The story so far: Part 1

Lets get rolling with some back story so we're all up to date.  This is going to be a cliff notes version.

First of all I have two medical conditions neither of which on their own are serious, life threatening or a barrier to work.  But when you combine the two it becomes problematic.  I lost my position in a company in 2005, job hunted like crazy and then finally having run out of cash signed on for Jobseekers Allowance, which was my first contact with the DWP since I was in college.

Now lets be clear here, I was looking for work in the IT industry at the peak of the Outsource/Offshore EVERYTHING binge and right at the start of what would become "the credit crunch" (aka double dip recession), so I sign on and keep job hunting.  To be honest the money the DWP trickled in to my bank account wasn't all that great but whatever.  Eventually someone far younger than me and frankly way to perky for that time of the day decides that I'm not doing enough and is going to take my benefits away from me.

I complain.  Loudly.  I'm frankly doing my best and their suggestions aren't appropriate, applicable or remotely sensible.  Eventually a meeting is arranged between myself and one of the managers of the local Jobcentre to discuss the matter and the difficulties I'm having.  I'm already at the stage of "I don't trust these guys" so I bring along a witness which I think is rather sensible.  You'd do that wouldn't you?

I explain in complete, detailed and to the best of my ability, medically accurate details what's wrong with me and how these two conditions interact.  I explain how I'm job hunting, my methodologies and thinking behind avoiding doing certain thing (speculative letters to large corporations usually result in a "talk to our agency" response).   I was told by the person on the other side of the desk that I shouldn't be on Jobseekers Allowance.  I should be on Incapacity Benefit.

Lets be clear here I didn't say I want to be on that benefit.  It was the person who worked for the DWP themselves who said that.  Just want to be certain people understand that.  I was handed a bucket load of forms to fill in and send to the woman directly for her to deal with.