I'm sure this subject has been discussed to death, for that I can only apologise.
For a couple of years now, doing a little research on my own, I think that I may have what a Work Psychologist I saw 01/2012 called a neuro diverse condition. I thought it might be Aspergers, it might be ADD possibly Dyspraxia. I'm by no means an expert nor a diagonistician. I could be completely wrong and, as i suspect my GP thinks (but doesn't say), lazy!
When I first saw the Work Psychologist (a dwp person, i don't know much about the specific role as I'd never heard of them before) I was on JSA. Since then I started on the Work Programme which I am still on. She claimed she could test for Aspergers but relented to saying she could do some kind of test to see if I might have ADD. I realise that makes no sense, but it involved answering a load of puzzles like remembering number sequences backwards and spotting patterns and stuff. From what I could understand she said it was highly likely. I have yet to get an official diagnosis as such facilities are not local to me and I find travelling around cities rather scary. There is now a chance the local CMHT might do one.
However the Work Programme treated me badly. They ignored the information regarding my mental health (even though no formal diagnosis) and refused to accept even the possibility of such problems - of any kind. I was told that without a support worker present they wouldn't countenance any such possibility. I made a complaint and have since changed advisers. Though the replacement is better they still admit they can't do anything. Basically the WP is rubbish. I was told that the main problem was because I was on JSA and that I should claim ESA.
To cut a long and predictable story short that's what I did, six months later I have, unsurprisingly, failed the WCA. I've sent the GL24 form back to lodge an appeal. I'm not sure how that will work but I'm told that doing so reinstates my benefit until such time as they decide whether to change their mind (I doubt it, let's be honest). In the meantime I have to persuade my GP I need help.
I suppose my point in posting is just to hear what other people think. I haven't found my GP to be terribly helpful or sympathetic and the system certainly isn't. ESA should be employment support, but it seems to work on the basis that, in order to get into the WRAG (my stated goal, i don't claim to be deserving of the support group) you need to also qualify for the support group. This doesn't make much sense to me. As a result I feel guilty as if I'm swinging the lead. But on the other hand, I just can't cope with the DWP. I find life difficult and I find dealing with society at times very hard. All the stuff you've heard before no doubt.
I can't say for certain I'm an aspie/add/whatever, so I could be wrong. But just trying to get support and be taken seriously is horrendous. It's enough to make you ill even if you aren't. If anyone has any advice I'd be grateful, thanks.
Yeah, it might not be quite that high any more - I should have said my figures were from when I was going through the appeals process.
I believe the rate of both WCA failures, and then successfull appeals, is higher in the AS/ASD community than in the wider claimant population, though.
But those failures probably have an actual clinical diagnosis to back them up.
I didn't, wishface, and my appeal was successful.
Now, I'm sure you'll say I was lucky, but the statistics show that the majority of people that appeal are successful - it's highly unlikely that all of those had an actual diagnosis (well, in fact it's impossible, because I didn't).
It was not luck. It's just the way the system works.
And, in my previous post, I put 'normal' in inverted commas like that precisely because you're right, it's a screwed up system that doesn't cater for people like us very well at all. But that is precisely why your experiences are 'normal' - almost everyone like us goes through the exact same hell when trying to get ESA.
But, as I've now said multiple times, but is worth repeating - the majority of appeals (and, I believe, for an even greater percentage in the AS/ASD community) are succesfull.
Also, whether you have a diagnosis or not is irrelevent - it is the difficulties you have that are important, and are what the judgement should be (and in the appeal hearing is) made on - not the label that is put on those difficulties. Otherwise they would have no assesment process at all - they'd just say "if you have X, Y, Z you can get ESA, if you don't you can't" - but they don't because some people with X may be able to work, and some with X can't - it's not about the diagnosis it's about what you are and are not able to do.
Yeah, it might not be quite that high any more - I should have said my figures were from when I was going through the appeals process.
I believe the rate of both WCA failures, and then successfull appeals, is higher in the AS/ASD community than in the wider claimant population, though.
But those failures probably have an actual clinical diagnosis to back them up.
I didn't, wishface, and my appeal was successful.
Now, I'm sure you'll say I was lucky, but the statistics show that the majority of people that appeal are successful - it's highly unlikely that all of those had an actual diagnosis (well, in fact it's impossible, because I didn't).
It was not luck. It's just the way the system works.
And, in my previous post, I put 'normal' in inverted commas like that precisely because you're right, it's a screwed up system that doesn't cater for people like us very well at all. But that is precisely why your experiences are 'normal' - almost everyone like us goes through the exact same hell when trying to get ESA.
But, as I've now said multiple times, but is worth repeating - the majority of appeals (and, I believe, for an even greater percentage in the AS/ASD community) are succesfull.
Also, whether you have a diagnosis or not is irrelevent - it is the difficulties you have that are important, and are what the judgement should be (and in the appeal hearing is) made on - not the label that is put on those difficulties. Otherwise they would have no assesment process at all - they'd just say "if you have X, Y, Z you can get ESA, if you don't you can't" - but they don't because some people with X may be able to work, and some with X can't - it's not about the diagnosis it's about what you are and are not able to do.
