ESA Questionnaire help

gems3286

My Dad has just received a limited capability for work questionnaire and he has been given 4 weeks to send it off.

He is really worried and panicking, it seems it may take him a while fill it in and send it off, he just doesn't understand some of it, we are currently looking into getting some help to fill it in.

But my question is when we send the form off how long does it take to hear something back?

Any help would be really appreciated.

Thank you.

HB58

Some people hear quite quickly, but it was 5 months before I heard anything else from DWP.

nannytone_2

send it recorded delivery, so you can be sure that they have received it.

i was phoned about 10 weeks after i applied, to set up a date for the medical. but i know its taking longer now.

gems3286

So is there a huge back log or something?

I'm not 100% how this works but does my Dad send off the form wait to hear from them which then could be to ask you to come in for a medical and then you have to wait again for them to give you a date for a medical which again could be a while and then wait again to find out if you pass or fail?

If that's correct there seems to be a lot of waiting and if there is a back log i dread to think how log he will have to wait.

nannytone_2

theyre transferring people from incapacity benefit and income support onto ESA, so theres an awful lot of people beeing dealt with.

you send the form and usually they will phone you within 12 - 13 weeks and arrange a medical date during that call.
mine was for the week after the call.
if you send the form recorded delivery, then you know they have it, so dont need to worry.
then if ypuve heard nothing agter the 13 weeks assessment period, you can always call them to see whats happening

gems3286

Thank you, is that like an official timeline 12-13 weeks? and that's if they want you to come in for a medical? Otherwise they just write to you telling you have been transfered to esa?

Sorry for all the questions i'm just trying to get as much info as i can, my dad is panicking, worrying and we haven't even started the form yet, dread to think what he will be like once we send it.

nannytone_2

the assessment period for ESA is 13 weeks. they aint to have processed your claim within that period and will then arrange a medical. some, but not many, will have a decision made soley by their ESA50 and any additional information they provide.

mum2one

with me I had my form Nov last yr had to back by 6th Dec, - sent it recorded delievery, I then recieved a call end mid Feb for a medical, went start March, and then 1st week April I had a letter saying id been put into the wrag.

I was stuck with my form, so I rang the local council as they have s department which helps with form filling they helped me, otherwide i'd have got lost.

The suggested period is 13 weeks from signing onto ESA - assesment rate to making a decision, but as others have said there migrating IB to ESA and also single parents that have been on Income Support but with a disabilty element.
x

gems3286

Right i think i understand now.

So once hes sent the form it will be roughly 13 weeks before a decision is made as to if my Dad goes to a medical or they just use the form to make a decision?

Sorry forgot to add so does my dad stay on his current benefit until a decision is made and then he will be transferred to esa?

Muttleythefrog

This will be the ESA50 form. I would advise, if you have access to a printer, that you get him to complete it electronically if possible... as re-assessment is regular and therefore so is completion of ESA50 typically. It also helps regarding mistakes too obviously. This should be the current version... save a copy to local machine to complete if he does decide to do this... otherwise changes won't be saved... and don't forget to add signatures, date after printing. http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/@money/documents/digitalasset/dg_195544.pdf

When you return the form to ATOS HC send a copy of any supporting medical evidence you can. An ATOS HCP will review the ESA50 and evidence (or at least they should!) and decide if a face to face medical is required (usually is!). If a face to face medical is required then you will usually be contacted fairly shortly after returning the ESA50 (days to couple weeks rather than month or more). I would say the WCA from ESA50 completion to decision will take anything from couple weeks to several months... 3 months is possible especially given the system seems clogged up. He should remain on whatever benefit he is until decision is taken. DWP admin of ESA is exceptionally poor... so timescales are hard to predict and worse still you may not even be informed of the outcome of the WCA...lol... it can be that bad.

This is a helpful document. It has the descriptors which are assessed for applicability in the Work Capability Assessment. The document is biased towards those with mental health problems but is still useful to those with physical.
http://www.rethink.org/document.rm?id=10911

For anoraks, this is the DWP's handbook for the WCA.
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/wca-handbook.pdf

So just to clarify process in typical basic terms. ESA50 completed and returned to ATOS HC (with any supporting evidence if applicable). ATOS HCP checks form and evidence to decide whether face to face medical required or if sufficient evidence to provide advice to DWP or if alternative factfinding suitable and necessary(e.g. a GP factual report request). ATOS supply advice (plus copy of additional evidence supplied or collected) to DWP in the form of medical report resulting from face to face medical (ESA85) or report (ESA85A) giving advice based on other evidence. DWP decision maker looks at evidence and takes decision.. often 'rubber stamping' the ATOS advice or medical report.

I would advise sending the ESA50 to ATOS recorded delivery (or better) and email or phone them to check to make sure they have received it.

gems3286

Thank you very much for all your help.

We phoned them up today to ask a couple of questions and clarify a few things and we was told that we HAVE to have the form in by the date what it says on the letter which is fair enough and was told then it's just a case of waiting because there is a bit of a back log for them to get back in contact.

I can understand there it's a busy time but it would be nice to have got some sort of timeline on it because it's not great wondering what's going to happen, if it's good news, bad news, what's gonna happen money wise, it's very worrying.