Demoted into WRAG from Support

Hello all, I’m asking for some advice as to what I should do next.

I’ve been in the Support Group for about 3 years but after my latest medical in early December I have just heard that I have been downgraded into the WRAG (despite writing almost the same things in the ESA50 as I had done for the medicals which put me into the Support Geoup). In addition, at this latest medical I even broke down in tears when telling the interviewer that I was suicidal.

One week after the medical I had a crisis (not related to the medical) & when I saw my GP & told him I was suicidal & had decided on a plan of action as to how to end my life, he sent me to A&E with a letter asking for me to be admitted to the psychiatric unit. As it turned out, there were no available beds & so I was placed in the care of the Crisis intervention & home Treatment Team, where I was visited at home regularly by mental health nurses. I was discharged from this team 4 days ago back into the care of my GP.

There is no way I will cope with being made to attend the job centre or any activities related to moving into work; all this will do is bring on another crisis where I will again be planning to take my life.

I don’t know what I need to do now to get the decision changed. I don’t understand the mandatory reconsideration & appeal process, but need to let it be known that I feel their decision is wrong.

Please help point me in the right direction. Thank you.

Thank you Gordon. The letter from DWP was dated 30 December but only received on 14 January!! So already I have lost 2 of the 4 weeks in which I must make my request for MR.

I have drafted a letter to DWP using the example shown in the link you provided, but as I have no idea what I was marked down on I phoned DWP yesterday (only took 30 minutes to get through to them!) to request a copy of Form ESA85 as well as to place on record that I was going to submit in writing a request for MR. Assuming the form is actually sent to me (the woman I spoke to did sound nice & helpful, but who knows whether she will actually comply with my request), it doesn’t leave me very long in which to get my letter to DWP.

If I receive the form, I will report back here & possibly ask for further advice.

Many thanks again for the help you provide to everybody caught up in the web of benefit problems

Surprisingly the requested Form ESA85 arrived today & I have just read through it. However, I have no idea where I did or didn’t score points.

I had to laugh when I read that with regard to “Relevant features of clinical examination” there were abnormal findings of my “irritable” mood & “reduced facial expression (which may indicate depression)!! That is the mental health condition that I so clearly detailed on my ESA50 & at the assessment.

In addition, under the heading “Exceptional Circumstanxes” the interviewer agrees I am “suffering from some specific disease or bodily or mental disablement........ there would b a substantial risk to the mental or physical health of any person if they were found not to have limited capability for work” Furthermore, under the heading “Evidence which has led to this opinion” the interviewer states “The ESA50, Med 3 , 113 & previous report indicates that there would be substantial mental or physical risk if the client were found capable of work”.

In view of the above, I have no idea why I have been moved from Support Group to WRAG, bearing in mind I have had 2 attendances at A&E in a state of crisis within the last 18 months - the second of these occurred one week after this medical assessment & I will be giving details in my letter requesting Mandatory Reconsideration.

If you can advise on anything else I can mention when writing to DWP, or whether there is anything I should do to highlight the fragile state of my mental health, I would be much obliged.

Thank you.