HOW TO SURVIVE THE ESA ASSESSMENT PROCESS - PART 3

HOW TO SURVIVE

So – how do you survive the assessment interview itself?  I have to confess that here we are straying into unknown territory for me personally, as I am still waiting for this particular instrument of torture to be applied.  From here on I shall be relying more heavily on advice from experts in the field, suggestions and comments from people who have been through the mill and last, but by no means least, on common sense based on what we have learned so far!

It’s very important to stress that at no point in these proceedings should you be tempted to tell an outright porky!  Not on your initial questionnaire and definitely not at your assessment interview.  However, it is equally important that you steer the focus back towards your ‘worst case scenario’ whenever it seems to be focussing on ‘the good days’!  Always remember that they want to tell the Benefits Agencies you are capable of work.  Irrespective of what they may say on their website under "Frequently Asked Questions, No.19" their remit is to find you capable of work!  I’ll return to the "Frequently Asked Questions" document in due course.  For now, let’s take a look at the interview itself.

The Interview

Most of us, when we know we must face a difficult situation involving other people whom we don’t know, dress carefully and as smartly as possible because this is one of the ways in which we give ourselves confidence.  They know this and will use it against you – as soon as they see a smart, clean, well-dressed claimant this will be recorded on the computerised record as evidence that you are fit for work.  Make no extra effort with your appearance on the day of your interview.  Attend dressed as you would be in your own home.

When you first enter the room, beware the “friendly chat designed to put you at your ease”!  When they ask “Did you get here alright?  Did you have to use the bus?”  or a variation thereof, the answer will go down on their computer as “Can travel up to X miles without difficulty”!  Don’t go into detail or be drawn into this ‘chat’!  Answer monosyllabically and, if appropriate, tell them you needed someone to bring you to the interview.  Another 'trick' question is to mention a programme on TV the night before like "Did you see that wildlife documentary on BBC2 last night - wasn't it good?"  DON'T  answer "Yes it was" - this goes down on your assessment  report as indicating that you can sit in one position for up to an hour and concentrate for that length of time!  If they ask, as part of this ‘chat’ “How are you today?” DO NOT be tricked into saying “Fine, thanks” as you would probably normally do!  This too will go down on the computerised record!  If it’s appropriate, say that you are very stressed and anxious, if in doubt, simply do not reply.

Throughout the entire interview, try to be as brief and monosyllabic as possible.  If the interviewer falls silent, DO NOT be tempted to fill the silence yourself!  Keep quiet and leave the onus on the interviewer to fill the vacuum.

• It is important to remember that the “computerised form” ("What A Claimant Can Expect")  consists largely of ‘tick-boxes’.  From these tick-box responses, they allocate each claimant a ‘score’ and each box they tick which shows you able to comply with a requirement is added up and used against you and in favour of you being capable of work. 
• The computer form will have small additional spaces for extra detail – much like the questionnaire – so keep your responses brief and to the point – long, rambling detailed replies simply won’t be recorded.  I know it’s hard to include everything you want to say and still keep your answers brief and relevant – and so do they!  Don’t be afraid to pause and think carefully before you answer.  You’re not working to a deadline, even if they are!
• ATOS admit that “some of the questions may not relate directly to your medical condition”.  You should assume that the majority of questions they ask and/or any tests they perform on you or ask you to undertake will NOT be in any way related to your medical condition.  Once again, this has to do with the fact that ATOS’s remit is to find you capable of work if humanly (or, indeed, miraculously!) possible and as a result they have to complete totally irrelevant tick-boxes in order to build up the ‘score’ against you. 
• Blood pressure shouldn’t be a problem – by the time you have ‘prepared’ yourself properly for this interview, your blood pressure is likely to be through the roof as a matter of course!  The “informal” test of sight or hearing is likely to be so simple that the vast majority of people will have no difficulty with it, thus improving their chances of ‘scoring’ you fit for work.  If your condition is mental rather than physical, you may well feel that being asked to undress and/or carry out physical tests is an unnecessary indignity.  It is!  Once again this comes down to their ‘one-size-fits-all’ computerised form – everything they record you capable of doing is a ‘score’ in favour of you being found capable of work.
• When it comes to the physical tests such as stretching, standing & bending, naturally these will be extremely simple so that 90% of claimants will have no difficulty with them.  More ‘scores’ against you and in favour of you being fit to work!  So, don’t exert yourself and definitely don’t push yourself beyond what you would normally do.  We automatically do our best to comply when people ask us to do things – it’s part of what makes us human.  Try to switch off your natural humanity for the duration of the process – you can be sure that the interviewer will have done so!
• When the interviewer indicates that your assessment is complete be sure to ask them to check that all your supporting documentation (anything you sent in with your questionnaire plus anything you may have handed over to them during the interview) WILL DEFINITELY  be considered in conjunction with the ‘tick-boxes’ and WILL DEFINITELY  be passed on to the “office dealing with your claim” ("What A Claimant Can Expect").  Make a note in your file of their reply!!

It has been the experience of most of the claimants I have talked to that this assessment interview is nothing more nor less than a cipher, designed solely to prove that any claimant who is not in a persistent vegetative state is capable of work!  ATOS’s brief is to complete their little tick-boxes and declare to the office handling your claim that your score indicates you are capable of working.  Only time will tell whether they are as diligent as they say they are about passing on your supporting documentation with their reports.  The information given on their website concerning their complaint process is brief to the point of non-existence.  I suspect that the real work of assessment is not actually carried out until you, the claimant, appeal the decision.

In the next part of this blog, I will go through ATOS’s downloadable list of FAQs and see if this can provide us with any further weapons in the armoury we shall all undoubtedly need to deal with this sham!