Incapacity Benefit examinations

[maxsan]

I am interested in hearing from anyone who has been sent by Newcastle for an examination at Cpam due to their being in receipt of Incapacity benefit.  My reasons for this are that I feel that the Uk government are treating people on incapacity benefit very badly by insisting that the documentation is all in French and that examinees must provide their own translator amongst other things. If anyone wishes to send email or private messages that is ok. I merely wish to build up a body of evidence to tackle them with.

[Teamedup]

Would they ask you to take a medical from time to time if you lived in the UK?

[maxsan]

As always TU, you answer a perfectly legitimate question with another completely irrelevant question. Why?  Was the question too difficult?  Why not just leave it to those who may or may not choose to answer the original question, to make that choice instead of trying to sidetrack yet another legitimate query?  Why would you think that anyone who paid as much as you alledgedly have for your glasses, should ever be taken seriously?

[Boiling a frog]

Dont quite understand are you saying that Newcastle are insisting that you go to CPAM for a medical and then have the result translated into english for them Dont quite understand why they would want a french translation

[Pushkin]

[quote]As always TU, you answer a perfectly legitimate question with another completely irrelevant question. Why? Was the question too difficult? Why not just leave it to those who may or may not choose to...[/quote]

With such an aggressive manner I can't imagine that many, if any, posters on this forum will be prepared to offer advice or information for fear that they also would be in receipt of the same tirade of abuse which you have subjected TU to.

I am also confused as to what information you are after and cannot see why you have taken such exception to TU's remark.  

 

[Tink]

I had one 2 months ago. However I can not comment on the Newcastle thing as I'm not from the UK.

All I know and I discussed this with my CPAM exam physician is that they deal with this on an international level. Since it's possible in the EU to live in one country and receive your incapacity benefit or pension from another country the CPAM has been dealing with routine examinations.

My dr. spoke excellent fluent English and even wrote the letter to invite me to the exam in English. I guess my country(netherlands) is really excellent at supporting people who want to live in another EU country as all my official mail always is trilingual as are all our official papers such as birth/marriage/divorce certificates. I regularly receive a form someone needs to fill out and it really saves a lot of time and hassle because all requests are also in French.

The exam took about an hour and was very very detailed, my husband wasn't allowed to go in with me because of patient confidentiality.

Overall it was a pleasant experience.

--

Tink (22)

[Teamedup]

Ofcourse I could see what you were after, but I don't believe that you are receiving unfair treatment. If Newcastle ask for these examinations for people on incapacity benefit and I don't see why they should pay out for these translations just because you chose to move to France. Believe me you don't want to hear the rest.

 

The irony that I used to campaign for benefits such as these, in the early 1970's is not lost on me.

And my glasses, dear me..........

[Russethouse]

Without my moderator hat (or gloves for that matter on)

Of course TU's question was relevant - if you would normally expect to have an assessment or medical in order to continue receiving benefit in the UK, why would you expect not to in France? Perhaps you would prefer they insisted you return for a medical in the UK, at your own expense of course ?

Why shouldn't you pay for the translation ? It was your choice (and your right) to move to France, but the UK tax payer doesn't want to pay for it. Can't see what's so unfair about that.

[letrangere]

The poster's question aside, what sort of "incapacity" qualifies a person for this benefit in the first place?  M

[maxsan]

Obviously most of you missed the point of my post. I was asking for people's experiences regarding the whole question of examinations demanded by newcastle. Firstly, despite having been declared unfit for work by 4 GPs (two here in France) and 2 orthopeadic consultants, Newcastle see fit to override that body of professional opinion and demand an assessment for work by someone who is not qualified so to do.  Not only that, but they place otherwise disadvantaged people in the invidious position of having to conduct that interview in a language that they are not au fait with and without the services of a translator. Now, to those of you who so charitably said that it was my choice to move to France therefore why should the Uk taxpayer provide a translator for me I say this; In the Uk when I attended a medical the person before me was Kurdish and not long arrived in the Uk. He was sent out of his medical and told that they would be in touch with him once they had arranged an interpreter.

I was also at a magistrates Court in the Northwest of England when a kurdish person was appearing on a minor charge and discovered that an interpreter had been flown up from Kent to assist this person in Court.  I have nothing against these people getting assistance given the awful predicaments they may have been in, in their own country.  I do object when, as I am claiming a "contributory benefit" (i.e. one that I have paid for and am entitled to) that Newcastle should seek to treat me, in a fashion that means that I am less than someone who has not contributed to said benefit. You are right, I probably don't want to hear the rest TU, as no doubt you would query the right of people to have any benefit at all. Once again, I have paid for this benefit for 44 years of honest labour and I am, in law, entitled to it.

As for Teamed Up, he was asking a question that I considered irrelevant as a few long established people on this forum do. The whole idea of this forum is that people can find things out about living in France in all its forms, not that someone who has little better to do with their lives constantly offers unhelpful and unasked for comments on posts.  As I said earlier, why not read the post and if it is asking a question and you do not have the answer to that question, why, then leave it alone.  That is what happens on more mature forums

For the person who asked how you may get this benefit I would direct you to the Department of Work and pensions web site.  For the rest, I merely seek to gain the experiences of those who may have been through this process, in order that I may raise the issue with my Euro mp here in France, as trying to contact ministers or mps in the UK is nigh on impossible and entirely a waste of time.

[opas]

[quote]As always TU, you answer a perfectly legitimate question with another completely irrelevant question. Why? Was the question too difficult? Why not just leave it to those who may or may not choose to...[/quote]

you come on here with 3 posts to you name and jump down the throat of the first person to respond .You talk about this person ,TU, as if you have been lurking around, but have obviously not done so well enough ,as TU is a lady poster not a `He` as you refere to later. No other comments on this subject as I have no experience on it.

 

[Teamedup]

I am a she.

 

All your original post said that you thought that Newcastle was being unfair for asking you to get a translator. Well I don't think that they are.

I actually don't agree with vast ressources being used for any translators. Although I must say, I do rather feel for the Kurds.

And paying into the system for 44 years doesn't really count for much where this is concerned does it. If someone genuinely cannot work, whether they be 20,30,40 or fifty, then after appropriate medicals I actually believe that society should help them. This isn't the United States of Europe and if we move from one member state of the EU to another, we will have to put up with such demands as Newcastle has made and go along with it.

 

 

[Patf]

I recently heard on the news that the government have started to tighten up on the regulations concerning receipt of Incapacity Benefit and intend to cut the numbers wherever possible. Perhaps your problem is part of this new stricter view. One of my daughters in law received I.B. and had regular medicals. They have now moved to India and she gets nothing there. Pat.

[Russethouse]

>>. As I said earlier, why not read the post and if it is asking a question and you do not have the answer to that question, why, then leave it alone. That is what happens on more mature forums<<<<

As you are so experienced in the ways of forums I'm sure you will appreciate that a simple yes or no would have answered the question and been more courteous than your retort.

I don't know, and I suspect you don't either, whether the Kurds in question (in your example) were on a mean tested benefit or unable to pay for some other reason.

I also think there is an ombudsman who deals with these things who may be more interested in your perspective than your French MEP.

Your comments about this forum are unfortunate especially as its the long standing members who are often the ones able to offer the most help.

It may interest you to know that it is reported today that 1000 people a week are signing on for a long term sickness benefit in the UK, so I would suggest that there will be an awful lot of tightening up to come.

[Boiling a frog]

So your gripe is that you have moved to france, cannot understand french, have been asked to take  a medical examination or some sort of test to prove that you are still entitled to incapacity benifit. ,in your opinion the person who is going to conduct the examination is not qualified  to assess you. You want the UK govt to pay for you to have a translator so you can understand.

Perhaps we should all start a campaign about this totally unfair attitude.

I found it difficult to deal with CPAM when handing in my E106 (a UK governent benifit) I should have demanded that newcastle pay for a translator .

I pay my income tax to the UK government I had difficulty completing my income tax return here in France I should have demanded a translator to help

I tried to reregister my car here in France I have been paying road tax for 35 years I want a translator

 

Get real  

[Tourangelle]

I agree.  Why be so rude to TU who puts loads of interesting and useful comments on the forum

[maxsan]

I think you all proved my point quite well. How many of you actually answered the question I asked? How many of you sought to go off into other areas? It is a feature of this forum that if someone asks a simple question such as where could I buy double glazing, there will be umpteen people such as TU who will come on and ask why would you want double glazing. There will be others who will jump in and tell you ten thousand reasons why you should not have double glazing. Why? the person who asks the question only wants a simple answer not an irrelevant diatribe. The passage of information is what is important and I asked for people's experiences to see if others had had a problem. I did not ask for your opinions on whether people should get benefit or should have translators. If I had wanted those opinions I would have asked for them. Get it? No, probably not or you would not have jumped in would you.  I am quite capable of dealing with beuracrats over here in my limited French and I am trying to improve that French. My reason for posting was to try to reach others who might think I had a valid point but they obviuosly don't use this forum as you know alls have driven them away. Fortunately I rec'd more adult answers on other forums and a few private messages on this one.  Now all back in your cages please.