Professional Members
We support both claimants and professionals. These are just some of the organisations who have subscribed to Benefits and Work:
- Royal College of Nursing
- Spinal Injuries Association
- Chesterfield Law Centre
- Stephenson’s Solicitors
- Birmingham Citizens Advice Bureau
- Manchester City Council Sensory Provision Team
Don't lose out just because the system isn't fair.
Are you making a Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claim or appeal? Or being transferred from Incapacity Benefit to ESA?
Are you worried that the forms are complex and unclear, the medicals may be rushed and inaccurate and the decisions unfair? If so, use our expert, step-by-step guides and give yourself the best possible chance of getting your legal entitlement.
We’ll warn you of pitfalls, offer you specialist tips and tactics and guide you through every part of this bewildering process.
Disability Living Allowance >
Learn how to complete every box in the disability living allowance (DLA) claim pack. Prepare for a medical visit. Represent yourself at a DLA appeal tribunal.
Register for FREE DLA HINTS & TIPS
Employment and Support Allowance >
Take our free ESA test . Learn how to complete your questionnaire. Find out what questions you'll be asked at your medical. Learn how to appeal.
Register for FREE ESA HINTS & TIPS
Personal Independence Payment >
Keep up with all the news about PIP.
Find out about our PIP training for advisors and support workers.
PIP points PIP timetable
Training >
Find out more about our open training and in-house training courses.
We're currently running open PIP training days around the country
No-one can be found capable of work unless they’ve first been given the chance to attend a medical carried out by a private sector company called Atos.
But many people are very unhappy with the way their medicals are carried out. They complain that the doctor or nurse spends most of the time staring at a computer screen and clicking with a mouse. They say that they are asked questions that seems confusing and irrelevant and the doctor or nurse seems to have very little interest in the answers they are given.
Often, when people appeal against a decision about their ESA and are given a copy of their medical report, they are astonished by what it contains. They say it doesn’t seem to be about them and includes things that they are quite certain they didn’t say.
Pitfalls
Benefits and Work can’t do anything about the standard of some medicals, but we can help you prepare for – and hopefully avoid – some of the biggest pitfalls. For example:
- We explain the enormous importance of how you travel to the medical.
- We tell you what sort of questions you’ll be asked.
- We explain the sort of unfair assumptions that can be made based on your answers and how to guard against them.
- We tell you about the sort of observations the doctor may make before, during and after the medical.
- We explain how the software the doctor uses works and show you screenshots of what the doctor is looking at on their computer.
You can download sample pages from our extremely comprehensive Guide to Employment and Support Allowance claims on physical health grounds (Full guide, 65 pages A4).
You can download sample pages from our equally comprehensive Guide to Employment and Support Allowance claims on mental health and learning difficulties grounds (Full guide, 88 pages A4).
Our guides also give detailed information on what happens at a work-focused health-related assessment and members can also download a detailed guide to pathways to work (work-focused) interviews,
Don’t miss out on benefits you’re entitled to because of an inaccurate medical assessment. Become a Benefits and Work subscriber and download all the guides you need as often as you need for a year. And, remember, our 7 day money back guarantee means there’s no risk involved.
Read members’ feedback about our guides.