ESA Latest (And More Junk Mail From The DWP)

Spoonies! Another quick update on my ESA/WRAG adventures. 'citing!

So, you're probably up to speed by now, but here's a quick recap. Like many of you I've been moved to ESA from Incapacity Benefit. They sent me that stupid, irrelevant form; you know the one, "tell us how you manage carrying a large empty box..."

I told them very specifically that I believe I should be put straight into the Work-Related Activity Group. After all, I make records, music videos, it would be wrong to say I can't do anything. Lot's of people on ESA genuinely can't work, it would be an insult to those people for me to include myself in that group.

Nevertheless, I face a lot of challenges with my disabilities. I figured WRAG would be able to help me. Sure enough, a prompt reply to my first form told me I would be in the WRAG. After hearing nothing for months, I called the Jobcentre to find out why I hadn't been asked to attend an interview yet. The people I spoke to were dumbfounded; nobody has ever asked to be seen re WRAG, I was assured.

Some months later, I saw an advisor. She explained that I would not be required to attend a medical, as my form must have explained my condition accurately. I explained that it explained very little, only that I had asked to be put into the WRAG, which (I presume) accounts for the prompt decision. I waited months for this interview, remember. Turns out, this interview's primary purpose was to explain to me that I was not required to attend any further interviews, and my ESA payments will continue. Despite the best intentions of the advisor, no real help towards me working was offered.

So, after all that, this amused me.



This explains exactly how much of my benefit will be cut if I refuse to attend the interviews I haven't been asked to attend. Remember, I've been told I won't be asked to attend any more.

Makes perfect sense.

Of course, it's a generic letter. You may have one. But, especially in my circumstances, it's faintly ridiculous.

Here's as far as I've got on making sense of ESA. Help me out on this one, this is all I've got. Based on my experiences so far, I'm thinking that:

A - All of us will be treated with the presumption that, while being fit enough to work, we will do everything we can to avoid this scenario, and will lie and cheat if necessary to avoid working. That's why we need to be warned of the dire consequences in stern letters like the one above.

(but)

B - If, like me, you consider yourself capable of working with the right support, you'll get nothing. There is no support, the process serves only to weed out these imaginary work-dodging disabled people the government keeps telling us about. It's a purely defensive strategy, with no genuine motive to help people. Genuine support is not built into the process, because none of us want to get help anyway, RIGHT?

Too cynical? Your mileage may vary, but I can't see it any other way right now.

ESA Continued...

Okay, so it's been a few weeks now, but I thought I'd better update people on my experiences with ESA.

Just to recap; I've been put in the Work Focused Activity Group, meaning I was told I'd be expected to work. I was put in this group (I think) because I asked to be. Here's my earlier blog post on the first part of the process.

So, I attended the first interview I was obliged to as part of this process. We've all heard lots of heavy language about how WFAG means you'll have to go back to work; the letter I was sent clearly stated that I would be obliged to take steps back to work. Okay then. Let's do this. I was expecting fire and brimstone, and 20+ hours in the nearest Tesco.

Turns out, that interview was the only obligation. That first interview's purpose was to explain this process and confirm that I understood the above.

And then... nothing.

No further obligations, and no help either. My ESA payments have been renewed, they'll write to me in 2014 for another interview.

I was ready to take on this system. I was ready for them to prove to me what was possible, that these promises of getting disabled people back to work weren't empty.

I hope you can see my point here. Many disabled people live in fear that they will be made to do a job they are unable to do. I'm THROWING myself at the system, asking them to send me to work. I'm not well, but I'll give it my best shot. That doesn't matter though. They're not doing anything.

Many people live in fear of being forced to go to do work they cannot manage. Yet when challenged, it seems the system actually doesn't have answers for those of us who do feel able to do some work. Many people have told me via twitter that this isn't surprising. it would appear that if you voice the fact that you don't feel able to work, the DWP put the pressure on. Show ready and willing, and they seem to do nothing.

None of this takes away from the effects my CP has on me. I REALLY struggle a lot of the time, but I sincerely believe I'll be able to do something. It's my personal choice; I don't recommend anyone try and push themselves to do something they don't feel able to. This way of thinking is not for everyone.

To be fair, the advisor I saw was very kind and enthusiastic. Nevertheless, the system she is part of is broken.

The only advice she could offer was for someone with my skill set was to think about working for themselves. That makes a lot of sense. I'm going for it. I can work around my situation, and stick to what I'm good at. I can even earn up to a threshold and still claim ESA for 12 months under the Permitted Work rules, which will help. So, no; I'm not complaining. That works for me. It works for me because I have lots going on that I believe I can get paid for. Not everybody has these options, of course.

Only trouble is, that's me creating my own job if I want one. I don't HAVE to. I could just keep getting ESA until the next assessment. I'm certainly unwell enough, I just wanted to see what was possible.

I can't help feeling that all this talk of offering people "positive steps to the workplace" is the usual vacant rhetoric - when asked for help, they're stumped.

That's NOT a system helping me get back to work.

Having a dog and barking yourself springs to mind.

This is obviously not the case for many people though. It seems that people who live in fear of being made to work are often forced to, while those of us asking for help are getting nowhere. Anybody else? Is it just me? Has anybody had a positive experience with the Work Focused Activity Group so far?