New Style ESA

Thanks for your reply. I don't seem to have my mind on things at the moment, and remain very tearful. I don't understand why the telephone appointment window is from 1pm to 4pm on the day? I'll stay in bed until my husband gets me up I thinlk. Sitting there just waiting for this irritating phone call does me no good at all. In fact, in my present state of mind I'd much prefer not to have anything to do with this assessment proces. It's a real pain, and unhelpful to put it mildly. These people in Manchester, at the assessment unit, don't care a dam. They are only bothered about making things difficult for you, and if possible stopping your benefit. I'm off to bed again now. Thanks again for the kind help from the people at this BenefitsAndWork website.

Hello everyone..

Many thanks for your help and ongoing support.

I've left it late to arrange for the assessment to be recorded.

My husband suggests that when the assessor rings up, I should say that I wish the session to be recorded. If the person says it's too late to arrange, then I should ask for a postponement of the assessment until such a time as a recorded session can be arranged. My husband says that they will have to rearrange things.

I hope that he is right. Because when the person rings, from an unidentified number, with no way of me checking it's validity, at some time between 1p and 4pm today, 31st March 2022, I wiil do as he suggests. I suppose that the telephone session will then end, and be rearranged.

Ideally, during such a telephone conversation, I would like my husband to be included in the call, because he knows much more about my situation than anyone, and he helps me cope more than anyone else.

I'm feeling brighter than I was just previously, so maybe I can cope better today.

Best wishes to everyone.

Kind regards

Mrs H

Hi Mrs H, it has been referred to previously on here that assessors are told in their official guidance that they should take notice of what supporters have to contribute. Some are much more reasonable about this than others, but if you ask your husband to comment on a question you have been asked because he knows /you cannot recall, his answers should certainly should be noted I believe.
Best wishes,
Denby

Hi there,

On the day that I was supposed to get a call from the health assessor from Manchester, I got a call in the morning saying that the session booked for me between 1pm and 4pm later in the day had had to be rearranged for another time because no one was available.

At least the chappy who rang, from Bolton, did have the decency to let me know, and not have me #on edge' waiting for a call later on in the day.

They should have made their assessment within the 13 weeks after I started receiving my ESA, but it was only a new lengthy sick note period and a letter from my GP that encouraged them to make their assessment. They are probably just saving money by keeping me in the assessment group?

Anyhow, I'm just waiting for a new telephone appointment day and time. Why can't they be specific as to when they are going to ring? Have to go..