Please help - IB suddenly been stopped!

[beabea81]

Please help, we are not sure what to do. I was told in August I would need to be assessed & moved from IB to ESA & filled out all the forms. My GP then faxed Atos to request a home visit for my assessment as I am too poorly to go out to the centre.

After that we heard nothing until a coupld of weeks ago, when a man just turned up on my doorstep! He didn't show me any ID but said he was from DWP to carry out my assessment. I was quite shocked & scared as knew nothing about this & he went away again.

We complained t Atos about this by e-mail & letter & last week had a letter back from them saying they would investigate. But they claimed to have sent me a letter with the appointment for my home assessment.

Today I received a letter from the Jobcentre telling me they have stopped my IB & I am no longer eligible as I failed to attend my assessment!

Please help, I don't know what to do & am panicking! We can't cope without that money & they have just ignored what happened & our complaint & stopped my benefit! My dad is an ex lawyer & says Atos have given Jobcentre false information & so the decision cannot be right. But what do I do now?!

I can't understand why he didn't show you any ID - but he did say explain who he was and why he was there. You knew your GP was arranging a home assessment, so it can't have come as a complete surprise...?

All you can do is telephone, outline the circumstances, and write to confirm. However, you may have to make a new claim.

You may be able to appeal rather than make a new claim. While waiting for the outcome of an appeal, you should get the same amount of money whether you claim JSA or remain on ESA while an appeal is being decided.

Did you actually have the assessment at your home or did you send the man away ? When he said who he was did you ask to see his ID?

I dont know the answer to your query but I do sympathise. I'm autistic and if they just turned up at my door I'd have complete freakout too.

atos are required to contact you to arrange an appointment date & time, so yes i was pretty surprised he just turned up on my doorstep. i was very frail that day & also very confused & unsteady having taken my medications which make me weak & drowsy. my husband is my carer & he was not there at the time, my parents were due to arrive to look in on me but they also had not arrived yet.

i was in my pyjamas, i opened the door as he did not just ring the doorbell, he started hammering on my door aggressivley & i thought something bad had happened outside! it took me a while to get to the door because i am unsteady but i also have problems with my pelvis, it is worn away & out of place & i am not very mobile.

so anyway, no, i did not let this man into my house, i was scared. no i didn't ask to see id, surely that is his responsibility to show me?

sorry i get the feeling maybe this was the wrong board to post for help!

Christ on a fucking bike. People dont ask to be ill or disabled FFS. What a way to treat ill people.

Olgaga is someone expected to just wait all day every day on the off chance then? Would you like your GP appointments to be arranged like this? No? the OP quite rightly expected to know in advance what date and time this "doctor" would be coming just like you would expect to know the date and TIME of any doctors appointment that you would make Olgaga.
Why should anyone be treated with any less courtesy and respect just because they happen to be disabled. Disability is not a choice you know.

Right, I've just been through similar.

You need straightaway to phone the number on the DWP letter (mine says 0845 608 8526).

Tell them you're appealing and want the paperwork to do so. (I believe they have a stage where they may phone you and try to talk you out of appealing. You are free to ignore them and say you only want to do things in writing, or just not take the call.)

You have one month from the date on the IB-stopping letter to get your appeal into their hot little hands. So probably actually about 2 1/2 weeks because of post and because they don't get stuff out promptly.

The appeal form is at the back of their leaflet called "If you think our decision is wrong". It's very short and easy to fill in - personal details + "Tell us why you think we are wrong".

You will also need a medical statement from your GP to submit to the DWP for your benefit to continue on reduced level while the appeal is heard.

I didn't get my appeal in on time but have managed to get ATOS to admit their assessment wasn't "fit for purpose" (just because content was inappropriate given GP's diagnosis, not because they admitted all their other bad behaviour).

That was a couple of months ago, and I have just had a letter from the DWP saying "we have changed our decision", based on ATOS's admission. I'm waiting to see when/if my IB is reinstated.