Please Sign this Petition to Stop Further Harassment of ESA Claimants

[Kodiak]

Allow ESA claimants to continue to be paid during the dispute process. Iain Duncan Smith plans to further penalise people who exercise their legal right to disagree with an ESA (Employment and Support Allowance) decision. He intends to stop paying ESA to them as soon as they ask the DWP to look at the decision again.This will have a devastating effect on the sick and vulnerable in our society, leaving them destitute with no money. This could so easily be rectified by allowing people to be paid ESA during the whole of the dispute process. Please ask Iain Duncan Smith to introduce this simple measure.

Why is this important?

There is only a month to get this proposal changed!!! At the end of October mandatory reconsideration is due to be introduced, under the Welfare Reform Act 2012.

Currently, if people disagree with a decision about their ESA entitlement they can appeal the decision right away. They will continue to be paid ESA at the assessment rate pending the appeal. For a single person this is £71.70pw- the same as JSA - hardly a fortune!! There are so many people appealing it can take up to a year for the appeal to be heard.

So Please Click on Link Below and SIGN the Petition, Thank You.

http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petition...ime=1379530586

[DunnetKnowe]

The saying goes..."beggars can't be choosers".

[Liz]

The saying goes..."beggars can't be choosers".

People who cannot work due to sickness or disability are not beggars!

I'll be glad to sign the petition Kodiak.

[poppett]

Happy to sign and have shared with friends and family. I was not aware that no provision was made during an appeal situation for ESA.

[Oddquine]

Signed and shared on Facebook

[Tilly Teckel]

The saying goes..."beggars can't be choosers".

Lovely

Many people who dispute their refusal for ESA have the decision overturned at Appeal, largely due to the unsatisfactory ATOS medical 'examinations'. If a person appeals and then loses, by all means ask them to repay the interim payments, but refusing to pay them anything is just an underhanded way of putting people off making an appeal.

Honestly, politicians make me furious!

PS. Thanks, Kodiak, for bringing this to peoples' attention.

[Westward]

Done & shared.

[Anfield]

The Tories (aided by their LibDem cronies) are slowly disintegrating the Welfare State, no doubt as a precursor for Privatisation on its more profitable areas. Whilst there are no doubt some people who take advantage of ESA/DLA, the vast majority of claimants of this benefit ARE genuine.

[changilass]

My worry would be how they would pay the money back if they didn't win the appeal. I am assuming they can go onto another benefit - albeit probably less money - for the duration of the appeal. If they then win their appeal they will be due all the money back.

[Big Gaz]

The saying goes..."beggars can't be choosers".

Keep it up, the ban stick will be out again soon!

[kosacid]

the first one i went to i sat down and they just ticked the boxes i had to wait about 6 months for the appeal with a reduced rate it was total hell, the funny thing was i got no points but anyways i won the appeal got it back thing is after that i got a letter for the next one i was dreading it but that time i got examined, it was totally changed, so they must have been told to change there policy, the ATOS nurse said you must be in allot of pain with that and you can hardly move so i didnt have a problem getting it, so i think ticking boxes is gone, it now includes a exam, so hopefully it stays that way and no more just ticking boxes

[secrets in symmetry]

So Please Click on Link Below and SIGN the Petition, Thank You.

http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petition...ime=1379530586

38 Degrees are good - they're the only "activist" organisation I'm a member of.

I tend to disagree with too much that all the others stand for.

[Kodiak]

My worry would be how they would pay the money back if they didn't win the appeal. I am assuming they can go onto another benefit - albeit probably less money - for the duration of the appeal. If they then win their appeal they will be due all the money back.

If they appeal the ESA Decision they can try to claim JSA but they must be available for work. Unfortunately most of them are just too ill and sick to be able to work, so this means they will receive no benefit at all.

So if the benefit is stopped until the appeal is decided, then during this time they will receive no money. This is why signing the petition is important.

[changilass]

If the petition was worded differently then I would happily sign it, as it is the way it is worded I am worried folks will get themselves into financial difficulty.

Good luck with the petition.

[secrets in symmetry]

If the petition was worded differently then I would happily sign it, as it is the way it is worded I am worried folks will get themselves into financial difficulty.

Good luck with the petition.

Are you really saying you want to stop poor people getting money in case they have to pay it back?

[Kodiak]

If the petition was worded differently then I would happily sign it, as it is the way it is worded I am worried folks will get themselves into financial difficulty.

Good luck with the petition.

If IDS has his way and they stop ESA Payments when an Appeal is put in, then there will be Huge Financial Problems for many people.

It is not my Petition but it is one that needs all the support it can get otherwise many Sick and Disabled People will suffer manyh hardships.