ESA

Hi ruby hopefully you will get some Gnetters post about this, I can tell you if you google it you are sure to get loads of info.

A good website is www.gov.co.uk

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

Unusual, ruby. It's usually the other way round. Citizen's Advice have been running a blog on ESA which is worth reading.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/campaigns/current_campaigns/recent_campaigns/fitforwork.htm

Sorry, this is the link to the ESA blog/campaign.

Lots of people do change over, it's quite often a tribunal question. However the big problem is that the decision can only be changed at tribunal if the circumstances are the same as when the original decision was made.
It might be necceary to first ask the department to change their original decision. If they say 'no', then that is a fresh decision that can then be appealed!
Dj I've never heard of it being changed from work related to support group.
Support group is the most advantageous to the claimant. It also pays more

Hope this is understandable

Sorry, got myself confused.
I've never heard of being changed from support group to work related. This would be disadvantageous to the claimant as in work related it only pays at. The ful rate for 2years and also pays less. Also you are expected to do work related activities which you don't do in support group

I do think it does need changing as my health has deteriorated over the last couple of years and now I have a life threatening condition. It's a ball ache though as I really could do without it when I have both parents not daring to buy green bananas and siblings who need supporting and lots of hugs.

You need to get help from CAB or some other advice group when it comes to completing the questions on the form. You need to be very specific and repeat yourself over and over. Make sure you complete it as if you're on one of your worst days.

My husband got help from Ageuk to fill in the forms. Like vampire says, it's easy to say what it's like on a good day, and you do not like to dwell on the worst times, but you have to for these forms.
A retired solicitor came to our house and watched my husband do things, and talked to him for a long time about how long it took him to do things.

Thank you all for your advice. I went to my GP this week and he agreed with me that I should not, at this stage, be working. He did say that over time it is something to work towards but for now it is a bad idea. I wanted him to sign a form to say that I could go swimming to help loose weight and he even wouldn't do that, he said to ask my cardiologist when I see him this next week (lots of days out at the surgeries, yeah!)

He did say that he would be more than happy to provide me with a letter to support my case though, so that is good, and he seems a lovely doctor as it was my first time of seeing him since I moved practice due to house move.

I did have a really bad day on Tuesday, my heart was jumping all over the place with the beats and I was very close to calling an ambulance but I rested and over time of a day and a half it calmed back down. It might have had something to do with the doc prescribing me with a new inhaler and the steroids in it might have disturbed the ticker a bit.

The doctors report will help but you must also get help with completing the form. There are ways of answering the questions that make it more likely that you will be granted contributory esa.

I've not been sent a form yet. I got told to write a letter and ask to be changed in the groups. I have asked GP and now my cardiologist. Both are obliging. When I get those letters I will then go to the CAB and sort it further. Oh, and I have to have some tests done too my cardiologist said. Should I wait for results of those or just tell the DWP that they are being done?

I don't think my benefit will change until I contact them. It's the woman at the jobcentre who has decided to change me from one group to the other.

Keep in touch w the CAB, they will be able to tell you exactly what you need to do when. Follow up any phone call to DWP etc with a letter confirming what was said by whom and keep copies of everything. I work on the phones at CAB but I'm not an adviser.

Thank you fluttERBY, much appreciated. I will take on board what you have said.