Happy news re Support Group but very strange circs

Previously I had asked your advice about going to Appeal to get into the Support Group but something rather strange and miraculous has just happened!

At the weekend had a letter from the Tribunal service that my Appeal has lapsed because the DWP have changed their minds about the original decision to put me into the WRAG, therefore there was nothing for me to appeal against.

Being suspicious (and having heard nothing from the DWP) I telephoned them and was told that a decision was made on 18th October 2013 to put me into the Support Group for 18 months.

Obviously this is wonderful news HOWEVER, the strange part is that I only submitted my Appeal bundle on 11th October, and which could only then have been sent on to DWP on Monday 14th October.

It appears to have taken four days for them to make a decision; I didn't even get the chance to go through all the additional medical evidence received from my GP's surgery which came in the form of pages and pages of double sided, half-sized computer print-out format - let alone submit any of it.

Have you heard of this happening before? I can only assume that the original decision was based on the awful ESA113 that my previous GP filled in and they were just waiting for me to submit something to the contrary. (I couldn't do this previously as their appeal bundle didn't arrive until the beginning of September as I underwent a Reconsideration without realising it.)

I am just so thankful not to have to go to Tribunal (the waiting time was going to be into the New Year 2014, from May 2013 when I first requested one) as I have been having more and more seizures because of the stress.

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For those who are interested, I sent in the following (split into sections, with an index).

A submission to the Tribunal politely setting out my case to get into the Support Group;
Extensive comments on the ESA85 medical report;
Comments on the ATOS score sheet which even contradicted the ESA85 (I had been given 0 across the activities);
Note on the ESA113 explaining that my old GP was factually incorrect;
Medical evidence including previous DWP medicals where I was awarded HRM / MRC and fresh reports for walking / physio ability.
List of current medication.

I made sure that my name / NINo / Appeal No. was on every typed page.


****************************

Again, thank you all for your assistance.

T.Loopy

TemporallyLoopy wrote: Previously I had asked your advice about going to Appeal to get into the Support Group but something rather strange and miraculous has just happened!

At the weekend had a letter from the Tribunal service that my Appeal has lapsed because the DWP have changed their minds about the original decision to put me into the WRAG, therefore there was nothing for me to appeal against.

Being suspicious (and having heard nothing from the DWP) I telephoned them and was told that a decision was made on 18th October 2013 to put me into the Support Group for 18 months.

Obviously this is wonderful news HOWEVER, the strange part is that I only submitted my Appeal bundle on 11th October, and which could only then have been sent on to DWP on Monday 14th October.

It appears to have taken four days for them to make a decision; I didn't even get the chance to go through all the additional medical evidence received from my GP's surgery which came in the form of pages and pages of double sided, half-sized computer print-out format - let alone submit any of it.

Have you heard of this happening before? I can only assume that the original decision was based on the awful ESA113 that my previous GP filled in and they were just waiting for me to submit something to the contrary. (I couldn't do this previously as their appeal bundle didn't arrive until the beginning of September as I underwent a Reconsideration without realising it.)

I am just so thankful not to have to go to Tribunal (the waiting time was going to be into the New Year 2014, from May 2013 when I first requested one) as I have been having more and more seizures because of the stress.

**************************

For those who are interested, I sent in the following (split into sections, with an index).

A submission to the Tribunal politely setting out my case to get into the Support Group;
Extensive comments on the ESA85 medical report;
Comments on the ATOS score sheet which even contradicted the ESA85 (I had been given 0 across the activities);
Note on the ESA113 explaining that my old GP was factually incorrect;
Medical evidence including previous DWP medicals where I was awarded HRM / MRC and fresh reports for walking / physio ability.
List of current medication.

I made sure that my name / NINo / Appeal No. was on every typed page.


****************************

Again, thank you all for your assistance.

T.Loopy

Hi TL,

It is possible for the DWP DM to change the decision in your favour right up to the date of an appeal hearing if new evidence comes to light.

Congratulations on The SG award, this should be backdated to the time of the adverse WRAG decision.

You should receive a written confirmation from the DWP that you have been placed into The SG.

Thanks for letting us all know.

bro58