Home visit accepted recorded? How can i prepare?

Mathew

Welcome to the forum, you might want to have a look at the following FAQ which explain where everything is

Welcome to Benefits and Work

To prepare for the assessment there are a couple of things you should look at.

First, have a look at ESA Claim guides, I appreciate that you have already submitted your ESA50 but going through these will allow you to confirm whether you have provided the best answer that you could for each of the questions but also explains the underlying Descriptors that you are being assessed against.

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/help-for-claimants/esa

Secondly, towards the back of the guides is a list of the questions that you are likely to be asked at the assessment. these may seem obtuse as very few relate directly to your conditions, much of the ESA assessment is done by assumption unless the claimant clarifies their answers, so for example; a question about whether you watch the TV will lead to conclusions about your ability to sit, your sight and hearing, ability to concentrate.

There are two options in regard to recording the assessment. First you can request that it is recorded by ATOS, they will use a dual deck CD or cassette player and give you a copy. You must request this in advance of the assessment. It is unusual for home assessments to be recorded but it can be done, there is a template letter for requesting this in the guides and a MS-Word template in the same area as the guides, it is at ATOS's discretion whether they agree to do this and you cannot refuse to continue with the assessment if the request is refused as this can lead to your file being returned to the DWP and your claim closed.

You can also covertly record the assessment, however, ATOS assessors have instructions to terminate the interview if it becomes apparent that the claimant is recording it, this is classed as a failure to participate and can also lead to your file being returned to the DWP, so be careful if you go down this route.

If there are any other questions that you have, please reply to this post and we will do our best to help your. The forum has just closed for the afternoon but is open again this evening 8-10pm.

Gordon

Mathew wrote: I have been stressed to the point of wanting to hurt myself this whole process is just one big mess... Is there anything I can do regarding telling my doctor or someone to help more?

Do you have a GP and are they involved in your treatment? If so then it would be worth your arranging to see them to ask for the help.

If you are not being seen by your GP then you can have a look to see whether there are any charities that deal with your conditions, most have a web site, they might be able to provide additional advice and contacts.

Finally, if you feel that you are at immediate risk of hurting yourself then you can contact the Samaritans and if desperate your local Accident & Emergency service.

Gordon