Comments on: ESA is a Confidence Trick

By: Mike A

Mike A — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 08:57:23 +0000

Reading this article has made me realise that I am not alone. I’ve suffered with acute anxiety, IBS & agoraphobia for 20 years. For 15 of those years I managed to work but eventually my symptoms became too obvious and I found myself relying on the Incapacity benefit system. I have recently been assessed to be unfit for work for up to and including two more years. Incredibly within a month of being told this I was placed in the work related group and my benefits will stop in one year! Does anyone know if this time can be extended? Any help or constructive advice would be very much appreciated.

By: Employment Support Allowance – the 2 groups are flawed « Carer Watch's Blog

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 11:29:03 +0000

[...] of the Work Capability Assessment will ever make it fit for purpose whilst the 2 groups, Work Related Activity group ( WRAG) and Support group remain as they [...]

By: Mr Gary Kay

Mr Gary Kay — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 22:22:15 +0000

HI
I just wonder if any of the cretins behind the CSA will still sleep at night when hundreds of thousands of disabled people lose their benefit and start taking their own lives because they can’t cope anymore I hope they have the Balls to accept the responsibility for any deaths.

By: Disabled people face unlimited unpaid work or cuts in benefit « Save Disability Benefits and Services

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:47:29 +0000

[...] is a scandal as the WRAG ( work related activity group) is not a fit place for disabled [...]

By: Rachel

Rachel — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:02:58 +0000

What really frustrates me is that there doesn’t seem to be any consideration regarding whether working will cause a person’s current, health status to deteriorate significantly. This is the situation that my partner is in. He is managing his depression, PTSD and anxiety by taking himself out of situations that will cause it to deteriorate. He’s suffered from it on and off for long enough to know what the danger signs are and what he needs to do. However, as he’s not about to be sectioned, can make a meal and when having a good day, get on a bus, that means he’s fit to work. No it doesn’t. If he was fit for work, he wouldn’t have stopped working – he likes being independent. The real situation is he needs support and the breathing space to get back to where he needs to be and then be supported to get back into work. He’s done it before and anyone who bothered looking into his history would understand this. But as things stand, we’re going to have to appeal the ‘ESA refused’ decision and see what happens. I’m not very hopeful.