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DWP takes benefits off Disabled Worker.

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Completely believable.

My Mum(retired DWP staff) once interviewed a guy who'd been declared fit for work by the assessments introduced by the Tories. He'd lost a leg in an industrial accident which is bad enough in itself, but he also couldn't eat and had to feed himself intravenously. She advised him to appeal which he did and was successful.

Law student volunteers who've taken up appeal cases on behalf of claimants overturned 95% of them.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/patrick-butler-cuts-blog/2015/sep/02/volunteer-law-project-wins-95-of-fit-for-work-test-appeal-cases
Original post by JamesN88
Completely believable.

My Mum(retired DWP staff) once interviewed a guy who'd been declared fit for work by the assessments introduced by the Tories. He'd lost a leg in an industrial accident which is bad enough in itself, but he also couldn't eat and had to feed himself intravenously. She advised him to appeal which he did and was successful.

Law student volunteers who've taken up appeal cases on behalf of claimants overturned 95% of them.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/patrick-butler-cuts-blog/2015/sep/02/volunteer-law-project-wins-95-of-fit-for-work-test-appeal-cases


I think the case in the OP is something else entirely. It seems like a genuine error - although one that should never have been able to happen - rather than anything intentional. This, on the other hand, is absolutely intentional, and it's malicious. These reforms were designed to prevent a lot of people who genuinely can't work from getting the benefits they need. I don't understand how there wasn't a bigger outcry over having medical conditions assessed by DWP staff instead of medical professionals, it's ludicrous.

Could you by any chance share some info on how these assessments work?
Original post by JordanL_
I think the case in the OP is something else entirely. It seems like a genuine error - although one that should never have been able to happen - rather than anything intentional. This, on the other hand, is absolutely intentional, and it's malicious. These reforms were designed to prevent a lot of people who genuinely can't work from getting the benefits they need. I don't understand how there wasn't a bigger outcry over having medical conditions assessed by DWP staff instead of medical professionals, it's ludicrous.

Could you by any chance share some info on how these assessments work?


They're assessed by doctors, it's privately though rather than through the NHS. Rejections get referred to the DWP to claim for Jobseeker's Allowance instead of disability. The doctors are under pressure to reject people.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22546036
Original post by JamesN88
They're assessed by doctors, it's privately though rather than through the NHS. Rejections get referred to the DWP to claim for Jobseeker's Allowance instead of disability. The doctors are under pressure to reject people.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22546036


Oh, I see.

I've just been reading that Atos exited the contract for assessing claimants, and they had to rebrand. I just don't understand it. The company hired to implement the legislation got so much **** they had to rebrand, while the people that actually made the legislation were re-elected with more seats. The Tories are so damn good at deflecting blame.
Original post by JamesN88
Completely believable.

My Mum(retired DWP staff) once interviewed a guy who'd been declared fit for work by the assessments introduced by the Tories. He'd lost a leg in an industrial accident which is bad enough in itself, but he also couldn't eat and had to feed himself intravenously. She advised him to appeal which he did and was successful.


Original post by JordanL_
Oh, I see.

I've just been reading that Atos exited the contract for assessing claimants, and they had to rebrand. I just don't understand it. The company hired to implement the legislation got so much **** they had to rebrand, while the people that actually made the legislation were re-elected with more seats. The Tories are so damn good at deflecting blame.


It's not malicious but the quality of assessments by ATOS was very very poor.

You must remember that ATOS rather than the DWP created the assessment workflow. The rules were devised by the DWP but ATOS were responsible for how they assessed compliance with those rules.

The lost leg shouldn't have been a "win". Plenty of people with prosthetic limbs work and that of itself should not have scored any points.

However, not being able to feed yourself normally should have passported the claimant straight through to the support group for Employment and Support Allowance. In most cases membership of the support group involves getting the highest score on one of the tests for being in the work related activity group. There are two exceptions where membership of the support group was unconnected with membership of the work-related activity group. One of them was about being able to take food and drink by mouth. The design of ATOS's workflow didn't pick up those who didn't meet the threshold for the work-related activity group but qualified for the support group by one of these two exceptions.

Both ATOS and the DWP are to blame for this.
Original post by JamesN88


Law student volunteers who've taken up appeal cases on behalf of claimants overturned 95% of them.



One does not know the extent of prior filtering of these cases. The student who was quoted had two dead certs and five borderline cases.

In a truly random caseload one would expect some obvious losers. She may just have been lucky.

Most ESA assessments were for people converting from Incapacity Benefit or Income Support. A lot of people genuinely qualified under their old test but genuinely didn't qualify under the new test. The project clearly wasn't representing them. Nor was it representing new claimants who expected to pass the test, but who on any reasonable assessment didn't meet the criteria.

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