Employment and support allowance

So it's been a year since I got employment and support allowance.
And I have had to fill in another great big book.and I need a face to face again.
Where I shall have to do all sorts of stupid things I can't do,to prove I can't hold down a job.
It's so stressful I'm in a lot of pain.and it's humiliating.
Then you have to wait after.
My dr told me.he said there never leave you alone.they never do with fibromyalgia.even with his surport I still have to go and prove I'm in pain.if I don't get it.i have to look for work.
Which I won't get the minute they read on your cv you have a life long condition.
Or sick notes from my dr every few weeks.which will lead them to tell me to go for employment and support allowance.crazy.

I totally feel for you. I wish I could say anything comforting....but the systems simply suck. I recently watched the movie 'I, Daniel Blake' and was reminded of what I went through as well.

When my mental problems started, I was in a country with a similar benefit system as that in the UK. The first few months were incredibly stressful - prove that you are sick while you can barely leave the house. To go to all these interviews, while you cannot sleep from anxiety and in my case end up overanalyzing and self-harming. Every 3 months I had to go through that - talk to a strange doctor about my problems. Your future lies in the hands of that one stranger, whether you will have enough to pay for your rent, food, gas to keep warm...

And what made it even worse is that I really wanted to work. I still really want to work. I don't want to be sick! who does??? who wants to be so sick that they cannot even look after myself? And the whole system is like a slap in the face - look, what you can NOT do, but we will still pinpoint it all and force you to prove once again of what you cannot do.

And now, years later, with mental illness and fibro, I live in a country where you have to go through hell in order to be 'labeled as unable to work' by the state and even when you do, you only get, if you are lucky, 200 dollars. And believe me, even in this developing/not so expensive country, that is not enough to live off of.

I've doing quite a lot of research on this topic, comparing systems all around the world. I truly believe in the system of a 'basic income'. There is now so much money put into keeping benefits systems in place. Then millions is spent to combat fraud or so-called reintegration programs, job analysis offices, coaches, consultants, advisors, lawyers etc etc. A basic income will make everyone equals again and since in the future many jobs will be taken over by computers, it is really time for governments to drastically look for new systems. We'll probably not witness it ourselves, but I sure hope future generations, especially the weaker ones, will benefit from a system that does not remind them each day of what they cannot do.

wish you lots of strength!


I dont understand why my own doctor never had a say in the decision to keep me alive or not.

Good Luck forgetmenot..seems only 5 minutes ago you were going through this!I remember you posting about your medical ....its soo unfair no peace on top of dealing with the actual illness.

They waste so much money retesting people that are genuine to try and catch the few who milk the system..all they need is one thorough test then your doctor should be able to just say' no improvement' and they leave you alone and save themselves a shed load of money on all the admin and you all the stress.

How have you got on with the forms?

If you keep copies you can write the same next time knowing it was sufficient to pass with.

Take care x