Hey i don't know if this is the right place for this if not please move.
Im just looking for some advice im currently on esa - work related benefits
which involves meeting my benifits adviser every month which i am sturggling with alot i feel like all she wants is me to get a job and when i said i was having a few down weeks and i told her i hadnt been doing much cause of it she basically said i need to get out as its not good for me and everytime i got she asks if im ready to work.
I feel like she was judging me i cant help i having no motivation when i have my down times and belive me i try with eveything i have to get up and do what i need to.My ocd is way out of control and i can't get an apointment with the doc for two weeks. So i was wondering does anyone know if i reapeal for my esa to get in to the support group could i risk loosing my benifits if my esa is turned down. im just struggling with what other options i have.
thanks
Maybe get a note from your Dr what does your sick certificate say< unfit for work or the other option about easing into it?
I think that is your best option, my GP signed me completely off sick and unfit to work to that I didn't get hassled.
It depends mainly on your GP's evlauation, and they can write a letter for you maybe, only a paragraph long sort of thing, but still, I'm sure he/she will if they think it's necessary. Good luck
why not go at 8am and book an appointment for that day, say it's an emergancy, if you go in forst thing they usually have an appointment or two available. x
I have no idea what my sick certifcate says as i havent had one for liek 5 years.
I can only speak to one doctor as i dont feel comfortable with any of the others. Have been told hes not in much in the next 2 weeks so hoping after that i can get an appointment.not at the job centre for another month so im going to see if i can get in docs before then.
yeah, the best thing is to go to your GP and get a new sick certificate, I thought they had to have a time limit on them? I don't know for sure though, maybe that's just my GP, or a new regulation, or maybe it's a way of her getting me to go and see her lol. Good Luck, but yeah, a new one from your GP should do it.
yeah they use to and then after a while i went on to incomme support so didnt need a certificate but incomme support changed to esa.thanks will give it a go and see what my doctor says thanks x
I've been on ESA for three years and apart from initially receiving it I've had no one contact me from the job centre (apart from reviews) up until now. I've been having appointments with my adviser, my adviser seems to think it's something the new government have brought in.
Sorry for the sideline just wanted to say I'm going through this too so you're not alone :) I hope that your Doctor can help you with this, pressuring you into work isn't going to help your mental health. Hopefully your GP can do something with a sick not or contacting ESA so you're not having to see them so often.
can i ask what esa group your in?
The thing is im worried as i have read that they give you like training weeks for jobs etc and theres no way i will manage that.
Ive told the job centre what i need but they basically told me to go and find it . thanks for taking the time to reply and thanks for the advice.
The work related benefits one, the same one you're in I believe.
I'm not sure if this will be the same as in your area (or if it differs from area to area) but I had to go and see someone about something called the Work Programme, where they try to help you back into work, teach you how to do CV's, give you any training that you need etc etc.
For me, it was mandatory that I attend the talk that the work programme give about the work programme but it was voluntary to actually sign up for the work programme. (hope that made sense, basically I had to go to the appointment where they told me about the work programme but I didn't actually have to attend or sign up for the work programme)
So I attended (explained my history and my diagnoses) and explained I was due to start some therapy which will last four years so I didn't want to sign up for the work programme, which they were fine with. I had to see my benefits adviser about a week after, and I basically said I need my therapy to get myself well and so can't do the work programme and he was fine with it.
He told me he'd see me in two to three months (at which point I'll be in my therapy, hopefully)
i think with benefits and job centre advisers that it really varies depending on the person you see, not even the job centre or what stage/thing youre on, but the person sat behind the desk from you and their judgement.
^ That's true, I lived in Wales for a while and the job centre where I lived was small, so got to know the people there. I knew that some of the people in the job centre there would be nice and understanding and that some people really weren't at all.
How many appts have you had? I am in the wrag and I had to have 6 appts that were compulsory and then I stopped though had the option to return should I want but that was voluntary.
I think you then have to redo the 6 appts when you next have a medical but mine got muddled.
xox
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I've applied for ESA and still awaiting an initial decision. I have 3 weeks of a sick note left. no idea what happens next...
I have a physical disability too so it makes working hard. I want to work, I just don't know where. Some thigs I can't do due to my physical disability (bar work, waitressing, filing - anything involving 2 hands) then I can't do anything too stressful due to GAD - had to leave my last job as too stressful and no support.
I'm only allowed to apply for ESA do to the clause about even if you don't have enough NI contributions you can be eligible if you were studying under the age of 20 - however the same doesn't apply with Job seekers so essentially if I can't get ESA I'm stuffed.
As I say I do want to work but it needs to be the right kind of work.
To the OP sorry to hijack your thread but I posted my own in vets and it kind of died.
I'm in the support group for ESA (got my next medical on monday...) and i think i'm in it because i met the criteria for "being a danger to self or others if they had to undertake work or work related activity afaik with MH that would be the only descriptor that would give you support group status.
If you can get medical evidence to support this then its worth appealing
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