MS and ESA/DLA

Surprised I never asked this before ...

My wife has MS (diagnosed in 1987). She is currently on IB and higher-rate DLA (with mobility component).

Have just sent off ESA50 with pages of letters from specialists.

Just wondering what other MS sufferers experiences have been ?

Hello.. I have MS too.. Dx in 2006.. My experience with ESA has been OK.. Firstly they put in the WRAG.. As I was very inexperienced when it came to benefits I just left it at that.. Then in sbout Oct 2010.. I was sent another ESA50.. This one enabled me to get where I should have been all along.. in the Support Group.. I had a medical at home.. due to my GP telling ATOS.. I could not get to any medical.. This is true incidently.. I only sent a letter from my MS nurse.. which basicaly laid it all out.. By the sounds of your post.. your wife should get in the support group.. As we both know.. MS is progressive.. ie we only get worse.. Having had the disease for over 20 years.. I am quite confident your wife will get the correct result and be placed in the Support Group with no further hassles.. Good luck..

My aunt has secondary progressive severe MS, she received her form last year, she sent in 24 medical reports etc, she is losing her speech, her sight, and now the ability to swallow. She is completely housbound in a wheelchair and has carers coming in three times a day. She got a phonecall to say they wanted her in for a medical, some of the centres have no wheelchair access, our local one doesn't. They wanted a letter from GP to say that she was housebound had no mobility, etc, it was sent in and nothing more was heard. Then at Christmas my uncle found out that her benefrits were stopped because of failure to attend a medical, she did not even get a date or time for appointment and no letter of warning to say benefits had been stopped. They said she had to put in a fresh claim for ESA. My uncle is fighting them at the mo and got MP etc involved. See? Totally housebound needs soical services help to get her up to bed, etc everything and this is what happens. A scandal. Every story is different, does not mean your story will turn out like this. I wish you lcuk with your claim MS husband, warm wishes to you and your wife.

I was diagnosed with PPMS in September last year. My brown envelope hit the doormat today saying I've been placed in the WRAG. It's contribution based. I'm quite happy - no medical!!!!

I have MS and have also been placed in the WRAG, but unlike you I am not happy at all! What will happen when they stop the ESA after 12 months???? I still won't be able to work then!

I immediately appealed (at start of January), yet while the appeal is going through I have already been called in to the local job centre to see a personal advisor.

The appointment was yesterday, and the "local" job centre is 16 miles away. I had to ask a friend to take the morning off work to take me there.

The advisor suggested I should call the IB reassessment team to speak to the decision maker and I did speak to someone who suggested that I should write a letter asking for a reconsideration as this may be quicker than an appeal. However, I'm pretty sure that I read on this website that it was not worth asking for a reconsideration and that it was better to go straight to appeal.

Dazed and Confused