Can someone explain to me how the NHS vouchers for prescription glasses work? https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/opticians/nhs-voucher-values-for-glasses-and-lenses/ There are different values of the vouchers given. I was prescribed two types of glasses by a Boots optician and was told I would get two £39.10 vouchers. Last time I got my both glasses for free, I used the frames that fall into the category. I am sure this was different when I got my glasses the last time. I notice now the system is quite complicated for me to understand but I was now given quote of £120 for my two pairs after the vouchers have been applied.

I wonder what this means in terms of housing benefit freeze?? The landlords would not freeze the yearly increase of the rents, would they? So, that means when the landlords increase the rents you will have to find this "extra" elsewhere? And what about Local Housing Allowance? Why this would not be scrapped completely? How many billions that would save ???????????? IMO the negative stories about people on benefits we read in papers are 90% due to this stupid Local Housing Allowance. And who is it made for? For rich landlords who would otherwise have difficulties letting out the huge properties and have found a nice way of the state financing it !!! So, it is not the benefit users who profit from this, it is the rich landlords who have connections with the law makers ! If the LHA is scrapped then it would force the families on housing benefits to look for cheaper properties out of the rich areas. And why shouldn't they as the same thing is done by people looking for the affordable homes when they want to buy? But scrapping the LHA would affect the housing market and rich property owners. And why not ? IMO, if LHA is completely scrapped there would be no need for cutting benefits. I wonder why no one is writing an article on this matter? And explaining readers why the housing benefits handouts are so huge for some? Instead of freezing/cutting housing benefits for all, wouldn't be easier to cut LHA and invest this money into building affordable homes?

I've got my medical report today and I paid 50 pounds for the 60 pages of the report. I expect I'd be asked to pay about the same amount for my doctors letter and a consultant's letter. I wonder if there is a way to have a refund for this? From the tribunal to order ATOS to pay for this as they were the ones who have made the mistake :D? Yeah, lets charge ATOS they are the rich ones :D On another note I am so angry with my doctors when I had a look at the report, there are SO MANY blood test results which were quite bad but I was never informed of them ! Some of them constant alerts for 5 years !! If my doctors have monitored this and followed the dots I might not be so ill today ! But the doctors are overworked and stressed out too and have little time to compare the results with the history. I am so glad for the homeopathic hospital, they were the ones to open my eyes and show me the larger picture. It seems that almost the doctors do not want to let you know how serious your condition is. When I was at my ATOS medical the nurse who examined me got angry that I was TOLD about my results, she said the blood test results should not be explained to me as it ( I quote her) "increases my anxiety" Well, I have been trying to fight with my doctors for years to prove my condition is not mental but physical, now I got the proof but what is good in it when my condition is 90% worse? The point I want to make is that IMO 50% of us would not be in this situation if the doctors were more alert and more interested to treat our conditions long ago.

Well I am on benefits and I think some of the benefits schemes should be cut. One of the main ones that should be cut is the extensive housing benefit i.e paying of the thousands of pounds per week to a single family to unable them to live in a certain property. I do not understand why this is been allowed at all when for the same money they can house 10 families. Although this was shown in the papers as people abusing benefit system the tenants actually have very little benefit out of this scheme, the money goes to the landlord and the landlord in this case is the rich one, who can afford to have a luxury property in a rich area. I bet, among all of the cuts the government is not going to get rid of this policy, as they are going to be lobbied by these rich landlords and this is actually putting the tax payers money into the rich landlords pocket and it has nothing to do with the poor tenants abusing the system.

I have been searching but could not find a thread on ESA Appeal experience, what questions people were asked and how the whole process is done. I read on BBC Ouch! forum that they only can decide about your condition at the time you applied for a tribunal review and cannot take in consideration your condition if it worsened at the time of the appeal. So basically, they would ask you whether your condition has worsened and if you say 'yes' ( which would happen to many people due to stress caused by the whole process) then your appeal is refused but it is recommended you apply for ESA again. This is a little trick, I guess .. I wonder what happens if your condition hasn't changed, if it is still the same as it was at the time of the appeal? Has anyone been in this situation ?

The receptionist who read back the letter to me said the letter was from the medical test provider and I assumed this was from ATOS, she did not mention the name but said it was from the medical assessment provider. Luckily my GP knows everything about this process and he said today I am going to be supported through the appeal process but he told me to triple the dose of my medicine and I guess this whole process is making people even more ill..

I think this little video on BBC Scotland is only a part of the tonights programme

I am not sure he can help, he is a minister for scotland I think, nothing to do with Social or Medical Service for the UK The new government ministers for work and pensions and health are: Secretary of State for Work and Pensions - Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative) Secretary of State for Health - Andrew Lansley CBE (Conservative) I think way to go is to create a number 10 petition, I am not sure how this is created and approaches but I remember seeing something similar regarding a different issue. I guess this petition to Number 10 would be to request an independent investigation of the work of ATOS and maybe request a change of the company assessing the ill people. http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/ Shame the new government and the Queen's speech both mention fairness, yet they allow Atos to lie and be unfair. In my own Atos assessment the assessment person was a nurse and she wrote a complete opposite to whatever I said.

BBC iPlayer - BBC Scotland Investigates: 2010: Who's Cheating Who? Available soon after

I think these are bits to it BBC News - Assessments under new benefits system investigated

Thank you. I have spoken to DWP today and they confirmed this. They were unusually nice and supportive. I have also spoken to my housing team and they also said not to worry, they put a note I am to appeal. I am a little bit confused about the appeal process, does it always go to the tribunal, do they ever approve it/reconsider without going to the tribunal?

Does anyone know if you can watch BBC One Scotland online?

OK 40 days is over too long, I would be evicted by then. Is it possible that I can put in my appeal in phases, making an appeal without the supporting evidence and then providing the evidence later when it arrives?

I cannot believe, I've just spoken to my GPs surgery and they informed me that a letter was sent from Atos to my GP saying that I failed the medical test and they are advised not to give me any more medical certificates. Tough luck, my doctor has already done that , he issued a new medical certificate. Imagine, there is a GP who doesn't understand the system, and if someone comes to them and they do not get medical certificates due to that ! My understanding of the new system: ATOS given contract to reduce/stop payments to the most possible level They fail almost everyone on the medical. They know the person is going to appeal. During the appeal if the person was receiving the higher rate benefit it is reduced to basic level so there is a saving there. ATOS knows that during the appeal there is reinstatement of benefits, if the person is still providing the medical certificate. So they now went though the back door to threaten your GP not to issue any more of the medical certificates.

Further to my original question, I have started preparing myself for the appeal. I have contacted my GP surgery to obtain my medical records, was advised by the reception to have to do it in writing and she mentioned she did not know how long does it take, she thought it was 2 weeks. I thought 2 weeks to obtain your medical file is far too long, is there anything I can do about it? I have to have my benefits reinstalled, have to hurry up with the appeal, otherwise I will be evicted.

I did not know or thought of this during my interview but is it possible to take with you someone official, like an adviser who will make notes during the interview and inform then of this officially?

One little note on making the call: It is better to try calling them in the morning. First time I attempted calling them was in the afternoon and was kept on hold for 55 minutes at which point I hung up. Tried in the morning and the waiting time was less than 20 minutes.

Personally, I am not too keen on conspiracy theories but these are not conspiracy theories, these are facts! When I was in full time employment and when my condition worsened I tried everything to keep the job, formally asked for part-time, it was refused. You see, if you tend to force the ill people into work then you have to have the whole background of support, in a way this is cheating the employers as well, it is them who will have to deal with many sick leaves and this is going to affect their business. My mum had the same condition as me, she was a single mum of three kids and yet she worked all her life. But she worked 8am to 1pm and she was on full wages and she often took sick leaves, she lived in a different type of a society and the society benefited from her work. Same time her illness was acknowledged and helped with. There is no way I could be treated like she was treated in her work environment, I have to hide facts about my illness, I cannot even mention it as I am immediately discriminated. What I am saying is that in current work market atmosphere only the strong and healthy survive. If you are not able you are out, easily replaced by a brand new heathy and enthusiastic worker, I have been in this situation and I know what I am talking about. The employers are more sympathetic towards the workers who often take sick leave because they drunk too much the night before then towards the people with a chronic condition, they do not want to hear about your condition, I remember my ex manager saying 'if you are ill, you are ill' yet behind the curtains he did everything to get me out and sack me. And children? It is better not to mention in your work place anything about your child. Better not to mention you even have a child. I am not saying every employer is like this, but in my area of work it was like this. I remember sitting in a meeting room and watching my clock, I had to pick my son up at 6pm, yet there was no way I could leave this meeting room for this but when I get to the nursery and was late, I was threaten of my son loosing his place, it was like that every day. I remember counting minutes to reach the nursery, running and crying and thinking why in this country nurseries are not open until 7pm, it would make a life easier to many.

I always send my DWP letters by recorded delivery. Does this mean they wouldn't get lost? Someone obviously need to sign for them and I have a record of it. Or am I too naive to believe this? Re Jobcentre staff, I was personally told by them that they cannot help me, I am over qualified, with long work experience, they do not have jobs in my field on their system etc.

The whole Atos approach reminds me of this American documentary called Bowling for Columbine, not sure if anyone has seen it. In there the new American social services system was explained, unemployed people were forced to go to work for free. A coach would come to pick them up in early hours of the morning and bring them back in the evening, single mums had to leave their children on their own or in schools for the whole day and they would work in huge posh shopping malls for rich owners who were lucky to secure this deal with the government.I am not sure if this scheme is still on in the US but that is the capitalism American way and UK is getting closer to that than to the capitalism of Old Europe where workers still have more rights. On the other hand, I am not sure where all these people they are attempting to send back to work are actually going to work? There are no jobs, no industry, and people who have jobs have to work double hard to keep these jobs otherwise they are going to be replaced with cheaper workers from Russia, China itd who are single, have no family life in the UK and are able to work for 12 hours etc. In my good times in early 90s I was called three times a day for a job, now there are 3 jobs a year in my field.I suspect it is the same in other fields. Recently I was contacted about a job but when I saw 24x7 I nearly fainted, now I go to buy a bottle of water and I am in pain whole day, as soon as you mention to a potential employer that you prefer less hours and ask about a possibility of part time they never contact you again. So where all these people forced out of benefit are going to work? Who is going to employ them? Obviously, if you are less able, have less energy or have illness you cannot ask for the big wages, you might often have to take a sick leave. And how the potential employers are going to react to this? I personally would be happy to take a part time work when I get a bit better, maybe after my operation and as my doctor advised gradually and slowly but there are no jobs who would take you in gradually and slowly and if you are less capable then tough luck.

Why is it for 8 months? Is that how long takes to get to the appeal date? I thought I have seen somewhere that appeal would be in about 5-6 weeks. I had my medical results quite fast, not even 10 days after the Atos medical test.

Many thanks for your kind answers, I am so scared that my condition might worsen, I keep telling myself that I have to keep positive and strong for my son, I have to be there for him. The irony is that I have just been given a diet for my condition from my doctor, there is no way I can buy these foods. We are surviving on cheap Polish sausages, bread and eggs. Today I keep thinking this is a punishment from God, as when I was healthy and in a good job I was also letting a property and I evicted a mum with 2 kids who lost her benefits.Who would ever think I would once find myself in a same position. I will have a look at the appeal process, many thanks to all who have written tips about the appeal process.

I received 0 points. I am quite mad with them, I do not know where they got their conclusions from that I "CAN" do certain things which I cannot. For example I am sure I told the interviewer that I have a problem with contolling my bladder, which very often goes on on its own.. the document they sent me back clearly said "you can contol your bowel and bladder without difficulties" I am a little bit confused, it seems the first step is to ask them for a review. Do I get any money during this process? If my HB is unpaid for so long time I am going to get evicted.

I desperately need help. Today I received a letter that my ESA is stopped on the 17th as well as HB. I am a single mum and cannot count for help from anyone. It really bothers me that I received these letters on Friday meaning I cannot speak to my GP or anyone really who can offer advise. I would like to appeal on Monday or as soon as I succeed to get my medical records. It is mentioned that the benefits are reinstalled when they receive appeal letter. I would like to know do you get benefits for these days in between your benefits being stopped and the day they receive the appeal letter? This is very important to know as in my case this would mean I have pay for a week or more of housing and I would not get a weak or more in ESA. Any advise appreciated !