In a written question, the Countess of Mar asked the Government to consider logging details of the nature of medical conditions of people who attend Department for Work and Pensions work capability assessment medical appeals.
The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Welfare Reform, Lord Freud, replied on 24 May 2011:
The department currently records the primary medical condition given at the start of all claims to employment and support allowance (ESA). Therefore, this information is already logged for people that go on to appeal. However, entitlement to ESA is based on functional capabilities, not on medical condition per se so the medical condition recorded on a claim form does not in itself confer entitlement to ESA.
Ahem…
If you don’t have the correct definition recorded by the DWP under the ‘new’ system it can affect the way in which you are treated.
For example, CFS/ME is treated one way, and yet ‘mental illness’ is treated differently by Atos under the new guidelines.
It will be interesting to see if ‘special’ guidelines apply to ‘us’ and it is so important to ensure that the DWP are aware of the correct illness definition.
Sorry…
I am wondering what happens if you have multiple conditions? Say CFS/ME with Fibro or even depression or something else…
How then are you recorded and treated?