snowathlete
Senior Member
- Messages
- 5,374
- Location
- UK
Im in the UK, and started claiming Employment Support Allowance (ESA) a little over a year ago. I didnt claim in my first year of being ill, because i just felt i would get better and it wouldnt be worth the hasle.
When I finally did claim, they discriminated against me, made derogatory comments in my report about me, overuled my consultants report with a more junior doctors opinion without giving any reasoning for this and therefore put me in the 'work related activity group', cut my benefit off when i refused to attend a medical on a 50 mile round trip on the grounds of ill health and the fact it was so soon after the first medical (just 3 months), fobbed me off when i complained, failed to send someone to my home for a medical once they agreed that they should (i have waited 9 months without hearing a dicky bird), failed to reply to many of my letters full stop, misquoted me, and my consultant to make the complaint appear trivial, and then finally turned their appology into an opportunity to blame me for feeling badly treated.
This is quite a good summary considering i have written (with the help of my parents and wife) over 30 letters and been through their entired complaints procedure. The thing is my case really is straightforward. I have a very highly qualified consultant who makes it clear that i cannot do any type of work and that my prognosis for the future is bleak. They have just chosen to ignore it basically.
So, im at that stage where i am taking my complaint to the PO. My hope is that they arent just another piece of the corrupt system.
I havent posted about this before because its too depressing, but i hope that i am close to the end of my battle, which has gone on more than year now.
This for me has filled me with utter shame for my country. Infact, i feel sick saying, "my country". I no longer consider myself to be British, because what that word now stands for is disgrace. The really sad thing is that i am not as sick as some people, and i have more support than many do, so i know that many many more of us are out there being screwed by our government on this everyday. The injustice of it, makes me want to puke.
When I finally did claim, they discriminated against me, made derogatory comments in my report about me, overuled my consultants report with a more junior doctors opinion without giving any reasoning for this and therefore put me in the 'work related activity group', cut my benefit off when i refused to attend a medical on a 50 mile round trip on the grounds of ill health and the fact it was so soon after the first medical (just 3 months), fobbed me off when i complained, failed to send someone to my home for a medical once they agreed that they should (i have waited 9 months without hearing a dicky bird), failed to reply to many of my letters full stop, misquoted me, and my consultant to make the complaint appear trivial, and then finally turned their appology into an opportunity to blame me for feeling badly treated.
This is quite a good summary considering i have written (with the help of my parents and wife) over 30 letters and been through their entired complaints procedure. The thing is my case really is straightforward. I have a very highly qualified consultant who makes it clear that i cannot do any type of work and that my prognosis for the future is bleak. They have just chosen to ignore it basically.
So, im at that stage where i am taking my complaint to the PO. My hope is that they arent just another piece of the corrupt system.
I havent posted about this before because its too depressing, but i hope that i am close to the end of my battle, which has gone on more than year now.
This for me has filled me with utter shame for my country. Infact, i feel sick saying, "my country". I no longer consider myself to be British, because what that word now stands for is disgrace. The really sad thing is that i am not as sick as some people, and i have more support than many do, so i know that many many more of us are out there being screwed by our government on this everyday. The injustice of it, makes me want to puke.