ESA - been placed in WRAG, not sure if happy...

lorraine wrote:

Hi I have to attend a WFI tomorrow,after being placed in the WRAG,when I rang up after getting their paperwork back,a month ago,they said I didnt need to appeal as I had enough points,and they would send me out a copy of medical,it never came,I had to ring up twice before it arrived few days ago ,now too late to appeal what the medical says,in some parts she has contradicted herself,and say i could work in 12 months,ha,wish i could,physical and many other debilitating problems make it a struggle to get around at home.
I am so upset about all of this and stress is so bad.
Do you think i could be put in a support group after my interview,or how can i ensure it.
Lorraine

Hi,

The staff who carry out the wfi's cannot put you into the SG.

Perhaps the best way, if you want to appeal is to submit a GL24 appeal form asap and spell out why it is late, in the hope of being permitted a late appeal. However this may not be guaranteed but it is worth a try.

If you used special/recorded delivery for all requests etc you will have an audit trail which hopefully shows you did everything possible to get the appeal in as soon as you could, which may help in your favour. It's worth a try.

Pete

lorraine wrote:

Hi I have to attend a WFI tomorrow,after being placed in the WRAG,when I rang up after getting their paperwork back,a month ago,they said I didnt need to appeal as I had enough points,and they would send me out a copy of medical,it never came,I had to ring up twice before it arrived few days ago ,now too late to appeal what the medical says,in some parts she has contradicted herself,and say i could work in 12 months,ha,wish i could,physical and many other debilitating problems make it a struggle to get around at home.
I am so upset about all of this and stress is so bad.
Do you think i could be put in a support group after my interview,or how can i ensure it.
Lorraine

Hi L,

It appears that you may have received misinformation over the phone regarding appealing.

You can not be moved into the Support Group from Wrag, without a successful reconsideration by the DWP DM, or an Appeals Tribunal ruling.

Have a read of this post regarding appeals, and download and read the GL24 form regarding time limits for an appeal.

Here. :


www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/forum?func=vie...id=10&id=70444#70446

bro58

Mod Edit : Posted same time as Pete.

Catherine wrote:

Hi Derek

Can you please clarify at what point one should approach a GP/specialist/care worker etc to support an appeal? ie is it best to ask them for a supportive letter very early on in hope it will lead to an early reconsideration, or is there a form they fill in at the request of the decision maker/tribunal?

Sorry for asking what is probably a fairly basic question, but realised i don't know how 'submitting supportive evidence' actually works in practice.

Many thanks

Hi Catherine

You can never rely on the DWP to contact your health professionals. It's always best to approach them yourself. Tribunals don't generally request information from the appellant's health professionals unless they feel that they need more information.

It's best to try to obtain evidence at the earliest opportunity as it can take some time to get letters and reports from GPs and consultants. Whether or not you send it to the DWP for reconsideration or the tribunal after a failed reconsideration is entirely up to you. Sending it to the DWP should improve your chances of having the decision revised if the evidence supports your arguments (although sometimes the DWP seem to be blind to supporting evidence).

If the reconsideration is unsuccessful, the tribunal is a complete rehearing of the case and should take a fresh look at any evidence that the DWP rejected.

Regards

Derek

lorraine wrote:

Hi I have to attend a WFI tomorrow,after being placed in the WRAG,when I rang up after getting their paperwork back,a month ago,they said I didnt need to appeal as I had enough points,and they would send me out a copy of medical,it never came,I had to ring up twice before it arrived few days ago ,now too late to appeal what the medical says,in some parts she has contradicted herself,and say i could work in 12 months,ha,wish i could,physical and many other debilitating problems make it a struggle to get around at home.
I am so upset about all of this and stress is so bad.
Do you think i could be put in a support group after my interview,or how can i ensure it.
Lorraine

Hi Lorraine

Sorry if this sounds like late advice. We always advise to treat what the DWP tell you over the phone with caution. Only written correspondence has any weight, and DWP staff are not renowned for being well trained in giving reliable and accurate advice.

It's also crucial to send the GL24 form within the time-limit even if you don't have the necessary documents. You can always send further correspondence after receiving the documents.

As Pete says, you have nothing to lose trying a late appeal.

Good luck

Derek

Hi Pete and Bro,

Thank you for your replies,I intend to mention tomorrow that I requested my medical report,infact they know as it said on screen when I asked for it initially,and last week again,so I will state how upset I am and wish to appeal from tomorrow and as I am unable to use my right hand to write,will they help me,I typed up my original form and the atos,commented on it.

Hopefully i will be doing the right thing,and tomorrow comes and goes ok,thanks again,

L

Hi Derek,
Thanks for your advice,I should have just sent in an appeal regardless,but its so stressful,i have enough to worry about,and trusted what they told me.I will be cautious tomorrow and hope it goes ok and quickly,without me getting in a state and too anxious.

l