Won ESA Appeal but!

Hi Chris,

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E-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your current login name and ask them to change it to kerryman.

Hope this helps.

Jim

Hi Everyone,

Just writing to give you an update. I did write to my MP who contacted the CEO of Job Centre Plus. We did receive an apology for the difficulties we had experienced and was advised that my son would not attend for another review until September 2011.

However, my son still had to attend his medical on 14th September 2010 and has just received a letter saying that he is elegible for ESA and has been put into the Work Related Activity Group. He also has to attend a Pathways to Work Interview tomorrow.

My difficulty with all this is that he was given 30 points and put into the Support Group at his appeal on 15th June, 2010. I don't know whether to appeal or not. I have no idea how many points he was awarded at this latest medical and he is still going to require significant support in getting to interviews, and being helped by me in understanding and remembering what transpires in these interviews etc.

The other thing is that he is attending a twelve week course which is specifically for young people with High Functioning Autism. He attends once a week and the sessions last 2 and a half hours. We are trying to get him the help he needs to move into work - does he still have to attend these Pathways to Work Interviews. Can anyone tell me how often he will have to attend?

What surprises me is that with the letter came a kind of report on the Medical. Although it did mention my son's Aspergers Syndrome, it also mentioned things like Pregnancy Risk; Walking, Manual Dexterity, Continence and whether or not he could clean the front of his torso - What is all that about?

I suppose I should be thankful that he is still going to receive ESA but I just feel "here we go again!"

marionf wrote:

Hi Everyone,

Just writing to give you an update. I did write to my MP who contacted the CEO of Job Centre Plus. We did receive an apology for the difficulties we had experienced and was advised that my son would not attend for another review until September 2011.

However, my son still had to attend his medical on 14th September 2010 and has just received a letter saying that he is elegible for ESA and has been put into the Work Related Activity Group. He also has to attend a Pathways to Work Interview tomorrow.

My difficulty with all this is that he was given 30 points and put into the Support Group at his appeal on 15th June, 2010. I don't know whether to appeal or not. I have no idea how many points he was awarded at this latest medical and he is still going to require significant support in getting to interviews, and being helped by me in understanding and remembering what transpires in these interviews etc.

The other thing is that he is attending a twelve week course which is specifically for young people with High Functioning Autism. He attends once a week and the sessions last 2 and a half hours. We are trying to get him the help he needs to move into work - does he still have to attend these Pathways to Work Interviews. Can anyone tell me how often he will have to attend?

What surprises me is that with the letter came a kind of report on the Medical. Although it did mention my son's Aspergers Syndrome, it also mentioned things like Pregnancy Risk; Walking, Manual Dexterity, Continence and whether or not he could clean the front of his torso - What is all that about?

I suppose I should be thankful that he is still going to receive ESA but I just feel "here we go again!"

Where in the UK are you that has 12 week courses for people like your son ?

ta in advance

The Portal Project, Woking, run by Surrey County Council. They recently have been accredited by the National Autistic Society.

I'm so sorry you are going through this, it all sounds dreadful to me and can't be at all right?

Thank you Judy. I think I am going to appeal - just struggling to find the sentence/paragraph that is going to make all the difference! When we got the appeal letter, it said that my son had been put into the support group because he was unable to "initiate and sustain personal action" and that is it in a nutshell but I don't think some people understand exactly what that means. My son is very intelligent but that is not the issue. As an aside, the National Autistic Society is using our appeal papers to help teach local solicitors about the ESA appeal process, and is also using them re. the consultation paper the Government has set up with Professor Malcolm Harrington heading the review.

Kind regards

Marion