work capability assessment

New evidence fuels demand for inquest uncovering DWP role in the death of Jodey Whiting

January 8, 2020 Mike Sivierallowance, Department, DWP, employment, ESA, evidence, failure, inquest, Jodey Whiting, Joy Dove, Mike Sivier, multiple, New, Pensions, political, safeguarding, suicide, support, Vox, Vox Political, WCA, work, work capability assessment5 Comments

Remember Jodey Whiting? She’s the woman who took her own life after the Department for Work and Pensions ignored its own policies for safeguarding benefit claimants no fewer than five times while dealing with her case. The DWP scorned calls for an independent inquiry into deaths related to its decisions, prompted by Ms Whiting’s death – even after tens of thousands of people signed a petition demanding it. Now her mother, Joy Dove, has launched a demand for a new inquest, saying the interests of justice demand it after new evidence…

URGENT: Advice to ESA claimants found ‘fit for work’ on getting GP ‘fit notes’

April 25, 2019 Mike Sivieradvice, allowance, benefit, Conservative, Department, DWP, employment, ESA, fit for work, fit note, GP. doctor, life, Mike Sivier, Pensions, political, save, support, Tories, Tory, Vox, Vox Political, WCA, work, work capability assessment1 Comment

Remember when it was revealed that the Conservative government had told doctors they no longer need to provide “fit notes” to claimants of Employment and Support Allowance who have been told they are “fit for work” after taking one of the Tories’ rigged “work capability assessments”? This should remind you. The advice was false, of course. Claimants need “fit notes” when they are contesting the decision, and to make sure Job Centre “advisors” cannot make unreasonable demands of them. Frank Zola has written an article detailing advice to ESA claimants…

DWP’s letter to doctors means MORE people have been wrongly denied benefits

March 19, 2019 Mike Sivierallowance, appeal, Department, disability, disabled, doctor, DWP, employment, ESA, fit, Frank Field, GP, letter, Mike Sivier, note, Pensions, political, Sarah Newton, sick, support, Vox, Vox Political, WCA, work, work capability assessment6 Comments

The duplicity in the latest attack on the sick and disabled by the Conservatives is enough to make anybody ill – including the doctors it targeted. People claiming Employment and Support Allowance because they are too unwell to work, but who have their claim turned down by assessors from the private company hired by the Department for Work and Pensions, are entitled to receive the benefit while they await their appeal hearing. But they need ‘fit’ notes from their doctors, to prove they are too ill to work – and…

Campaigners against disability discrimination need to watch Cressida Dick’s ‘knife crime’ comments carefully. Here’s the reason

March 5, 2019 Mike Siviercausality, correlation, Cressida Dick, crime, Department, DWP, knife, Met, Mike Sivier, Pensions, police, political, Theresa May, Vox, Vox Political, WCA, work, work capability assessment7 Comments

It is bad enough that Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has admitted there is a direct connection between an increase in knife crime and a fall in police numbers. It shows that police representatives were right to oppose Theresa May’s cuts to the police service, that were imposed when she was Home Secretary and have led to a shocking increase in crime during her term as prime minister. Mrs May was warned – and did nothing. She doesn’t care about your safety. But we knew that already. Tory policy since 2010…

Labour’s Laura tackles Tory liars over ‘kill yourself’ scandal that is STILL happening after FOUR YEARS

November 28, 2018 Mike Sivieresther mcvey, kill yourself, Laura Pidcock, Mike Sivier, Sarah Newton, scandal, Vox Political, WCA, work capability assessment3 Comments

It is nearly four years to the day since I published evidence that private contractors carrying out the Work Capability Assessment for the Conservative government were asking ESA claimants why they had not killed themselves. But Labour MP Laura Pidcock has raised concerns that it is still happening. It should be plain to everybody that one does not ask why a person who has confessed to suicidal thoughts has not acted on those thoughts. But that is clearly what happened to Abi Fallows, as described in my December 2014 article.…

Calls mount for Universal Credit to be axed as McVey admits people ‘will be worse off’

October 12, 2018 Mike SivierConservative, dead, death, die, esther mcvey, Iain Duncan Smith, Mike Sivier, Personal Independence Payment, PIP, suicide, Theresa May, Tories, Tory, UC, Universal Credit, Vox Political, WCA, work capability assessment4 Comments

Long-term readers of This Site will be pleased to know that Mrs Mike was recently awarded Personal Independence Payments, at a rate that means she receives more than she did on Disability Living Allowance. Unfortunately, she has now heard that her PIP claim will eventually be mutated into Universal Credit, leading to an awkward conversation in which she asked whether we would have to write the forms all over again, and expressed her fear that she would lose money, in the strongest possible terms. When you hear statements like the following,…

Tory minister for suicide prevention: ‘Like curing malaria with the plague’

October 10, 2018 Mike Sivierbenefit, Conservative, dead, death, die, disability, disabled, Employment Support Allowance, ESA, Jackie Doyle-Price, joke, Mike Sivier, minister, prevention, sickness, suicide, Tories, Tory, Vox Political, WCA, work capability assessment6 Comments

It was an easy mistake to make. When I heard the Conservative government had appointed a minister for suicide prevention I thought, “Does this mean they’re finally accepting responsibility?” Alas, I was mistaken. But you only have to look back over the last six years of Vox Political‘s output to see the Tory record, going back to my report on the Bedroom Tax-related death of Stephanie Bottrill. Her inquest found that stress and pressure placed on her by the Conservative-led government of the day contributed to her suicide. You would also…

DWP facing court over claimant’s universal credit ‘fit for work injustice’ | Disability News Service

August 24, 2018 Mike Sivieraction, Conservative, court, Department, disability news service, DNS, DWP, legal, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, Pensions, Tories, Tory, Vox Political, WCA, work, work capability assessment5 Comments

Yet again the Department for Work and Pensions is facing court action for improperly assessing a benefit claimant, and for giving misleading advice after cutting off his payments. Under the Conservative government, the DWP has become a multiple offender, with vulnerable people – particularly those with long-term illnesses and/or disabilities – bearing the brunt of its injustices. Every time this government department is found to be at fault, the Tories say lessons have been learned, and this injustice will not happen again. And then it happens again. A disabled man…

DWP advisor reckons there’s a job for everyone – even if you’re 64 and disabled

September 29, 2017 Mike Sivieraccount, allowance, appeal, benefit, Debbie Abrahams, Department, disabled, DWP, employment, ESA, healthcare, hold, Pensions, professional, responsibility, responsible, support, WCA, work, work capability assessment8 Comments

This is exactly what Debbie Abrahams was talking about when she said the “healthcare professionals” who conduct benefit assessments must be held to account. Here’s a lady who is five months away from retirement age and disabled. Whoever carried out her work capability assessment has messed it up, by all appearances, and the DWP has compounded the crime by giving her a load of waffle that it’s not worth appealing. Of course it’s worth appealing – even such a short time away from retirement – because every successful appeal is more…

Fibromyalgia sufferers who claim ESA are not Lady Gaga – which is why the DWP can abuse them

September 20, 2017 Mike Sivierallowance, Department, DWP, employment, ESA, fibromyalgia, Lady Gaga, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, Pensions, support, Vox Political, WCA, work, work capability assessment15 Comments

Fibromyalgia is, of course, one of the conditions affecting This Writer’s own partner (known here as Mrs Mike). Mrs Mike was diagnosed with the condition at around the same age as Lady Gaga and still has it now, a number of years (no, I won’t tell you how many) later. I can confirm that the symptoms in the article below are correct, and that nobody knows what causes it. The suggestion that it is a disorder in the brain is unattractive to me; the brain certainly receives amplified pain messages…

Tag: work capability assessment

New evidence fuels demand for inquest uncovering DWP role in the death of Jodey Whiting

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DWP’s letter to doctors means MORE people have been wrongly denied benefits

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Campaigners against disability discrimination need to watch Cressida Dick’s ‘knife crime’ comments carefully. Here’s the reason

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Labour’s Laura tackles Tory liars over ‘kill yourself’ scandal that is STILL happening after FOUR YEARS

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Calls mount for Universal Credit to be axed as McVey admits people ‘will be worse off’

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Tory minister for suicide prevention: ‘Like curing malaria with the plague’

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DWP facing court over claimant’s universal credit ‘fit for work injustice’ | Disability News Service

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DWP advisor reckons there’s a job for everyone – even if you’re 64 and disabled

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Fibromyalgia sufferers who claim ESA are not Lady Gaga – which is why the DWP can abuse them

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