FW: Beware: benefits check could cost you thousands

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From: Benefits and Work

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Sent: 02 June 2011 22:06

sheilaturner@...

Subject: Beware: benefits check could cost you thousands

We

wouldn’t have succeeded without you

Hi injured cyclist's husband here. I’m typing this because she's had a setback

and can’t use the computer.

She wanted you to know that she asked for a reconsideration about being put in

the WRAG group in ESA after an ATOS medical, and that she has received a letter

saying she has been moved to the support group. Result!

Thank you to the website and the forum members who responded to her questions.

We wouldn’t have succeeded without you.

More feedback at the end of this newsletter.

Beware: benefits

check could cost you thousands

Dear Subscriber,

In this edition we’re warning members about a nationally

advertised benefits checking service (members

only) which could charge you thousands of pounds – possibly without getting

you a penny extra in benefits.

The service has close connections with a claims management company which went

bust owing around £100,000 and is very reticent indeed about who does its

benefits checks, though we have our suspicions.

THE WORD WE DARE NOT USE

And in order to avoid raising the suspicions of your spam filter, we are unable

to use a three letter word beginning with ‘s’ and ending with ‘x’ in this

newsletter. However, if you substitute the ‘s’ word for ‘serious physical

assault’ in the paragraph below, it will make complete sense.

Because Benefits and Work can exclusively reveal that a

company which specialises in helping the police catch serious physical assault

offenders (members

only) is interviewing hundreds of benefits claimants across the UK as

part of the move to abolish disability living allowance (DLA) and replace it

with personal independence payment (PIP). (Members only)

Without their prior knowledge, the DWP has passed the names of many hundreds of

DLA claimants to the company, which then contacts them directly. Benefits and

Work is urging members to be very cautious if invited to take part in the

trial, not least because of concerns over how wise it is to accept the £30 in

vouchers being offered for doing so.

ATOS THREATENS LEGAL ACTION

Meanwhile, executives from another company many claimants would rather avoid

have been explaining to MPs on the Work and Pensions Committee why their

organisation is ‘feared and loathed’ by disabled people. The best that

Atos executives could manage was that claimants don’t really understand the

role that Atos plays in the benefits system and that failing the work

capability assessment does not mean that you are being classed as a malingerer.

However, Atos are not so meek and mild outside the corridors of power.

Last month a UK

based website run by disabled claimants had to take down a large amount of its

Atos related content after being issued with a ‘cease and desist’ notice by the

company, which threatened legal action if the offending material was still

there in a fortnight.

IS THIS THE BEST WAY FORWARD?

But as claimants face ever more frequent Atos medicals and the ending of

incapacity benefit, with

some contemplating suicide as a result, the pressure to find an alternative

has never been greater. So, in this edition Benefits and Work looks at whether setting

up ‘micro-businesses’ and trying to negotiate thousands of pounds in

payouts from work programme providers may be the way forward for a minority of

claimants. We’d be very interested to hear what you think.

NEW FEATURE

We’d also be interested to hear what you know for a new feature on the

site.

As you’re probably aware, one of the forums – the one that discusses benefits

news - is still closed in order to relieve pressure on moderators. But we

do realise that this means that members are missing out on the many fascinating

news items that used to be posted there.

So we’ve set up a new feature called Stop

Press. It’s simply a page which uses our new comments feature – which

proved extremely popular with readers of our DLA

cuts article – to allow members to post benefits related news items.

So, if you’ve got news we haven’t reported, please let us have it! And if

you want to keep up with all the benefits news, we hope Stop Press will be the

place you turn to first.

YOUR GOOD NEWS IS AN INSPIRATION

As usual, we’re finishing with some good news from the Benefits Questions,

Problems and Results forum, which happily is still open. And please

do keep the good news coming. As one

of our posters, who got her higher mobility and middle rate care renewed

explained:

“The whole experience has been hugely stressful and has caused a relapse in my

CFS. Without the support of Benefits and work I was ready to give up and just

do without my benefit, but seeing all the success stories helped me to

persevere.”

So it’s true: your success stories really can change people’s lives for

the better. Please do keep them coming.

WRAG on appeal, backated to June 2010

Incapacity benefit appeal success

Higher

rate mobility on appeal

Higher rate mobility and middle care renewed without medical

4

minute incapacity benefit appeal

From 0 points to ESA success without a hearing

Higher

rate mobility and middle care on initial claim

ESA

6 points to 18 points on appeal

PLEASE PASS ME ON

Please forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested. You are

also welcome to reproduce this newsletter on your blog, website, forum or

newsletter.

You can read this newsletter

online.

Good luck,

Steve Donnison

Benefits and Work Publishing Ltd

Company registration No. 5962666

If you’re not already a member, find

out how to subscribe to Benefits and Work and give yourself the best

possible chance of getting the right decision.

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