ESA Work Capability reassessment tomorrrow!..No ESA50 was required?

epitome

You will have been sent an ESA50
You will have been sent an ESA50 reminder
both of these events will be logged on Medical Services computer

Why you did not receive both is a different and irrelevant matter.

The important thing is that you did receive your appointment letter.

Your claim was not closed for "fail to return questionaire" because you have mental health.

You cannot refuse to have the assessment based purely on the fact that you think you should be allowed to do an ESA50 first. It does not work like that, the ESA50 is not a prerequisite.

The assessor will ask all relevant questions and write a report, this can and will be done without an ESA50.


You are allowed to cancel one appointment, but you have left it a bit late, you would normally cancel the day before your appointment. If your appointment is in the afternoon tomorrow medical services may allow you to cancel it. You could then visit a jobcentre and ask for an ESA50, you could then send it to medical services, but be aware it takes up to 2 weeks to be delivered to them.
Also be aware that you have already passed "pre-board check" - pre board check is when medical services looks at your ESA50 and your doctor's ESA113 and decides to see you or not. If medical services receives an ESA50 from you now, before your next appointment I imagine it would not be looked at except by the assessor immediately before or during your actual assessment interview. Bearing that in mind, if your next appointment is les than 2 weeks away... you could take a completed one with you to the assessment and hand it over.

biggysmaller

epitome wrote: »

You will have been sent an ESA50
You will have been sent an ESA50 reminder
both of these events will be logged on Medical Services computer

Why you did not receive both is a different and irrelevant matter.

The important thing is that you did receive your appointment letter.

Your claim was not closed for "fail to return questionaire" because you have mental health.

You cannot refuse to have the assessment based purely on the fact that you think you should be allowed to do an ESA50 first. It does not work like that, the ESA50 is not a prerequisite.

The assessor will ask all relevant questions and write a report, this can and will be done without an ESA50.


You are allowed to cancel one appointment, but you have left it a bit late, you would normally cancel the day before your appointment. If your appointment is in the afternoon tomorrow medical services may allow you to cancel it. You could then visit a jobcentre and ask for an ESA50, you could then send it to medical services, but be aware it takes up to 2 weeks to be delivered to them.
Also be aware that you have already passed "pre-board check" - pre board check is when medical services looks at your ESA50 and your doctor's ESA113 and decides to see you or not. If medical services receives an ESA50 from you now, before your next appointment I imagine it would not be looked at except by the assessor immediately before or during your actual assessment interview. Bearing that in mind, if your next appointment is les than 2 weeks away... you could take a completed one with you to the assessment and hand it over.

Thank you for your advice, however, I was definitely not in receipt of an ESA50 form and a subsequent reminder - I only received an appointment letter 3 weeks prior to the assessment. And yes, I did phone them to ask why and was told that it was 'fine' that I had not received one.

There is a history of Maximus not being sent ESA50 forms prior to a face-to-face medical assessment. - here is the link - http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/3065-esa-mental-health-claimants-being-denied-chance-to-complete-vital-esa50-form

I will almost certainly be at a disadvantage without a completed ESA50 as my condition has worsened since my first claim.

biggysmaller

I just found this on the medical service's website!

Can I cancel my appointment if I don’t feel well on the day?
Yes, but please give us as much notice as you can if you need to cancel. We will make an alternative appointment for you. Please note that we can only re-book your appointment once.

As I don't feel well I will be cancelling today's appointment.

biggysmaller

Well, this is fun.

I just called the medical centre to reschedule my assessment and was told by an extremely unhelpful operator that I had to call the recordings centre which opens at 9.00am to rescheduling my appointment as I booked recording equipment everything including appointments are dealt by them.
Now, this is where is gets confusing - I asked what ESA50 questionnaire they are referring to with this assessment - I was told that they received an ESA50 form in March, yet I did not send them in a form in March - I did, however, have an ESA appeal in March 2016.
Any idea what is going on here?
He then told me that if I submit an ESA50 they do not record it on their systems if they receive it or not! And the only way to tell if has been processed is on the day of the assessment - And has the have not sent out the questionnaire I could not request an ESA50 from them!
Help?

epitome

Dates are easily misread, they could have been reading a different time you sent back an ESA50

Phone again if you want and get someone different.

Ask them to look in "letters history", it will say what date the ESA50 and the reminder were issued.

Also ask what date this referral began. The ESA50 "sent date" will be a few days after it began.

They only have to send an appointment letter 7 days prior to the appointment, 3 weeks is normal. But your next appointment could be in 7 days time.

biggysmaller

epitome wrote: »

Dates are easily misread, they could have been reading a different time you sent back an ESA50

Phone again if you want and get someone different.

Ask them to look in "letters history", it will say what date the ESA50 and the reminder were issued.

Also ask what date this referral began. The ESA50 "sent date" will be a few days after it began.

They only have to send an appointment letter 7 days prior to the appointment, 3 weeks is normal. But your next appointment could be in 7 days time.

Thanks, I am so confused by them. I quite litterally have no memory of submitting an ESA50 in March.

Called the DWP told me that they sent one out in Febuary and that it was recieved in March.
However, I phoned the medical centre again and got through to a really helpful operator (unlike the last one!) who called the assesment centre and requested that I recieve a copy of the ESA50 in 7 to 10 days. He then rearranged my appointment and recording equipment for the middle of December - enough time to figure all this out.

I told asked him if I could submit a new ESA50 and sent it to them as March was a long time ago and that I have since had medical developements, including hospital. He told me that even if I sent a new ESA50 in, they would not take it into consideration - But wierdly, he said that an ESA50 taken in on the day of the assessment could be taken into consideration!

Is this just plain odd or what?
.

biggysmaller

Also, the medical centre told me that a gap of 8 months (!) between sending out the ESA50 questionnaire and being asked to attend an assessment was normal.
I am very concerned at not being refused to submit an up to date ESA50 by post before assessment.

epitome

I advise you to phone both medical services and ESA/DWP again to confirm that todays appointment is now showing as cancelled... and if there is a date/time for the next one. and ask DWP to put a note on your ESA file it is showing as cancelled.

While you are at it ask again the send date and the received date for the ESA50. Sounds like you did return it afterall.


What he means is what I said above. Your ESA50 if sent in now, will not go to the pre assessment people, it will only be looked at by the actual assessor on the day or during the assessment. But it sounds like they already had one from you which will have been reviewed already.

Yes 8 months is normal.

I don't know what your last line means "not being refused"

The ESA50 is not required, they have to get on with their procedures they cannot allow any more delays than they have already allowed. You need to accept this.

biggysmaller

epitome wrote: »

I advise you to phone both medical services and ESA/DWP again to confirm that todays appointment is now showing as cancelled... and if there is a date/time for the next one. and ask DWP to put a note on your ESA file it is showing as cancelled.

While you are at it ask again the send date and the received date for the ESA50. Sounds like you did return it afterall.


What he means is what I said above. Your ESA50 if sent in now, will not go to the pre assessment people, it will only be looked at by the actual assessor on the day or during the assessment. But it sounds like they already had one from you which will have been reviewed already.

Yes 8 months is normal.

I don't know what your last line means "not being refused"

The ESA50 is not required, they have to get on with their procedures they cannot allow any more delays than they have already allowed. You need to accept this.

So would it be helpful for when it comes to the decision make to complete a new ESA50 and sent it to Maximus and the DWP along with updated medical evidence?

The way I see it if the assessment is assessed and reported to the DWP for a decision then it will not take into account any developments in my health since I last filed a ESA50, which was 8 months ago.

epitome

biggysmaller wrote: »

So would it be helpful for when it comes to the decision make to complete a new ESA50 and sent it to Maximus and the DWP along with updated medical evidence?

The way I see it if the assessment is assessed and reported to the DWP for a decision then it will not take into account any developments in my health since I last filed a ESA50, which was 8 months ago.

The assessor will ask you about how you are now, so all of your latest developments will be fully considered.


If the next WCA appointment is quite soon, within 2 weeks, I would take the ESA50 with you.