Talking to one of the other patients the other day about benefits and ESA (Employment Support Allowance) and she told me that after 13 weeks the payment should go up from the measly £70 to just over £100. It's still not a lot but that extra £30 a week would make a big difference.
I rang the ESA people today and was told that yes, you are paid the lower rate whilst you're in the assessment phase. Then at 13 weeks ATOS (a private company sub-contracted by the DWP) have their doctors review the medical questionnaire that you send in when you make your original claim. They then decide to either 1. Stop your benefits 2. Call you in for a medical 3. Increase your rate based on the information given in the questionnaire.
So why haven't they assessed my case? I sent the form in way back in March so it's been 5 months! Apparently they have a backlog! A 5 month backlog? Are you joking? Because the DWP couldn't give me any more information I asked for the
telephone number for ATOS so I could call and follow it up, because surely they must know where I am in their own system.
But when I call them the guy who answered sounded like he was the living dead and clearly hated his job. Yes, they have received my questionnaire. Yes, it's being processed. No, they don't know how long it will be before I hear from them. No, they can't tell me why it's taking so long. No, there's no other way of chasing it up. No, they don't give a shit.
So that's it. They can take months to process and pay a claim. And apparently that's ok. But I bet you if I owed them money they'd be all over me like a rash within weeks.
Luckily we have savings and a large limit on our credit cards but there are plenty of people that don't. How on earth do they survive? The system is all wrong.
NB x
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