Lost my job due to Osteoperosis. Have to lie down every so often as the pain becomes unbearable. My doctor says I'm unfit for work. Already been through the appeals process once where I was awarded employment and support allowance. Now I have to go through it all again. Meanwhile the bills keep coming and I have a 9 year old son I'm supposed to look after whilst his mother works (of which I dont get a penny in child benefit but SHE does). All at the lovely age of 34. If anyone can find me a job where they'll let me lie down when my backs bad I'd be only too willing to work. Unfortunately nobody else sees it that way :( I haven't had ANY help from the benefits agency finding me suitable work. So I guess if the appeal fails I starve and get kicked out my house? Happy days.

In 1930’s Germany, propaganda portrayed disabled people as "useless eaters" and people who had "lives unworthy of living".

The propaganda stressed the high cost of supporting disabled people, and suggested that there was something unhealthy or even unnatural about society paying for this.

In Britain 2012 disabled people are demonised as ‘scroungers’ or ‘benefit cheats’ and we are told that supporting disabled people is ‘unsustainable’

Sounds familiar?

Try working down the pit for half a lifetime.

I see plenty of people on incapacity benefits in the local pubs every day.If there fit to go out drinking every day and all day there fit enough to work!! Why should I work to fuel there way of life.Its about time!!!!

Each and every one of us is an illness or an accident away from being disabled.
Please sign and share Pat’s Petition which calls for the government to "Stop and review the cuts to benefits and services which are falling disproportionately on disabled people, their carers and families" otherwise there will be no safety net for future generations http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20968

The new medical test is so easy to fail for example
New Test
Can you move a large EMPTY box (How many jobs just involve moving empty boxes!!)
Old Test
Can you pick up 2.5 kilo bag of potatoes
Anyone how has their benefit stopped and is appealing against the decision and suffering hardship can apply for special payments pending the appeal outcome check with benefit centre that deals with your claim you might have to push the request

If you Dr says that you are unfit to work then that should be it! Unfortunately we read in the papers every day about those who abuse the benefits system. But not everyone who is ill does this.

In reply to the ignorance of Bobs remarks,would you say a terminally ill person is fit for work????These highly qualified people as you jokingly call them are passing people who are dying as being fit for work,many have died from their illness before their appeal is heard,most doctors have morals and stick by their ethics,those who work for Atos have neither,they are paid a tidy sum for each medical they carry out,the whole process is a shambles and unless you have actually been through it yourself I don't know how you have the nerve to judge people who have.In case you haven't quite got the jist of the mess this country is in there are no jobs for able bodied people so what chance does a disabled person have?and to Baz so what if COPD is caused by smoking,it was in the news yesterday that smokers give the goverment over 50 billion pounds in taxes,that pays for you who is obviously a non-smoker to 1st class NHS service so maybe you think of thanking smokers.

The worst thing is that if you don't appeal or fail at it you have to go on Jobseekers and in doing so commit an offence by stating you're fit to work when you're not.

It's worth noting that these aren't actually medical assessments but 'work capability', the criteria for which seems to be if you can get out of bed and make it to the appointment that you can work.

Barrow baz, COPD can be caused by smoking (did you know in the 60s doctors used to recommend to asthmatics to start smoking?!), but it is also caused by different things too including: occupational exposure, auto-immune diseases, and genetics. And don't forget passive smoking (say from someone who worked in a smoky pub for 30years, which would also come under occupational exposure). So people with this illness haven't necessarily brought it on themselves as you seem to be insinuating.

Bob, I wish that were the case. My dad was diagnosed with asbestosis by two separate lung specialists (this was done using CT scans), when he claimed for industrial diseases benefit they called him for a medical with an ATOS person (fair enough, since having it doesn't tell you the degree of disability it causes), who listened to his chest and looked at an x-ray (neither of which are any use for diagnosing asbestosis) and decided that he shouldn't get the benefit because he "didn't have asbestosis". Apparently ATOS are miracle workers and able to cure serious chronic diseases now, too. He appealed and, of course, won.

I would always recommend to take a friend/family member/carer to an assessment. If they ask you to do something you can't do, then don't attempt it, state that you can't do it. And remember that your assessment begins as soon as you arrive at the centre, and not when you go into the room.

There must be work out there even for those with COPD, I am sure such things as answering the phone, taking messages, filing etc will not do any serious harm. You only have to look at our boys coming home from war zones with disabilities, they get themselves out to work if they can, those who genuinely cannot work go on to do fundraising activities. Sorry to be critical but it's about time people realised, neither the country or hard working people can or want to continuing funding people on benefits any more. Those who genuinely cannot work have my 100 percent support, but let's get real the countries tolerance for spongers and malingerers is well and truly gone.