ATOS Miracles
Kirsty F***********
In her own words….
“Imagine you are happily commuting to work one day when someone barges past you on the train platform, pushing you onto the tracks where the train goes over your legs.
You wake up in hospital, no legs and damaged internal organs. You can’t even take care of changing your own nappy. You have to learn to use a wheelchair and how to live again with your disability.
You can’t work so apply for ESA. ATOS demand you attend a work capability assessment. “But I’m still in hospital!” You reply. ATOS reply “we don’t believe you. Make your doctor send us a letter to prove it”.
The doctor won’t. He has been ordered by the government not to get involved in “DWP issues”. You eventually persuade him but it costs you £45 for him to write the “non standard letter”.
ATOS “lose” the letter. You get another one done and have it sent recorded delivery.
ATOS reluctantly postpone your appointment by a few weeks. You get out of hospital and go to the assessment centre in your wheelchair. When you arrive it is not disabled accessible.
ATOS mark you down as a “no show”. Your claim is cancelled.
You spend days of frustration calling various departments begging them to listen to you to reopen your case and to send you to a different centre.
Eventually you MIGHT manage this. Your phone bill arrives, all the 0845 numbers adding up to hours of wasted time and money that you simply do not have.
You attend the work capability assessment they decide to announce you fit for work because you can talk you can write you can type and make yourself understood.
You quite rightly appeal the decision, you are told you will not receive any money while you are appealing this may take months in fact it usually takes about a year.
“But where will I get any income from?” you ask. The DWP say “apply for job seekers allowance”.
You apply. “Are you able to start work immediately?” You are asked. “Of course not, just look at me!” You sob through tears of pain. “Well you cannot claim jobseekers allowance then” they reply.
“But how am I supposed to get money, what am I supposed to eat, where am I supposed to live?” You plead.
“Not my problem” they reply, dismissing you.
THIS IS REALITY. THIS is how this government treats anyone unlucky enough to become sick or disabled as well as those who were born that way.
Personally I have been through the hellish fight of having been kicked off Incapacity Benefit, straight into WRAG without them even bothering to assess me. My appeal took around a year before I finally won and was awarded the Support Group. They didn’t backdate it. I am STILL battling for DLA however.
I am writing this lying flat out on my back for yet another day as I am in too much pain to move. I can’t afford a carer so on the days I cannot move I simply can’t eat. I have my many medications at my side and bottles of water to keep me going. I admit I keep myself dehydrated so I don’t have to struggle to get to the bathroom so often. The water is for taking the pills with. An average of about 36 a day. My doctor wants to put me on morphine next.
There is no cure for me, I will be like this for the rest of my life. Unable to care for myself. I used to be fit and strong, I even had my own business until I was involved in a car accident when a boy racer smashed into me.
I may be “lucky” to have won the support group but I cannot rest easily as I know that at any moment they can decide to take it off me again and put me through the whole process again.
Luckily despite mental health issues as well as my physical ones (which includes bipolar and severe PTSD), I am quite strong and determined not to let them win. I will not let them kill me.
Unfortunately I personally know many more victims of ATOS and the DWP who are not as strong, who have had complete breakdowns and suicide attempts because of the persecution. They have panic attacks or withdraw into a gibbering wreck curled up in the corner if the DWP are even MENTIONED. It makes their condition worse. It causes them immense distress.
It does not help that the DWP have ordered GPs not to “get involved” in patients DWP issues, ordering them to deny the help and support that the patients so desperately need.
On one hand the DWP blame the victims for “not providing enough medical evidence”, when on the other hand they have bullied the victims doctor into not providing the victim with the medical evidence. Even if the victim obtains such evidence, as a matter of course ATOS refuse to look at it during the Work Capability Assessment. (They are not allowed to call it a “medical”). This is contrary to their OWN rules published in the “WCA handbook”: a vital tool for victims to use to fight their case. It can be downloaded from victim support groups online.
In addition the Citizens Advice Bureaux, Welfare Rights and Legal Aid have all had their funding slashed to a pittance meaning they cannot help the majority of people. The CAB in particular is snowed under. They cannot afford to open more than a couple of days a week, or man the phone lines. They certainly cannot spare staff to act as advocates at appeals or tribunals. This means vulnerable people have to represent themselves with no idea how to do so.
The sick and disabled have nowhere to turn. We are being forced to die from starvation, neglect or being turfed out on the streets from the bedroom tax or poverty. The “lucky” ones avoid the slow death by committing suicude. This appears to be exactly what this current government wants to happen it wants less sick and disabled people around and when they kill themselves it’s cheaper than building gas chambers.”
Kirsty F*******
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