IB to ESA pre-assessment letter: phone call?

Hi Everyone

I've been on IB for a few years for mental health problems and have known an ESA assessment was coming for a while, bringing all kinds of nasty tactics with it. This is one thing I haven't been prepared for though and I don't know what to do about it, so I really hope someone can help.

I've just had a letter from the DWP saying:

"You currently receive Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, or Income Support on the grounds of illness or disability. We are phasing out these benefits.

[blah blah]

We need to assess you for Employment and Support Allowance.

[blah blah]

We will telephone you soon to talk about how this change will affect you and to answer any questions you have. We will ask you some questions to confirm your identity. After the call, we will send you a questionnaire to complete with details of your illness or disability. This questionnaire is called Limited Capability for Work.

The number we will call you on is [edited]. If you haven't heard from us within two weeks of the date of this letter, or if the number we have for you is not correct, please call us on the number above between Monday and Friday, from 8.00am to 6.00pm. This is a local rate call. If you have speech or hearing difficulties you can contact us using a textphone on the number above."

Now, I don't have speech or hearing difficulties, but I still can't use the phone.

My first reason is that for various reasons my mind has chalked receiving calls up as a violation; it panics me completely in the same way someone just walking into my house uninvited would. I can't sleep if there's the possibility of a phone ringing just as I couldn't with my door open to the street, and at the moment getting sleep at all is my priority, sleeping vaguely conventional hours is a pipe dream. If I phoned them (not without its problems but just about possible for me) that might get it over with so that they wouldn't "need" to call me. However:

My second reason is that a phone call will not be witnessed or leave a paper trail, and in any dealings with the DWP I am very wary of that. My only idea is to have the phone on speaker and record the call, inform them that it's being recorded and ask for consent to share the recording, but that wouldn't stop me screwing up and falling for some kind of verbal trickery, especially as I have serious concentration problems, and what's more surely they could just refuse consent and put me down as not co-operating? We all know what Atos are like re. recordings, I can't imagine that the DWP are any happier with it. There's also the fact that I write down my inability to take phone calls on my assessment form (not as a descriptor because I know it isn't one), and if I've called them, they could claim that that meant that I could use the phone in general and therefore they should be able to phone me and have me answer whenever they like, which is not going to happen.

Does anyone know what my rights are here (if I have any...) or have any suggestions as to a good course of action? I'm bouncing off the walls over this and it's already a few days into their "two weeks". I was expecting them to just send the form *rolls eyes*.

Apologies if I've missed an existing thread on this, I had a look and couldn't see any. Thanks very much for reading even if you don't have any advice.

Alsn wrote: Hi Everyone

I've been on IB for a few years for mental health problems and have known an ESA assessment was coming for a while, bringing all kinds of nasty tactics with it. This is one thing I haven't been prepared for though and I don't know what to do about it, so I really hope someone can help.

I've just had a letter from the DWP saying:

"You currently receive Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, or Income Support on the grounds of illness or disability. We are phasing out these benefits.

[blah blah]

We need to assess you for Employment and Support Allowance.

[blah blah]

We will telephone you soon to talk about how this change will affect you and to answer any questions you have. We will ask you some questions to confirm your identity. After the call, we will send you a questionnaire to complete with details of your illness or disability. This questionnaire is called Limited Capability for Work.

The number we will call you on is [edited]. If you haven't heard from us within two weeks of the date of this letter, or if the number we have for you is not correct, please call us on the number above between Monday and Friday, from 8.00am to 6.00pm. This is a local rate call. If you have speech or hearing difficulties you can contact us using a textphone on the number above."

Now, I don't have speech or hearing difficulties, but I still can't use the phone.

My first reason is that for various reasons my mind has chalked receiving calls up as a violation; it panics me completely in the same way someone just walking into my house uninvited would. I can't sleep if there's the possibility of a phone ringing just as I couldn't with my door open to the street, and at the moment getting sleep at all is my priority, sleeping vaguely conventional hours is a pipe dream. If I phoned them (not without its problems but just about possible for me) that might get it over with so that they wouldn't "need" to call me. However:

My second reason is that a phone call will not be witnessed or leave a paper trail, and in any dealings with the DWP I am very wary of that. My only idea is to have the phone on speaker and record the call, inform them that it's being recorded and ask for consent to share the recording, but that wouldn't stop me screwing up and falling for some kind of verbal trickery, especially as I have serious concentration problems, and what's more surely they could just refuse consent and put me down as not co-operating? We all know what Atos are like re. recordings, I can't imagine that the DWP are any happier with it. There's also the fact that I write down my inability to take phone calls on my assessment form (not as a descriptor because I know it isn't one), and if I've called them, they could claim that that meant that I could use the phone in general and therefore they should be able to phone me and have me answer whenever they like, which is not going to happen.

Does anyone know what my rights are here (if I have any...) or have any suggestions as to a good course of action? I'm bouncing off the walls over this and it's already a few days into their "two weeks". I was expecting them to just send the form *rolls eyes*.

Apologies if I've missed an existing thread on this, I had a look and couldn't see any. Thanks very much for reading even if you don't have any advice.

Hi A,

Welcome to Benefits and Work

You do not have to take this, or any other phone calls from The DWP or ATOS. The process can proceed without taking the phone call.

This phone call mentioned on the Conversion Notice letter is only a courtesy call any way, and simply talks you through the process, and asks whether you have any questions.

You should receive the ESA50 Questionnaire through the post within around a fortnight.

Have a read through this document :

"Being transferred from incapacity benefit to employment and support allowance. A 22 page guide to the transfer process."

At the top of this page :

ESA Claims Guides

Once you have received the ESA50 Questionnaire, then you must fill it in and return it to ATOS by the deadline given.

You may wish to consider :

Using The PDF Version Of The ESA50 Questionnaire

Whilst referring to the ESA Claims Guides under the heading :

"New ESA50 form"

On the same page as above :

ESA Claims Guides

See also :

How long do I have to complete the ESA50?

ESA50 too big for the envelope

&

Sending Documents to the DWP or ATOS

It may also help, if you read through our :

IB, IS, SDA, Migration to ESA FAQ’s

And our :

ESA FAQ’s

It may seem a lot to take in, so you might wish to Favourite/Bookmark this page, so that you can revisit it easily.

You can then pose any further queries, as and when they crop up by replying to the topic.

bro58

I can't hear on the phone at all. I did not supply ATOS with a number, so obviously they did not call, just sent the ESA50.

Wow. So I really don't need to do anything, just ignore it and prepare myself for filling in the form (or make a start with the pdf)? The letter didn't make it sound like anything like that was an option, more like I'd only get the form once I'd spoken to them, perhaps that's intentional on their part (my high opinion of the process is showing...). Why would they need to ask me some questions to confirm my identity if they could just send the form out? Maybe to check that I hadn't moved or something, which would cause problems if the form didn't get sent on... Just seems peculiar.

Anyway, thanks for all the information and the welcome, @bro58, and thanks for telling me your experience, @Dickdastardly; they do have a landline number for me but it's always disconnected, so maybe that'll be taken as no number being available.

Alsn wrote: Wow. So I really don't need to do anything, just ignore it and prepare myself for filling in the form (or make a start with the pdf)? The letter didn't make it sound like anything like that was an option, more like I'd only get the form once I'd spoken to them, perhaps that's intentional on their part (my high opinion of the process is showing...). Why would they need to ask me some questions to confirm my identity if they could just send the form out? Maybe to check that I hadn't moved or something, which would cause problems if the form didn't get sent on... Just seems peculiar.

Anyway, thanks for all the information and the welcome, @bro58, and thanks for telling me your experience, @Dickdastardly; they do have a landline number for me but it's always disconnected, so maybe that'll be taken as no number being available.

You are welcome A,

Yes, you could make a start on the Pdf ESA50 now, whilst referring to the relevant guide/s, this may help to ease the time constraints when you receive the one through the post.

As you will see, there is also a query regarding your home contact number in the ESA50. You don't have to provide your number here either. (even though they may already have it)

This is for ATOS's benefit, in case they want you to attend a face to face.

If they did require a face to face, and could not contact you by phone, they would have to send you written confirmation of any such appointment, giving a least 7 days notice, unless you agree to take an appointment at shorter notice.

bro58