I have been fighting to be placed in the support group. I only left work in June 2009 after 36 years of working. Not once did it cross the mind of anyone at ATOS that just maybe leaving due to medical grounds meant I could not work, but no apparently I can take part even though my doctor says I cannot and three occupational therapists declared me unfit for work. It is absolutely obscene to be treated in this way. I won my independent appeal but was warned by the very kind and considerate judges that I would be hounded and hounded until I was placed back in the limited capability group.
What the general public never bother to understand is that if 37% say are passed as fit for work 31% of those are not and it is the questionnaire that is at fault not the person claiming.
Surely disabled people are being discriminated against? This is not my Britain anymore, it is a mini USA and I am so angry all the time since this happened to me I now suffer acute anxiety attacks on top of my spinal injuries.
You're almost describing what happened to me. My story started 3 years ago. I have Fibromyalgia, have had it for donkeys years AND worked with it, bringing up 3 children.
ReplyDeleteI had an extremely stressful job & my fm symptoms got worse, possibly due to the stress. I started having terrible dizzy spells & eventually collapsed without warning in the street. I was off work months & eventually had an independent medical examination. That medical said I had a chronic fatigue type illness & the prognosis wasn't good. They said adaptations in the workplace wouldn't work in my case. The company, a charity, promptly had a reorganisation & I was made redundant.
I was shocked & disappointed that I lost my job, but I thought the contributions I'd paid in would just help me keep my independence intact. How wrong was I.
I claimed Incapacity Benefit for a few months, then the dreaded medical by Atos. The Doctor wasn't very pleasant at all. He recorded my pulse as normal, he didn't take it. He recorded my hand temperature as normal--I have Raynauds & my hands were like blocks of ice (it was winter & very cold). I scored nil points.
I have Asthma, Raynauds, Fibromyalgia, Neurally Mediated Hypotension, Psorias, Eczema. I now suffer with Depression & thanks to Atos & the DWP, Anxiety.
My Incapacity was stopped. I appealed & lost, even though the Solicitor present said I was certainly suffering from Depression, they both agreed with the Atos Doctor.
I now have Gastro Problems on top of the above, possibly caused by a Gall Bladder operation I had whilst all this was going on.
This year I've spent a fortune on medication. Unfortunately as much of it has been spasmodic, I didn't get a prepayment certificate.
I've also been borderline Hypothyroid for 10 years & I've begged my Doctor to put me on medication for it--only a tiny dose. Yesterday I got my 1st free prescription. I find myself in a ridiculous situation of being glad my health is worsening to help my lack of funds.
I can remember my late Father telling me he had to sell his home to be able to live in the 1930's & again in the 1940's. It's looking like we'll have to do the same in the next year or so.
My pension had already been put back 4 yeas +. Now I have to wait another 2 years before I have any personal money of my own. I paid in for all those years for this. I know I can't blame this government--this has been caused by the banks, the recession & previous governments.
I am 1 of the lucky ones, I have a Husband with a small pension, less than a clerk's wage & we have rapidly decreasing savings. I do a bit of voluntary work with an online charity (when I'm fit enough). There are many on the charity site who are not in such a good position.
Hey Gillian,
ReplyDeleteI am suffering symptoms of Fibromyalgia and thyroid complications but am still in the process of finding out exactly what's wrong. I am impressed that you've been able to work at all! It doesn't surprise me that you collapsed.
I am a long-term unemployed graduate. I was recently sent to A4e by the job centre. It's a scheme for long-term unemployed young people to "help them" find employment. I would be working 25hrs+ a week for £65 JSA for 13 weeks. I tried really hard to do it but I was struggling to walk 40 minutes to work and 40 minutes back let alone be working on my feet the majority of the day. When I went over my 5 sick days after 9 weeks my JSA was stopped and I have had to write a letter of explanation in order for my benefits to continue.
I felt double-punished. Firstly for being unemployed and then being ill =(
Nazi brigade? Are we supposed to take this article seriously?
ReplyDeleteABSOLUTELY! this is a facist regime with the clear intent of "removing" the most sick and disabled people from society.
ReplyDeleteMany will just not cope and take their own lives and the lives of those they care for and cannot be.ar to leave behind, knowing they will not cope.
Why does the government not come clean and setup 'voluntary' euthanasia centres?
The moral strength of a society can be judged by how it treats it's most disabled and vulnerable members.
This lot will go down in history
It always starts like this. Today they treat the disabled and sick in such a shameful way without a shame on their faces, tomorrow they will do the same to the healthy and capable, but poor doue to one reason or another. Look at the education bacalaureate changes they are trying to impose, to measure the abilities of individuals in one area and completely ignoring theris skills in other areas. This puts in a criteria of first or second class citizens already - if you are fit to study the valuable subjects you may classify to be a valuable citizen, who in case of a health problem may be looked after, if you are not fit to study these subjects you would be a second class citizen, or if you are born with a disability, therefore you would not be a valuable citizen thus not deserving a health care. Capable of studying and the strong are only citizens who would be looked after. Does this design remind you of anything else?
ReplyDeleteAtos are conspiring with the government to pervert the course of justice
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely right. It's frightening. This government are no better than any that has been before. In fact you would almost think that New Labour deliberately messed things up in order to pave the way for this lot to come back in, bcause they were not a real Labour government in my view. And the people on the whole are lapping it up with cries of Benefit Scum! and Why Should I Work Just To Keep Them? completely stupid, unable to see that the real fraudsters and rip off merchants are in Westminster, and always have been! I agree with others, not long now until the cattle carts.... People think mentioning the Holocaust is being dramatic, it's not! This sort of thing happened right before Nazi Gemany took hold - read your history books to see that, it's right there in black and white. I'm just thankful that,although disabled with an 'invisible illness' I'm still young (30s) with professional qualifications and still have a hope of getting out of this country if things get too bad. I'll continue to fight for the rest of you though xx
ReplyDeleteThe lady is correct. I live in the USA, and I can tell you this.... I know for a fact that if the government is involved with a credit reporting agency, then your fucked!!! Experian is the DEVIL.
ReplyDeleteI say, everyone get to gether, and send any spare money you have to a good attorney for a class action lawsuit. Get the ball rolling to sue the government for their unlawfull treatment of it's disabled citizens. You have PAID into a system that refuses to help you when you need it and they refuse to give you the money back when needed. I now see the government is designed to forcefully take taxes from us, in the pretence of making helpful government agency jobs to serve the people, but in reality they are con artists who are trained to treat us like garbage and withhold every penny so they can keep us powerless, humble and in control.