Support Group

Please advice me with the ESA benefit. My wife was placed in the WRAG. She has several years problems with her arms, she is now waiting for her second surgery. She has difficulty in moving arms, numbness of the hands, she drop everything also she has rheumatic problems causing severe pain. She can't cook, often she does not feel power in her hands, she can't take a bath. I am helping her in many activities.
She had an MRI scan which showed lordosis and hernia on the middle and cervical spine.
These problems also affect the mobility of my wife. She have severe headaches, dizziness, fainting leg, twice she fell down the stairs, we had to move our bedrooms downstairs.
She also suffers from a herniated stomach, which causes severe attacks, she does not sleep all night, she has a strong stomach cramps, vomiting evokes the pressure of the spine. She is very weakened. It is a very depressing experience. My wife can't look at herself, she fell into depression, often she does not give advice to the smallest actions, she has suicidal thoughts. These conditions led to IBS syndrome, my wife has difficulty in reaching the toilet in time. She became nervous and aggressive, often not able to communicate without anger attacks, she can't concentrate. Her GP is not too good, most of visits are held over the phone. She do not want to give referrals to any specialist for which my wife ask repeatedly.
While on medical exam, my wife were asked only a few questions, she explained her problems, but she received only 6 points. After phone call from DWP, she was asked about the possibility of movement and added 9 points.
It seems that these problems are not treated as serious and are not understood until the end by the committees. My wife moves with pain to the toilet and did not leave the house, do not communicate with friends, she is totally closed person, that never was before. The disease changed her life. She was told to walk to meetings and she is not physically and mentally able to get up. Do I have a chance with her disease to appeal to put her into the support group? What arguments used to they believe that she has a problem? Only that she reached with me by car to the medical center and she could sit on a chair, does not mean she is healthy, to take such a decision..I do not have too many documents from the hospital, only regarding surgery and MRI and the results of gastroscopy, because, as I wrote, the wife can not obtain a referral in order to see a specialist.

Hi Nati,

How long ago was the decision to place your wife in the WRAG? If it is more than 13 months there is no option to challenge this. If it is less than 1 month there is no problem - between those time frames it is possible but gets more difficult as time passes.

Getting into the Support Group depends entirely on meeting very specific criteria, this does not take into account whether there is any job that the claimant might be able to do or whether anyone would employ him/her.

I suggest you have a look at the Support Group descriptors, including the exceptional circumstances and see if you think your wife qualifies under any of these.

Qualifying for the Support Group

Did you use our ESA guides when completing the ESA50? If not, have a look now and see if you could explain her limitations more fully. Can you provide anything to back this up? Might it help to request a look at her GP records? If trying to qualify under Exceptional Circumstances the onus is entirely on the claimant to prove this.

ESA claims and appeals

Once you have had a look at the above links you might have a better idea of whether it is possible or helpful to pursue this matter. Please reply to this message if you have more questions and we will do our best to help

Hello,
Thank you for your reply.
Please advise, because my wife received two weeks ago a letter with the decision, she has a month to appeal. Unfortunately she did not receive a letter of explanation of the decision. Am I supposed to ask for such a letter fist or I can immediately send a letter asking for a mandatory reconsideration? I know how many points she received and the questions they are concerned.
Thank you.

You do not have to wait for this letter. It is more important to get the MR request in on time so that DWP do not have an excuse to argue it.

Our guides explain how to go about requesting the MR (and an appeal if that proves necessary).

Thank you Gordon for your reply.

So, if I will send to the DWP letter informing them about the fact that I want to ask for a mandatory reconsideration, but before that I am asking to send me copy of the assessment report, will they extend the time for appeal?