Happy with ATOS

There's a blogger (on depression) called Depressed Moose - Garry Williams. Worth reading (certainly more meat than I'll ever manage!)

In September, he had his ATOS interview. Two weeks later he was told that he qualified for his benefits.

I envy, and am pleased for, the Moose on this matter. (I was about to write "congratulate" and "success", but there is nothing about depression that warrants either of those two words - not even keeping the benefits to which, after all, one is entitled by contract with the state and our society.)

The Moose writes "...despite all the negative publicity about them I can only speak based on my experience with them and my advice to anyone due to have a medical would be to ignore everything you read because it will only make you ill from stress! Go into the medical with an open mind and be 100% honest about how you feel and how your illness affects your daily life.  Don’t assume anything will count for or against you just reveal everything!"

I have one (sort of) quibble - so far! - with what he writes: "I can only speak based on my experience..." He's wrong. There is a wealth of evidence, individually anecdotal but overwhelming and overwhelmingly consistent in the flood: ATOS fails most people (many of whom are desperately ill, and up to 70% of those who are failed* are found to have been failed wrongly. And many of those who succeed in their appeals are almost immediately put through the process again. Etc. Etc.)  *If they have representation, of course.  And are alive and well enough to attend an appeal.

We can all speak with that wealth of evidence, including the Moose.

His experiences put him very much in the minority... and he knows it.

http://thedepressedmoose.com/2012/09/30/atos-dwp-update/


By the way, DWP, I ask again. If I live near Farnborough, why do you insist that my local Jobcentre is at Hyde, beyond Southhampton? For pity's sake, Luton and Sevenoaks are both closer, and would be easier to get to!

Advice (to anyone about to be interviewed by ATOS)

1. Make sure that the person who gives you your face to face assessment interview (HCP - health care professional) is qualified in the areas of your disablement. It would be better to know beforehand, but that's probably not possible. However, you are entitled (after you are informed of DWP's decision) to ask for the medical report made after the assessment. The interviewer's name and qualifications will be given there (as I only found out today).

If the person is not appropriately qualified, make sure that this is mentioned in your appeal.

2. I have been told that you are entitled to have your interview recorded. DO THIS. I didn't know and didn't think of it, and now I wish I had such a recording for my appeal.

3. If your claim is disallowed, ask for the medical report. (You will find that you are not clearly told about your right to have this.)

(4. I'm not sure about this, but I believe that if, like me, you're given a wholly unreasonable journey to your assessment centre, you're entitled to insist on a more suitable venue, near or even at your home.)

Simple advice, but I had to discover it from scratch. It may help you to know in advance.

More wisdom to come, maybe.

 
If you don't attend your assessment interview, you lose your entitlement to benefits.

If you're well enough to attend, you are well enough to work, so you have no entitlement to benefits anyway. 

That's the Catch 22 of the new benefits system.