The process has started!

I had that phonecall too, and I asked a question and the girl hadn't got a clue how to answer me.

My question was: " how come I have been claiming IB for a few years based on my own contributions, so why all of a sudden, when transferring to ESA, after a year my contributions don't count, and what has it got to do with my husbands income, when I claim IB in my own right and my contributions"

answer: "I don't know"

[/quote]
but will you get reliable answers?[/quote]

I asked whether I had 6 weeks to return the ESA50 and the lady who rang me said she wasn't sure but thought it was 2 weeks. But when the ESA50 came it was 6 weeks after all.

Yes indeed, and the fact is that the media are not mentioning that everyone on contrib based ESA faces the following

a) a means test after 12 momths, so that even if their condition is worse, but short of support group level, they will lose their benefit if their partner earns over a prescribed amount or they have savings, with a cut off limit and a tapered benefit weekly benefit reduction

b) that this will split couples and families and cause great hardship to many of those those who weather it out

c) The nonsense of it all, whereby 2 claimants, one at No 5 acacia avenue (shall we say) who spends all their spare cash, and whose wife watches daytime TV all day will keep their ESA and the thrifty claimant at no 6, will lose his benefit because he has accumulated a capital sum or his wife works

I tried to get the national writers onto this months ago, to no avail

Today it is cancer patients that are claimed to be the main concern in this time limiting, but in truth (as tragic as their situation often is) it is hundreds of thousands of ESA claimants

I wonder if it actually occurred to Professor Harrington when he made the recommendation that the DWP should speak to claimants over the phone, that questions would be asked regarding the process, and answers would be required.

I very much doubt that he thought that far ahead.

I got the call yesterday and by the time i got to the phone was a bit out of breath,
"hello" i said.
"Hello this is Atos" she said.
"Ok" i said
"You sound a bit out of breath have you been RUNNING around" she said.
True,absolutly true, thats what she said and for the first time in my life i was lost for words.

They will time limit and means testESA contrib based but would they dare means test DLA and Child Benefit, I doubt it
The fact is that for every claimant who loses out in this brutal attack on some of the most vulnerable (and lets face it, unemployable, comparatively ) there will be many wealthy people who will retain their child benefit and working tax credits

What about the old age pension.... would they dare means test that... never in a million years