Latest News From Benefits And Work

Double tribunal triumph as Atos medical report “wholly discredited”

“I came out of the Tribunal with 15 points for the ESA and an award of DLA Higher Rate Mobility and Middle Rate Care and I have to admit an immense feeling of euphoria!”
“Thanks to the information and help guides available on this fantastic site . . . the ATOS medical report was . . . wholly discredited.”
Read more.

More feedback from the forums at the end of this email

Forced labour scheme begins
Dear Kali,

Before we get to the news, we have a favour to ask.

It will take literally five  seconds of your time.

We’ve started a Benefits and Work Facebook page, partly to try to reach those people for whom Facebook, Twitter and YouTube make up most of the internet.  And partly because having a reasonable number  of people  ‘like’ you on Facebook is more evidence that you are an organisation whom people trust.

So, could you please spare just a few moments  to visit our Facebook page and click on the ‘Like’ icon near the top of the page.  You can only do this if you have a Facebook account, but if you don’t, you can just click on the Like button and sign up for a free account.

 Alternatively, you can also click on the ‘Like’ icon that appears near the bottom left of almost every page on the Benefits and Work site.

Thank you for helping spread the word!

NEWS
As what is beginning to look more and more like a war on claimants hots up, last month saw the introduction of a  ‘forced labour’ scheme.
(Members only). 
Many thousands of claimants will be obliged to work for up to 30 hours a week for a month for no wage whatsoever. There is no limit to the number of times claimants can be forced onto the scheme. Those who fail to comply will lose their benefits for 13 weeks for a first offence and 26 weeks for a second offence.

The scheme is aimed at JSA claimants, but with so many people likely to fail the new work capability assessment, that may well include thousands of  sick and disabled claimants who are deemed not to be trying hard enough to move into work.

The propaganda war is also becoming more vicious and ill-informed as the DWP feeds easy to misinterpret figures to the press and then looks the other way as hate-provoking misinformation fills the tabloids.

For the claimants on the front-line, there’s s also the shocking news of the lack of disabled access at many Atos medical centres, which most claimants are obliged to attend for their work capability assessment.   An astonishing one in five centres don’t have disabled access and Atos lists just one dedicated disabled parking space for the use of around a million claimants a year.

FIGHTING BACK
The government aren’t having it all their own way, however.  Below is a quick round-up of  anti-cuts actions over the coming month that you may want to support.

A national week of action against Atos is scheduled to begin on 9 May with a picnic and party in Triton Square*, home of their head office, at 2pm. 
On May 11 thousands of disabled people, their friends and families will be holding a march and lobbying parliament to protest at cuts to benefits and services.

The Justice for All campaign, which is fighting to save free legal advice, is holding a day of action on 3 June, which they are hoping members of the public will take part in. 
PRESS
Radio 4’s You and Yours programme is working on a report about the work capability assessment which may at least present a more honest picture of what is really happening to sick and disabled claimants.  As part of the feature they are hoping to talk an Atos health professional – anonymity assured.  If you are one of the Atos staff who read this newsletter, why not contact You and Yours in confidence?

You and Yours are also hoping to hear from people who have received a reassessment letter and are awaiting a medical or who are appealing an ESA decision.  More details here.

Elsewhere, a freelance journalist writing a piece on the forced migration from incapacity benefit to ESA for One in Four, a mental health service users magazine, is keen to hear from anyone who went through the Aberdeen or Burnley pilots or who is going through the reassessment process now.  More details.

NEW RESOURCE FOR PROFESSIONALS
Welfare rights expert Mark Perlic – who has provided free resources for this site in the past - is publishing an updated ninth edition of the invaluable DLA and AA caselaw pack in June of this year and is currently taking advance orders.  More details from this flyer.

Mark is also running DLA and AA case law training days in Birmingham and London in September and October of this year.  More details from Mark’s website.

GOOD NEWS FROM THE FORUMS
Finally, in spite of the all those bank holidays over the last  few weeks, we’ve still heard from a number of members with good news about their claims and appeals.

Atos medical report wholly discredited – both ESA and DLA tribunals won

Support group and highest care DLA on initial claim

IB and ESA appeals won

From WRAG to support group on appeal without attending hearing

Award increased to higher rate mobility and middle rate care on renewal.

From lower to higher rate care and lower rate mobility on appeal for 10 year old

Support group on initial claim

Successful DLA appeal

Successful IB appeal

WRAG on appeal

ESA from 6 to 21 points


PASS IT ON
You are welcome to reproduce this newsletter on your blog, website, forum or newsletter.

You can also read this newsletter online.

Good luck,

Steve Donnison

Benefits and Work Publishing Ltd
Company registration No.  5962666

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