To wish ATOS would leave me alone

Precisely, and what corobative evidence you can include. Unfortunately GPs saying this patient is not fit for work is not helpful. The test is not a fit to work exam but what points you score. 15 to qualify.

What I remember from my days as a Benefit Advisor with Age Concern (as was) was that when filling these forms in it wasn't what you said but the way that you said it!

In my experience, exhaustion after an intensive day's work is not uncommon in anyone who has given 100% of their intellectual energy and who has drawn on the wisdom and knowledge gained through years of experience. It matters not how old the person is, but on the amount of effort needed and the demands of the task.

What is ridiculous about this entire process, is a government trying to make those who are incapacitated by illness, work, and preventing those who are willing and able from doing so.

I don't know if you intended to be unkind in your comment to Galen about seeing the connection between feeling knackered and 'pensioned off' at 72, Jen, but that's what it sounded like

I agree, Elegran. IDS has made a right pig's ear of anything he touches.
How come he's still in the job?
My grandson tires me out teaching him for six hours a day five days a week, and I'm only 65, Galen. Far too many questions!

Thanks Galen x

If you need help? You know where to come. The skill is in understanding how the questions work.

I'm dreading the time when they decide to change me over. I'm only 55 so it will come sooner rather than later.

The disability member who was only in her thirties was also knackered.
You try asking questions and listening attentively to the answers for 6+ hours.

If they would stop changing the system and the organisations and shifting the goalposts around, people like Galen, who knows the process and the system inside out, could continue to deal with it fairly without being compulsorily retired and a new lot brought in to start learning from scratch.

So you were knackered at the end, Galen, but you are also annoyed that you have to be pensioned off at 72, I think you said on a different thread.
I can see the connection. Hope you can.

Vamp all DLA is being reviewed and changed over to the dreaded PIP, however if you're over 65 it stays as it is for the moment, and the rate PIP is being dealt with I reckon 60+ years before they start on the 65s

I've now done my first PIP appeals and they are extremely difficult and take a long time. It took me a whole day to prepare one day's cases and a very long time to deal with them. We reversed the ATOS decision in 3 out of the 4 cases we delay with. I was knackered at the end.

It suits the government to attack soft targets like the sick and disabled rather than chase the money being hidden by their buddies in the banking and business sectors.

I think it is known as being economical with the truth.

The agencencies and Government, both deny that targets are set.

I hate the way the Government use these agencies to assess people! Agencies that have been given guidelines by the Govt and also given targets for how many people they can 'pass' ?

Your own GP should be able to assess how capable you are to work - and in many cases, people have a Consultant for their severe conditions - Why can't the Government accept THEIR word?
The Government dare not risk that because sick people would be allowed to be sick without further harrassment!

I'm glad it went well vampire some of the doctors are OK. One who saw DH was almost in tears when she saw how ill he was. We still had to fight it out when they tried to ignore her findings but it is a huge help to have their doctor on your side.

I know what you mean about not being sure till you get the letter! You'd think being ill was enough without all the extra problems they pile on,

It's the way the system works and tbh it stinks. They seem to hound the soft targets like me. This will get sorted and they'll start to question my Disability Living Allowance.

vampirequeen I am so glad the day went 'well' but it should not be necessary to put you through such anguish to get a result that clearly the only one that could ever be reached.

Well the doctor came and to my huge surprise was sympathetic and understanding. I was in major panic mode....couldn't sign my name, speak properly and other things. He only stayed about 10 minutes. He said that he was leaving because he was causing me so much distress and not to worry as I'd def keep my ESA.

Took me the rest of the day to recover though and I'll not really settle until I get the confirmation letter but all in all it wasn't anything like I expected it to be.

I thought we were supposed to have got rid of ATOS.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/senior-atos-executive-finds-new-role-at-the-american-company-taking-over-disability-benefit-9831973.html

Problems? Let me know?

Hello vampirequeen - I hope you managed to cope with this afternoon's meeting and that the outcome is a good one for you.

vampirequeen I hope everything went well.

But we must still make sure that the government doesn't use these companies to hide it's own culpability for these harsh and inhumane measures.