I have been in receipt of incapacity benefit for 10 years due to a number of serious, incurable and degenerative disorders. I also receive high rate care and low mobility DLA, that award having been renewed in 2011 based on medical evidence.
At the beginning of 2012 I finally got the letter starting the process of transferring me to ESA (Employment and Support Allowance), and there the problems began. I completed the form and submitted about 30 pages of additional evidence, including the recent renewal of my DLA claim. I eventually received an appointment for an assessment. Luckily I knew my local centre was on the 1st floor and because of my mobility restrictions I wouldn’t be admitted, otherwise I’d have had a wasted journey. After 2 phone calls ATOS decided I had to have a home assessment.
Unfortunately there is only 1 doctor for my area and she clearly has no intention of ever carrying out the assessment. When she’s not sick, resulting in a last-minute cancellation which I often don’t get to hear about for several days, she alleges that she’s called and I wasn’t in.
She’s done this twice now which could easily have led to me losing my benefits for ‘failure to attend’. Fortunately I was able to prove that the first time she couldn’t have attended on the correct date and time, since her letter [showed] she had posted [it] the day before. ATOS may be known for performing miracle cures, but I doubt DWP will accept that their doctors are clairvoyant. We’re still waiting to hear the outcome of the second ‘failure to attend’, however ATOS may have inadvertently supplied all the proof I need on that one.
If 9 failed appointments over 21 months weren’t enough, ATOS have also supplied inaccurate information to my MP and the DWP. They have denied arranging a home assessment at all, [but] that was easily proven by production of the appointment letters. [They] said that I had refused to be assessed and had refused to attend an alternative centre. They have yet (after 5 months) to supply any evidence to support these statements. If I were paranoid, I’d be certain that someone at ATOS was out to get me. As I’m not, I’m putting it down to sheer incompetence together with refusal to take responsibility for failures.
The outcome is that after the last failed appointment I said no more, fully backed by my family who have had to go through the stress with me and watch me suffer totally unnecessary pain and fatigue in repeatedly chasing appointments, updating information and preparing for assessments that never happen. My complaint against both ATOS and DWP (who seem to think 21 months and 9 failed appointments entirely reasonable) is now with the Independent Case Examiner. When asked what outcome I wanted I said a decision on my claim would be sufficient. I simply no longer care what that decision is – I’d far rather brave the tribunal service than submit to any more non-assessments by ATOS!
Angie Bennetton
Do you have a story to share about Atos and/or the Work Capability Assessment? Please send it to: letters@welfarenewsservice.com
