Phoned up to make an ESA application today!

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Oh, hooray! I'm glad you managed to get the note sooner rather than later.

I'm sure it's annoying that he didn't specify about your ADHD and Asperger's on the note, but I don't expect it will matter from the point of view of the benefits office. As long as they get their note, you should get your ESA payment.

Hopefully now that you know how the process works, you will be less worried about it next month.

I get ESA for anxiety and depression.

They will keep asking for sick notes at least until you attend a medical assessment. Jobcentre Plus will send you reminders telling you that your sick note is about to expire, but it's usually less than a week before the deadline, so it might be worth booking a doctor's appointment in advance. Luckily they aren't too strict about the deadline, and you can phone up your local Jobcentre Plus and get an extension on your previous sick note, e.g. if your benefit is due.

The only bad part is the medical assessment. This is the second time I've been on ESA, because the first time I didn't score enough points on the assessment. I was wise enough to ask for a copy of their report, and a lot of the stuff they'd written was untrue (e.g. they wrote, "When asked about X..." when really they hadn't asked me about X). It was with Atos Healthcare, and apparently they have a reputation for being terrible at this. My next assessment (with them, again) is in March. Wish me luck!

I finally filled in the ESA50 form and posted it, on wednesday.

I decided to wait as long as possible before sending it back, just to give myself more time to consider my options and get my head around what will come next.

So now I'm waiting to find out if I will get a face-to-face appointment.

Scary prospect! *shiver*

You are not charged for doctors notes for ESA send-offs. Ask the GP to write them for like 4 weeks at a time too, at the least.

Luckily after writing a few 2 week letters at a time, my lovely GP wrote them for 8 weeks at a time, as it was clear I'm not going back to work any time soon. Have been on ESA since 2011.

Have you been ATOS assessed, then?

I'm guessing that you have if you have been on ESA since 2011.

Have you been ATOS assessed, then?

I'm guessing that you have if you have been on ESA since 2011.

Yeah I have. The interview was really short, and I felt I didn't get what I wanted to say into the time, and was fretting I wouldn't get money any more, but many months later, I got a letter and a magical bonus in my bank account of almost £1000 saying in short "this is the money we owe you, backdated". I was already getting money every 2 weeks, but they decided I was a genuine case and was entitled to more.

I never had to send sick notes after that point.

A year later I also applied for DLA, and straight away was given money into my account every month. Haven't been for an assessment yet, I guess because I already had one from ESA.

I must add though that at the time I was applying for problems because of Borderline Personality Disorder, depression, anxiety, all that crap stuff. I was only diagnosed AS + ADHD today.

Wow!

I'm geniunely surprised by your positive experience.

That's really great.

That is interesting.

Although, in my case, the envelope that I used to post back the ESA form was addressed to ATOS.

So, unfortunately I will now be under their scrutiny, probably.

Almost forgot!

ATOS want out of this whole deal ASAP!

Whether or not this will make much ( if any ) difference to upcoming claims, I don't know.

If you get declined the first appointment, I wouldn't worry too much. You can appeal, and people 90% of the time win against that appeal. You're on WP, so I am sure you're a genuine case, (and not some lazy bum pretending he has arthritis).

Good luck with it all.

I only had the one assessment and never had one again. I did have to send a 'refresher' form off when it was sent to me, so everything was updated, and this was towards the end of 2013, but I've not had any other medical assessments since the first one.

I did click that link and couldn't finish reading it past the first paragraph, it was too long for me, so I don't really know why the reason is I don't get these 'yearly assessments'.