers will be a few weeks waiting.  More like a month.  Last time had no food in house had to go to Bank transfer money I have for emergencies.  Then another back to Job centre and more hassle and stress and more back to work schemes plus placements.  Tossed about like a piece of rubbish back and forth.  Training schemes with people who ask what in the hell are you doing here.  Treated like a no body lonely isolated.  Next thing back on the long term sick because can not cope.  This is what happening now.  I am at present thinking whether to consult legal advisors or some one similar like welfare rights.  There must be someone out there helping people like us.
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Comments

  • Matilda
    Matilda Community member Posts: 2,593 Disability Gamechanger
    @thespiceman

    It's scandalous that so-called medical examinations are carried out by paramedics with only rudimentary medical knowledge. Their  only function is to find spurious reasons for denying people benefits.

    Have you complained to your MP?
  • Liam_Alumni
    Liam_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 1,101 Pioneering
    Hi @thespiceman,

    Thanks for sharing your experiences with us following Charlotte's guest post. I'm sorry to hear that you've been having such a tough time.

    As @Matilda mentions, have you spoken to your MP? Perhaps they can help you?
    Liam
  • davet
    davet Community member Posts: 77 Courageous
    sadly we are treat like scum by these people, as matilda pointed out these examinations are carried out by under qualified'experts' mine was done by a male nurse, I suffered a stroke a few years back which left me with residual weakness of my left leg, he asked me to do a number of movements of my left leg from which he determined that I had normal strength and movement in it, now I am no medical expert but I started playing rugby in my mid teens and kept myself in excellent shape weight training and running completing 3 marathons, and I was fully aware that the movements he wanted me to do could in no way whatsoever measure the strength in my leg and this was confirmed by my physio @matilda also suggests contacting your MP, I did this myself and he provided me with an excellent letter in support of my claim which was simply ignored by the dwp

  • Dasiydo
    Dasiydo Community member Posts: 93 Courageous
    I can't believe how awful been treat with benefit and PIP but wish could help you but got my own problems with dyspraxia and hear aid and disability benefits be stop but do wish good luck for the future but I think time stop give to forging Aid
    V.shaw
  • steve51
    steve51 Community member Posts: 7,153 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @thespiceman.

    What an awful situation that you find yourself in!!!!

    I "really really" feel for you !!!!

    Don't feel allown we are all in the same boat or should I say "Ship"

    Have you contacted your MP ???

    Sorry for another question:

    But have you been/seen/contacted your local "CAB" ????

    Do you need any help with this ???

     Please please let us know ???



  • BenefitsTrainingCo
    BenefitsTrainingCo Community member Posts: 2,621 Pioneering
    edited August 2017
    Hello thespiceman. I'm sorry you've been having this rollercoaster of experiences with your benefits, and you are not alone in feeling very frustrated about your treatment. It sounds as though you do have some support from your mental health network, but I do  recommend you get in touch with an advice agency as soon as possible to try and get a resolution to what's going on with your benefits. It sounds as though you are in that tricky zone between not being able to get ESA yet having difficulty with the requirements of being on JSA (or it might be Universal Credit?). You need to try and pin down what's happening to your ESA - for instance, have you asked for a reconsideration of the decision to stop it? The Scope helpline (0800 800 3333) can give you details of any local advice agencies who may be able to help. You can also use the benefits calculator part of this website to get further information on ESA, and there is also an excellent site called www.benefitsandwork.co.uk. Although this is partly a subscription website they have moderators working on the site who are experienced in supporting people through tricky times with their ESA. If you need further benefits advice then please post again using the Ask a Benefits Adviser part of the site and we will do our best to help you.
    All the best,
    Jayne
    The Benefits Training Co:

  • thespiceman
    thespiceman Community member Posts: 6,388 Disability Gamechanger
    Hello everybody sorry I have not been in touch.  Thank you for all the amazing response thank you.  I am still looking at what everybody is saying about the ESA situation.  I will consult my MP and I will be contacting Scope because I need to ask for not only some advice but I am anxious and very concerned that I am going to end up in this trap for the rest of my life.   I have to go on Thursday for an assessment.  I have cancelled two already because my mental state is not good.  I have the support of my support worker who will be there.  Thank god but they can only do so much.  I read the advice of Benefits Adviser I am subscribed to that website  Benefits and work which any one has not accessed please do it gives the insight and also the inside story of what the hell is going on.  Please can I say all of us in the community have a story what is happening to them regarding benefits and I hope and pray for everybody.  We as a community need to show we will not stand for this and start to support everybody.  One note which I can say which gets to me.  When you have an assessment you get a leaflet of how the assessment  works and what help is available.  Advice on what happens in the assessment.  I must point out none of this happens.  I love the comments on the back how to behave in front of the so called medical professional.  Yet they are the ones end up shouting at me and getting me angry with their sarcastic comments.   I will be in contact again and speak to all concerned.  Thank you.
    Community Champion
    SCOPE Volunteer Award Engaging Communities 2019
    Mental Health advice, guidance and information to all members
    Nutrition, Diet, Wellbeing, Addiction.
    Recipes

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