As part of the Tory-led government’s attack on the welfare state, those on Incapacity Benefit are being forced to undergo assessement to see whether they are “For for Work”. We publish here a letter from Alun Morgan in Wales, who describes the harsh reality and insecurity facing those with serious illnesses and disabilities due to the Coalition’s cuts.
As part of the Tory-led government’s attack on the welfare state, those on Incapacity Benefit are being forced to undergo assessement to see whether they are “For for Work”. We publish here a letter from Alun Morgan in Wales, who describes the harsh reality and insecurity facing those with serious illnesses and disabilities due to the Coalition’s cuts.
In February of this year I was sent an ESA50. This is the form you have to fill in so that you can be moved from Incapacity Benefit (IB) to Employment Support Allowance (ESA). I was awarded IB over 10 years ago, because my incapacity meant that working was out of the question. ESA on the other hand is awarded with the aim of getting you back into work. I have Parkinson’s disease. It is an incurable, degenerative, fluctuating condition that affects your body and your mind. Typical symptoms are slowness, a shuffling walk, rigid back and limbs, expressionless face and depression, hallucination and uncontrolled writhing movements of arms, legs and head.
The 18 questions in the ESA50 referring to my abilities did not give me the opportunity to explain the problems I have day-to-day. The first question asks if I can walk 50m, 100m or 200m (metres not miles) on the flat. However, I live in the valleys where we don’t do flat – we have steep up and steep down. I tick the ‘It Varies’ box and add that I am very insecure going down steps or a slope.
Another question is “Can you pick up and move a one-pint carton full of liquid?” – I can, but I spill a lot of it. I tick the “It varies” box.
Question five asks “Can you use a pen or pencil?” – I tick “It varies” and explain that I have Micrographica which means my writing gets smaller and smaller and more and more illegible. After a sentence or two I can’t read my writing and my hand seizes up and I can no longer write.
What I found annoying was there were no questions that asked about the problems I experience everyday, such as fatigue, aching muscles, loss of initiative, depression, fear of the future, and much more.
I filled in the ESA50 and waited for the decision. Would I be in the Support Group, or the Work-Related Activity Group (WRAG), or declared ‘Fit for Work’?
The Support Group means you get up to £106 per week and are left to get on with your life. In the WRAG you get up to £101 per week, but have to attend work-focused interviews and a work-focused health-related interview with the aim of getting you back to work. If you don’t attend, your ESA payment may be affected.
The form was sent off in March and this week I got the decision “You have been placed in the Work-Related Activity Group”.
In the letter it added I could ask for an explanation. I rang the local DWP and was told the only comment that could be made was that that is the decision! I asked for a written explanation. This was a two-page document, ESA85A. I would guess it uses a computerised statement bank given the style in which it appears. It usefully tells me that “I am male and issues relating to pregnancy are not relevant”.
The last two sentences of this report say “The available evidence suggests improvement is unlikely in the longer term”. “This is a progressive condition”.
The reality is that “All evidence states that improvement is not possible”.
All this sounds pretty grim, but after contacting the local Jobcentre Plus to find out when my first work-focused interview would be held, I was told that because of my circumstances I needn’t attend any interviews if I didn’t want to. I replied I don’t want to.
I am still going to appeal this decision, because living with Parkinson’s is a downhill journey. When I am through with that the next form to fill in will be for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) or as I prefer to call it: Pathway Into Poverty.
