let me just say this is not a "feel sorry for me for what happened post" but more the way in which it happened.
Over the last nearly 3 yrs my health has declined. Declined to the extent I have lost my job of nearly 20 yrs and ended up on disability benefits.
In August 2022 I applied for the new Scottish disability (ADP) which according to their own literature is based on "Dignity, fairness and respect in disability benefits". In November I was awarded the mobility part and became entitled to a car. As I have a lot of hospital appointments in various localish hospitals ( all at least 2 buses away, and medically I can't travel by bus) the car seemed a sensible option over the money. So I picked on my new car on 23rd Dec, giving them a large deposit and trading in my old money pit of a car. The peace of mind this offered me a brilliant feeling.
They did not award me the daily living part, which I felt they should have done and they had not taken into account everything on my form, so I was advised to appeal. I was led to believe by the department itself that this appeal only affected the one part I was appealing on.
Anyway come the end of Feb I received a letter from Motability saying they had been informed my car payments had been stopped and I needed to hand back my car as I was no longer eligible for it. This letter said I would have had a letter from ADP to let me know. To say the least, I was very distraught. Nobody had said anything to me, I had not had a letter from ADP telling me my car was being withdrawn.
I contacted ADP to be told " there would be a letter sent out in the next 7 working days and until you receive that letter we cannot discuss the content of it with you". So on one hand I have a letter telling me I need to hand my car back as not eligible and on the other hand nobody would discuss it with me. To say the least I was inconsolable and terrified of being left with no car at all.
I felt getting the letter from Motability telling me I was losing my car was so wrong. Surely "Dignity, fairness and respect" should have informed ME first that I was going to be losing my car? That I should have received the letter first and only after I had been told should Motability have been informed.
It turns out if you appeal one part they look at both parts again.
Again I was told I could appeal this. But not sure I am strong enough to put myself through the stress of another appeal. right now.
How would other people feel about finding out this way and then not being able to discuss it with the people who made the decision until 2 weeks after another dept had been informed?
