ATOS Medical

Please help!!! My husband is currently in receipt of IB. We completed the questionaire and returned it to ATOS. They have now requested that he attend a medical on 7/2/13. He has a number of Mental Health problems ie OCD, Depression, panic attacks the list is enless.

Could anybody tell me what to expect?

Thankyou

Hi L,

There is further information on the ATOS website, here : www.atoshealthcare.com/claimants

You should be aware, that how your husband manages to travel to and from the assessment will be taken into account, in effect this is part of the assessment itself.

Observations and resulting assumptions will be made by the ATOS HCP from the time that he enters the building, until he leaves.

He does have the right to be accompanied by a companion/carer, who can take notes if they wish to.

Good luck.

bro58

Thankyou for your reply. I will be attending with my husband as he will not go out alone. Would it be worth while getting copies of letters that my husbands Physichiatrist has sent to his GP?

Thankyou

Lauren wrote: Thankyou for your reply. I will be attending with my husband as he will not go out alone. Would it be worth while getting copies of letters that my husbands Physichiatrist has sent to his GP?

Thankyou

Hi L,

You could try and obtain them in time for the 7/02/13, and take copies to the assessment.

You could then hand them to the ATOS HCP before the assessment starts, they are "Supposed " to read them.

Ideally any evidence that substantiated your husband's condition, and helped to show that he suffers the limitations that would qualify him for an award of ESA, should have been sent along with the ESA50.

If you can now obtain copies of such evidence, you could also post it to ATOS at the same address as the ESA50 was returned to, and also send copy FAO The ESA Decision Maker, at the address of The Benefits Office/Centre that you will have on any of your ESA letters.

See : Sending Documents to the DWP or ATOS

Don't forget, only send/provide copies, put hubbies name, NI Number and DOB at the top of any seperate pages. You may also wish to put in a covering letter, stating that you wish this extra evidence to be taken into account along with The ESA50.

bro58

Thank you for your reply, I am finding this website very helpful.

I must say though that I am in shock after reading on this website that after claiming ESA for 365 days my husband will be entitled to no help. Reason being I work 27 hours pw, DWP say that I will then have to "keep" my husband. This is disgusting, I have 2 young children, cant work full time as I have to look after my husband. I understand that I will be able to claim extra Tax Credits which makes me laugh. HMRC work a year in arrers, so does that mean that I will not get any other help for a whole year?

I thought people with a disability were being helped? My mistake, people on JSA have no limits for how long they can claim. Something wrong somewhere.

Rant over!!!

Thanks Lauren