Just Had A Benefits Assessment Today.

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I have had a virus since the second of january, so I wasn't at my best... (Not eaten since then. As I have been stressed via issues with something I have no say over yet it means I often have to use my bedroom to have space (Nephew has to stay here until march or later and he is as good as gold, but can be clingy, and while I was slowly on the mend from burnout, things keep cropping up, and so I seem to end up stressed and I don't have the breathing space to relax apart from my bedroom lying in my blankets.
While stressed, any passing virus I seem to get.
Have an appointment tomorrow as well. I must go so I hope I will be ok.

Aargh! I am at a tangent again!

Now the benefits assesment is to see an assessor (A nurse she said she was) to see if she thinks I am fit for work or not.
I wasn't thinking straight. I kept going off at tangents the whole time and not only NOT answering the question effectively, but I was also not completing why I went off on the tangent in the first place and going off on further tangents.
I think the poor lady spent too much time with me as she showed me an easier way out to get to the stairs and then she rushed off to go to get another patient.
I remember thinking "I didn't tell her about this and this... And even though last night I had gone to find supporting evidence which was copied, when she asked if I had any I said no because I had not linked in my mind what it was.
She did seem to have found out and typed up a lot so she did get some information. Ah well!
If my Mum was not ill and also if she wasn't committed to looking after my nephew she would have come, and when I would go on tangents and miss the point, my Mum would step in and answer the question... And I would correct it if it was slightly off course. Much easier!

Oh gosh. The way I keep going off at tangents to the questions would make me an excellent politician! Haha! Joking of course!

I have yet to see a politician that does not go off on tangents when inconvenient questions pop up or when they have no answers.

Well, if anything, I doubt you're inability to keep on the topic will hurt your benefits assessments too much, the nurse seems to have had a good grasp of what's going on and I doubt she was especially annoyed by your tangents, I bet she was simply busy, it's probably nothing personal.

Hope you get better.

Saw my local benefits advisor today. She advised me what was best to do.

Does it seem reasonable or doable?

If you don't mind me asking----what did she advise you to do?

Post it to them. I can't yet. Was not up to much. Awake for most of the night so didn't wake up until 1447hrs. (0247pm). Mum does not drive. She has had a virus as well, so I have to wait until I am up to going out again and also writing a letter with the things I missed etc.
My eyesight for reading is not too brill. I enlarge the screen to see this. Other distances I am fine.

Going off on tangents might actually help your case if mental issues were listed as a reason for trying to get on benefits like if autism was listed. Rambling does make it harder for someone to find work cuz they'd s#ck in the interview process & they may have a harder time understanding things.

Not been well so have not been able to get the things ready. Feeling too weak to walk from room to room, so driving to a postoffice to send them is something which will have to wait.

Things will sort themselves out I guess.

Could you have a trusted neighbor drop the letter off at the post office, or put it in a post box?

Last edited by kraftiekortie on 09 Jan 2020, 10:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

I wish it was this easy. Diagnosed as Aspergers, you can not work any job because of your Aspergers and all the mental health issues like OCD, Anxiety, depression and psychosis that comes with it. You now claim disabled benefits for life. You get Housing benefits, you get to do free courses, get free health and money to spend on whatever you want.

The last three jobs I did were the same place and I was able to do them because I did not have to cope with the stress of looking for a job and the interviews.
They were part time short term and limited hours.
They were too much for me really and this is why I had difficulties. To be honest, I underestimated how much time I needed to recover between jobs. A year or two of no employment wasn't enough, but at the same time I had to have a small amount of money to keep a car on the road.

Is more me getting things ready to post.

I am at an inbetween stage as it could be years before I am assessed. Hopefully it is soon. There is a long list.

Took me two to three years to manage to ask if I was on the spectrum, and I expected my doctor to give me a yes or no answer. My doctor, as tallented as she is.. She is not able to do that. She passed on my details to the assessment team.

Last edited by Mountain Goat on 09 Jan 2020, 10:55 am, edited 2 times in total.

I would say----as soon as humanly possible----get this posted.

For your mother's sake as well as your own.

I understand you can only do so much at this point. But put a goal in your mind that you will do this as soon as possible.

Today I had a phonecall from my benefits advisor. She is a nice lady.
She said the results are that I need to look for work. She mentioned this over rides any doctors certificates.
She is saying to appeal. I will partly send a letter explaining my position but as the very reason why I am on benefits is because... Well. I can work, but every time I do so I end up in burnout after a while, and every burnout has physically and mentally hit me to the point where... Well. Each burnout I hit I sank into a deeper mess then the burnout before. So the BIG concern for me is that I really need to avoid having another burnout. With my experience I should be able to get work. At peak times like summer or Christmas I am in demand. But... I can't take the risk.
My concern is that to sink any deeper means I will loose the ability to walk and drive, as with the previous burnout I could not walk that far until a while after. But as I slowly recovered I was able to walk again... The burnout before I didn't have it quite so bad, and the one before that even less so... So the BIG concern is, because of the pattern I have to protect myself.

I will ask what is involved in the appeals process. If it is going to be stressful I will just stop claiming. I have spare trains to sell to keep me going.

The thing is, once I am assessed, I have proof (Even if I am not on the specteum it will show what is happening to me I hope!). But there is a years wait left to go...

So while I keep going with or without an income... What I can't do is risk the stress of looking for work and working... Because to me, the looking for work with a pressure behind you to make sure you apply for x amount of jobs is far more stressful... I can wait for the summer and go back to where I was working before if I wanted work.

But I have to protect myself as my mental and physical health is far more important then owning posessions etc.

I already have no pension as I have missed too many stamps due to the times I could not face the benefits system and I could not work due to peevious burnouts, so I don't have a clue what to do when I'm older.

But I have to look at now, as if I don't protect myself now there will be no future.


So I am not panicing as I have been here before a few times. I am just a bit dissapointed to be in this situation.

MG sweety I wish your assessment was over already and you could relax and receive the assistance you deserve. Meanwhile you have your faith in God and you are in my prayers also. Big ginormous hug from me to you.