Restarting payments after Madatory reconsideration

This is just a short note to let people know some of the ways they can mess you about when you are waiting to get your payment restarted after the mandatory reconsideration period and after you have received documentation from the DSS about you appeal.

I have had no benefit for almost 2 months, I think I have less than a week to go to make it exactly 2 months. This is fast compared to the first time I went through this process where they really were trying to force people who had failed their mandatory reconsideration to sign on for Jobseekers Allowance. I have had very little food, and am reliant on friends for help to stay alive during this period. I have an infected ulcer on my leg so I am not able to go to food banks and other such facilities, I am finding it hard enough to get to my doctor who is round the corner for dressing changes.

There is no way I could have signed on for JSA with this leg ulcer, I would not have been able to make the walks to the job center. I have other health problems as well that have been going on for 20+ years, and although I am trying to get healthy, the continuous harassment from the DSS is not helping. Anyway, to my point. After waiting 2 months for my benefit to be restored, I send in my sick note that initially was filled in with the wrong dates by the doctor. I received an early morning call(8.30am) from someone who's name I forgot to take(because it was early morning and I was still drowsy) who told me of the problem with my sick note. He said to me he could see it was the doctors mistake and said he would put a note by my account that I should receive a same day payment as soon as the updated sick note was faxed over. I never asked for this special treatment, it was offered.

The following day I got an emergency appointment with the doctor and got a corrected sick note. I faxed the sick note accross at about 12 midday, and waited to receive a payment. At 3 o'clock I called the DSS and asked why I had not received a payment. I was told that my claim had to be re-opened and this had been allocated to someone, who apparently was not able to finish(had not even started) to do this work by the end of the day. I was told I would get a call the following day before 11.20am, which I am not waiting for. What I find annoying about this situation is the wind up factor. I did not ask for a same day payment, it was offered. Having got this assurance I was all excited that after 2 months of getting no benefit and living on scraps of food, I was finally going to get pain. I then find out that I am not going to get a same day payment and that the person who offered this probably didn't have the authority to do so. This has made a process that was already incredibly hard, even harder.

And I asked for none of this. I would quite happily have waited for the 3-4 days for the payment to come through in the normal way, but someone had to make things harder by making me think I was going to get a same day payment. As you can imagine I am fuming at the moment and waiting for the call from the DSS. Why do this to me?