It's Finally Happened.

So, it's finally happened. The changes which are currently being wrought in the benefits system which have caused so much unease amongst those who are ill or disabled, and which I have written about in this blog, are now going to affect me. I received a letter through the post last Friday telling me that I am going to be reassessed for the benefits I receive. Of course, Incapacity Benefit is being phased out by the government, with a new benefit, Employment and Support Allowance, replacing it. The new benefit is described in the letter as something which "helps people with an illness or disability move into work and provides people with the support they need". I will first have to fill in a "Limited Capability for Work" questionnaire, in which I will be asked to describe how my illness affects me from day to day. Later, I may be asked to attend a Work Capability Assessment, a prospect I am none too keen on given the appalling reputation of Atos, the company which has been contracted to carry out these assessments.
On the face of it this new benefit would seem to be designed for people like me who have an illness but nonetheless want to find some sort of work. But it has been shown that Atos are often passing people as being fit to work, when clearly they are not. This has caused a great deal of anxiety and distress amongst those experiencing mental ill health, and only in my last post I spoke of how the prospect of reassessment had led, according to a survey by the mental health charity Mind, to 51% of people with mental illness and receiving benefits to have suicidal thoughts.
I can only hope, I suppose, that after my assessment I will end up on the new benefit, and not simply put onto Jobseeker's Allowance, a process which would leave me with less money and perhaps less choice in the type of work I would be expected to do. After all, my diagnosis hasn't changed, and although I might want part-time work, I am still unsure how a job might affect my well-being, and being thrown into full-time employment after 16 years under the care of mental health services is a daunting prospect. The last time I was in paid employment was even further back in 1994. While I may then agree that people with illnesses or some form of disability should have the opportunity to achieve their full potential, I also hope that the right support will be provided, and that I will only be expected to do work which is suitable given my illness.
It could be, of course, that once again the government is just putting a reasonable sounding spin on the fact that moving people off Incapacity Benefit and onto Jobseeker's Allowance will save money, thus being just another cut affecting the already poor and vulnerable. Add to that that jobs, particularly in Stoke-on-Trent, are not exactly plentiful, and one does wonder exactly what the motives are behind the creation of this new benefit.
So, while I'm not exactly incapacitated, and feel that I could do at least something, I can only hope that the process I am about to go through will be a painless and not so negative one. I can imagine what a daunting prospect this is for people who have not managed to recover as well as me, and my heart goes out to them. As for myself, I'm sure that I'll write more about this after my reassessment. For now, I think, I'll just have to grin and bear it.