(no subject)
Today has been one hell of a day.
Got to sleep somewhere between half four and five after being unwell
woken up just before 9 by a phone call from the DWP saying that my claim for PIP had been denied and my ESA had been stopped effective from today. Because I mentioned I had an appointment with my A4E advisor this afternoon the didn't give me many more details. She gave me a couple of examples of why I’d been refused stating that my application said I struggled with stairs, but the assessor had reported I coped with them OK, and that in the form I said I struggled with sitting for an hour or more and needed assistance standing, and that the assessor hadn't found this (especially galling since at one point she actually had to help me to my feet during the assessment)
I had a panic and worry, vented online to a couple of friends and managed to grab an hours more sleep.
A4E appointment was less that five minutes, after I explained she told me to go at once to the citizens advice because they closed at 3, and she didn't know anything about this sort of thing to help me (because they're a separate company)
so, got to CAB, filled out their form, sat and waited, yes they could see me today.
Sat while Wendy called various people
ESA people say yes my benefits have been stopped, but PIP is handled by a different department
(ray of hope that they've stopped it because of my PIP claim)
quickly dashed because they have absolutely no record of my claim, despite posting me the form, acknowledging receipt of the form and sending an ATOS assessor to my house.
I have a month to appeal the decision on my ESA from the date they sent the letter which I haven't been sent. Hopefully it will turn up in the next day or two.
Wendy gave me the form to fill out to start an appeal, but kept arguing with me over the fact that it says, in bold, five times on the first page alone, that you must include your mandatory reconsideration notice or they will ignore your claim. Because I've had nothing from them in writing obviously I don’t have this. They say very clearly they will ignore any claim without this but she says to fill it in and send it to them recorded delivery anyway and then come back to CAB if/when they deny it. So that they can do a rapid reclaim notice with sick notes. Except I don't have sick notes from the last year because I was on yearly ATOS assessments because they'd declared me long term sick.
[some online research tells me you get a MRN if you ask them to reconsider their decision, something you have to do before you appeal, but CAB seemed convinced i should skip that step]
In the meantime I need to apply for JSA on my and my partners behalf, despite both of us being clearly unfit for work.
(she thought the job centre closed at 3, I thought 5, I was right, but No, I can't have a paper form, I have to do it online. )
[having looked at the JSA application it says I can't apply within a month of receiving ESA, but going to take CAB's advice and do it anyway]
the DWP were supposed to ring this afternoon, or before lunchtime tomorrow, to talk about why I was denied ESA, so I have to be ready with pen and paper to write that down, and keep insisting until they send me a copy in writing.
She thinks maybe they're getting around the “you must have written proof to appeal” by notifying me by phone, they arranged my assessment over the phone as well so I have no paper trail.
Quick timeline of events
13th Feb 2014 - phone call telling me PIP had been unsuccessful, and ESA was being cut off (I’m convinced she mentioned PIP while I was on the phone with her, but I had just been woken up)
20th Jan 2014 - at home ATOS assessment, ostensibly for PIP (CAB advisor thinks maybe this got filed as an ESA assessment, and that's what they're using as grounds to deny me, I KNOW that the woman who came to my house thought she was assessing me for PIP)
8th Jan 2014 - DWP/ATOS phoned me to book my assessment, again, they knew it was for PIP
21st Nov 2013 - posted PIP application
18th Nov 2013 - at home ATOS assessment for ESA (which I had no notice of see this entry)
24th Oct 2013 - diagnosed with Fibromyalgia
and now some perspective, today has been awful and it was still better than Tuesday night when we were repeatedly pushed past breaking point until we...broke. We ended up crying and screaming and kicking and having a tantrum basically, because we were non verbal and so frustrated and scared about not being able to get words out to make ourselves understood and not having enough control over the body because we were fighting (mainly because Jules keeps trying to pick up and carry on, and just Get Things Done and ignore that we're disabled. And that doesn't work anymore)
Monday we had the dentist and had two fillings, that was pretty OK, our dentist is a nice guy and at least it's over with.
Have managed to eat 2 cereal bars and two cups of tea today, have nearly vomited more times than I can count due to stress/anxiety. Holding off on taking diazepam because I took two on Tuesday.
So stressed about money, we've been spending way over budget on food, because I routinely don't have the energy to cook, so needing to buy ready meals. Better than having to throw food away or skipping even more meals but I guess I can't do that either now. Going to try and get JSA claims done tonight, time really is of the essence here. So tired and awful feeling though. Soph is asleep because she didn't sleep last night, house is still awful, but I have a desk in the living room so at least I have a little more space for myself.
Got to sleep somewhere between half four and five after being unwell
woken up just before 9 by a phone call from the DWP saying that my claim for PIP had been denied and my ESA had been stopped effective from today. Because I mentioned I had an appointment with my A4E advisor this afternoon the didn't give me many more details. She gave me a couple of examples of why I’d been refused stating that my application said I struggled with stairs, but the assessor had reported I coped with them OK, and that in the form I said I struggled with sitting for an hour or more and needed assistance standing, and that the assessor hadn't found this (especially galling since at one point she actually had to help me to my feet during the assessment)
I had a panic and worry, vented online to a couple of friends and managed to grab an hours more sleep.
A4E appointment was less that five minutes, after I explained she told me to go at once to the citizens advice because they closed at 3, and she didn't know anything about this sort of thing to help me (because they're a separate company)
so, got to CAB, filled out their form, sat and waited, yes they could see me today.
Sat while Wendy called various people
ESA people say yes my benefits have been stopped, but PIP is handled by a different department
(ray of hope that they've stopped it because of my PIP claim)
quickly dashed because they have absolutely no record of my claim, despite posting me the form, acknowledging receipt of the form and sending an ATOS assessor to my house.
I have a month to appeal the decision on my ESA from the date they sent the letter which I haven't been sent. Hopefully it will turn up in the next day or two.
Wendy gave me the form to fill out to start an appeal, but kept arguing with me over the fact that it says, in bold, five times on the first page alone, that you must include your mandatory reconsideration notice or they will ignore your claim. Because I've had nothing from them in writing obviously I don’t have this. They say very clearly they will ignore any claim without this but she says to fill it in and send it to them recorded delivery anyway and then come back to CAB if/when they deny it. So that they can do a rapid reclaim notice with sick notes. Except I don't have sick notes from the last year because I was on yearly ATOS assessments because they'd declared me long term sick.
[some online research tells me you get a MRN if you ask them to reconsider their decision, something you have to do before you appeal, but CAB seemed convinced i should skip that step]
In the meantime I need to apply for JSA on my and my partners behalf, despite both of us being clearly unfit for work.
(she thought the job centre closed at 3, I thought 5, I was right, but No, I can't have a paper form, I have to do it online. )
[having looked at the JSA application it says I can't apply within a month of receiving ESA, but going to take CAB's advice and do it anyway]
the DWP were supposed to ring this afternoon, or before lunchtime tomorrow, to talk about why I was denied ESA, so I have to be ready with pen and paper to write that down, and keep insisting until they send me a copy in writing.
She thinks maybe they're getting around the “you must have written proof to appeal” by notifying me by phone, they arranged my assessment over the phone as well so I have no paper trail.
Quick timeline of events
13th Feb 2014 - phone call telling me PIP had been unsuccessful, and ESA was being cut off (I’m convinced she mentioned PIP while I was on the phone with her, but I had just been woken up)
20th Jan 2014 - at home ATOS assessment, ostensibly for PIP (CAB advisor thinks maybe this got filed as an ESA assessment, and that's what they're using as grounds to deny me, I KNOW that the woman who came to my house thought she was assessing me for PIP)
8th Jan 2014 - DWP/ATOS phoned me to book my assessment, again, they knew it was for PIP
21st Nov 2013 - posted PIP application
18th Nov 2013 - at home ATOS assessment for ESA (which I had no notice of see this entry)
24th Oct 2013 - diagnosed with Fibromyalgia
and now some perspective, today has been awful and it was still better than Tuesday night when we were repeatedly pushed past breaking point until we...broke. We ended up crying and screaming and kicking and having a tantrum basically, because we were non verbal and so frustrated and scared about not being able to get words out to make ourselves understood and not having enough control over the body because we were fighting (mainly because Jules keeps trying to pick up and carry on, and just Get Things Done and ignore that we're disabled. And that doesn't work anymore)
Monday we had the dentist and had two fillings, that was pretty OK, our dentist is a nice guy and at least it's over with.
Have managed to eat 2 cereal bars and two cups of tea today, have nearly vomited more times than I can count due to stress/anxiety. Holding off on taking diazepam because I took two on Tuesday.
So stressed about money, we've been spending way over budget on food, because I routinely don't have the energy to cook, so needing to buy ready meals. Better than having to throw food away or skipping even more meals but I guess I can't do that either now. Going to try and get JSA claims done tonight, time really is of the essence here. So tired and awful feeling though. Soph is asleep because she didn't sleep last night, house is still awful, but I have a desk in the living room so at least I have a little more space for myself.