me & my various benefits

[worried33]

You should have sent your appeal form recorded or special delivery so you know it arrived. They usually write saying what the next stage is though.

 

that isnt good enough either sometimes, I sent my appeal special delivery, it arrived somewhere the day after as someone signed for it, although was most probably the sorting office that intercepts the mail.

 

Then after that was lost, I had to send a 2nd appeal faxed from the job centre.

[shazajo]

Spoke to the jobcentre today regarding how much we will get and were told 105.95 per week paid every fortnight and I asked about hubbys disability premium and she went away and came back and said yes we will still pay that, is this true?

[antone]

Spoke to the jobcentre today regarding how much we will get and were told 105.95 per week paid every fortnight and I asked about hubbys disability premium and she went away and came back and said yes we will still pay that, is this true?

 

Yes, if you qualify for a premium you'll still get it while you appeal.

[shazajo]

Yes, if you qualify for a premium you'll still get it while you appeal.

 

Thanks antone all the info on here is much appreciated especially at this hard time

[shazajo]

Is it true that while your appealing ESA you can be called in for work focused interviews? What happens if hubby cant go to these? Or refuses?, surely if he failed the medical how can they send him to these WFI? In my eyes then if they require him to attend he should of been placed into the WRAG

[shazajo]

Forgot to ask we are going to GP'S tomorrow to get another med cert , the thing is it will be dated the 26th and his other one runs out the 27th will this be okay?, also we got told he will still get his diasbility premium paid while on appeal will this be the same amount as we get now? Which I think is 41 pound something, I know I ask lots of questions but I dont want to have a wasted journey at the jobcentre if they wont accept his fit note tomorrow

[MIKEY DABODEE]

The sick note will be ok

but if your husband or you dont have DLA then no you will not get the DP whilst on appeal

just the couple tate £105.95

[worried33]

Is it true that while your appealing ESA you can be called in for work focused interviews? What happens if hubby cant go to these? Or refuses?, surely if he failed the medical how can they send him to these WFI? In my eyes then if they require him to attend he should of been placed into the WRAG

 

I would say he wouldnt be required as he isnt part of that agreement, not getting the extra cash etc.

 

However since the DWP are onto a law themselves dont take my opinion as fact.

[shazajo]

Just been to jobcentre and the very unhelpful guy said sorry we dont email or fax sick notes over and he passed me a 2nd class envelope , so im hoping I can use this envelope and send it recorded delivery? Anybody know as im on way to post office now , thanks

[speedfreek]

You should be able too.

 

Why not pay to upgrade it to 1st class and ask for proof of postage?

 

1, PoP is free 2, it proves that you've sent it 3, if it's not received or lost (even with a recorded delivery) your only option is to send it in again.

 

So why waste a £1?

 

My only tips for DWP mail is;

 

1, ensure that your name, Nat Ins Number & the benefit it's for is on every sheet. If it gets lost in DWP internal mail that info will hopefully get it routed to the correct office/dept.

 

2, call up the general telephone line of the benefit it's for 7-10 later and enquire if they've received it.

 

My fit notes have name & NiNo on them so I just initial ESA at the top.

 

This faxing business I'm sure Flumps said that the procedure now is that you have to make an appointment to get things faxed. Also they will only give you an appointment if say the 1st one gets lost in the post or something similar.

[shazajo]

I have just sent it recorded delivery so hopefully they will get it tomorrow, I have kept proof of postage so fingers crossed its fine, and we get our last payment 28th so it should be fine but knowing the DWP they will mess up like always.

 

I dont think hubby is coping too well with all this extra burden, im trying my best to find a job so that we dont have to deal with all this as its crippling us

[worried33]

Just been to jobcentre and the very unhelpful guy said sorry we dont email or fax sick notes over and he passed me a 2nd class envelope , so im hoping I can use this envelope and send it recorded delivery? Anybody know as im on way to post office now , thanks

 

they do but seems the DWP do have a habit of been obstructive and diffilcult.

 

They did fax my sick note over but my sick note has since been lost and I am having to get another today.

 

The problem with posting sick notes is the stupid 10 day delay and the chance it will still get lost, eg. my appeal I posted got lost.

[shazajo]

Oh god I hope not, I will be even more worried now, they are quick enough to stop your benefits but dont pay you quick enough, I hope you get yours sorted

[worried33]

yeah its a nightmare. I am probably 6+ weeks away from getting any money at the very least. postal delays combined with process delays.

 

Yours probably wont get lost but I would be extremely surprised if they had it delivered to the right office today.

[shazajo]

yeah its a nightmare. I am probably 6+ weeks away from getting any money at the very least. postal delays combined with process delays.

 

Yours probably wont get lost but I would be extremely surprised if they had it delivered to the right office today.

 

I cant believe you have been waiting that long, thats disgusting and I really feel for you, we will probably end up in the same situation but I hope not , why is it that people from the DWP look down there noses at people who are on benefits, my god my hubby used to be in a good paid job until he fell ill, and I have applied for hundreds of jobs but to no avail, it really does knock your confidence, I just hope a job comes up soon for me so I can tell them where to shove there money

[RaeUK]

A belated tip: as the envelope you use is generic and used for all mail, write 'Urgent - Medical Certificate Enclosed' on the envelope. This let's the sorting staff know where it should go even before it's opened.

 

I'm sure there is the very occasional delay with posting Med Certs. But, again, I reiterate this is not the standard and something I have only rarely experienced. For example, my latest Med Cert. I forgot to put the date in my diary. I arranged to pick up and send it on a Thursday from my GP's reception. Put a first class stamp over the printed second class number. Marked it as above and posted it off. It was received on the following Monday (the day my payment is usually generated) and processed on the Tuesday. My ESA was in the bank on the Friday, just one day later than usual. So that's just 4 working days from posting to processing...

[shazajo]

Thanks Kelcou

 

That is a good tip and will remember to do this next time, also do you know if we could just phone the Gp reception up and ask for his med cert? save having to make an appoinment, also I will make sure we ask for one at least a week before the other expires

[RaeUK]

I can't remember if I mentioned it on this thread or another one, shazajo. Whilst your GP may want to see you a few times, it is no longer necesary to physically see your GP to get a Med Cert. You can either just phone the reception to arrange or pop in and request one. Usually, as I see my GP often for various things, I try to pick up a Med Cert when I see her. However, like the other week, the few times I've been in a rush for one I've had no problem phoning. I can even, if I wish, leave the envelope and insert at reception and they'll post it for me!

[shazajo]

Our GP's isnt that good, even thinking about changing as we never get to see the same doctor as we wish, so sometimes we have to see different gp's, so that causes problems when it comes to ESA as some gps dont bother reading through your records and just assume everything is going fine, and when I asked him today he said I wasnt aware of his functional problems and im sure he can fill a kettle , and I had to explain look he cannot even go out the house on his own and cant cook etc, he didnt want to know so we just got the cert and off we went

[RaeUK]

I have to admit that I think I'm incredibly lucky with both my GP and the practice as a whole. I've seen the same GP for about twelve years or so, so they know my story from being fit, healthy and running my own small business to how my health is today. It's a bit like how it used to be when a GP was genuinely the family doctor and knew everything. That's why I trust my GP far more than any DWP Decision Maker or the numpties at ATOSH ...

[shazajo]

I dont know if changing our gp surgery during appeal would do more harm than good to be honest, we used to have a really good GP but he left a few years ago to set up on his own and we are not in the catchment area to have that GP again which is a shame

[worried33]

A belated tip: as the envelope you use is generic and used for all mail, write 'Urgent - Medical Certificate Enclosed' on the envelope. This let's the sorting staff know where it should go even before it's opened.

 

I'm sure there is the very occasional delay with posting Med Certs. But, again, I reiterate this is not the standard and something I have only rarely experienced. For example, my latest Med Cert. I forgot to put the date in my diary. I arranged to pick up and send it on a Thursday from my GP's reception. Put a first class stamp over the printed second class number. Marked it as above and posted it off. It was received on the following Monday (the day my payment is usually generated) and processed on the Tuesday. My ESA was in the bank on the Friday, just one day later than usual. So that's just 4 working days from posting to processing...

 

different offices different speeds?

 

you address to the birmingham office?

 

I am posting my sick note on wednesday and will ring up every day to find out how long it takes to arrive.

[worried33]

I can't remember if I mentioned it on this thread or another one, shazajo. Whilst your GP may want to see you a few times, it is no longer necesary to physically see your GP to get a Med Cert. You can either just phone the reception to arrange or pop in and request one. Usually, as I see my GP often for various things, I try to pick up a Med Cert when I see her. However, like the other week, the few times I've been in a rush for one I've had no problem phoning. I can even, if I wish, leave the envelope and insert at reception and they'll post it for me!

 

I think you just have a good GP as I suspect every GP surgery has their own policy, eg. I do know mine only issues copies of existing certs without appointments, so if I need a new one I will have to keep going in. Also I dont have a regular GP, the place seems to employ temps as I rarely even see the same one twice.

 

My question to you tho since you seem to have no issues sending repeated certs, do the DWP supply you with envelopes to send them in? I asked for some today over the phone and was told to go to a job centre to get them which I felt was unfair. I have spent very silly money this month on things all related to the DWP, calls, letter costs, taxi fares etc. So obviously trying to minimise it. Also do you put a letter in with the cert to help it goto the right place? and do you put anything at the top of the address on the envelope.

 

thanks

[RaeUK]

Hi worried33,

My DWP BDC is Chippenham.

GP Practices should all be working to the same guidelines. But I do have a particularly good one!

The DWP do send out reminders when Med Certs are running out. However, they are not obliged to and it can be hit and miss. When they do, they include a reply paid envelope. However, as a tip, the DWP has a habit of frequently sending out bumpf which often includes a reply paid envelope. Just stockpile the envelopes for future use!

Also, if you have to go to the Job Centre, you can claim back reasonable expenses. They usually don't tell you this but if you ask you will be given a claim form* ...

 

* Note: I haven't been to the Job Centre for well over a year but this was correct policy at that time.

[worried33]

I did get a letter saying my med cert was due to run out soon ( just before my IB got stopped) that letter didnt include a envelope, I do wonder if different DWP offices have different policies on things like this. Its bizarre you have no issues sending post, you had your cert processed in only a few days and I get 5-10 day delays and no envelope supplied with cert letter

 

I also noticed one envelope I got says b99 1aa and othere said b99 1ab as postcode and in addition the first line of the address can change on them depending on what purpose they been sent out for.