Hearing Back From ESA50 ?

venomx

HI everyone.

Had my ESA 50 form which my advocate helped me fill out ( have diagnosis of paranoid shizophrenia and anxiety, which i take meds for )

This was just under two months ago and we haven't heard back.

How long did your guys take to hear back regarding ESA 50 form ? Thanks

poppy12345

venomx wrote: »

HI everyone.

Had my ESA 50 form which my advocate helped me fill out ( have diagnosis of paranoid shizophrenia and anxiety, which i take meds for )

This was just under two months ago and we haven't heard back.

How long did your guys take to hear back regarding ESA 50 form ? Thanks

There's no timescales, it depends on backlog in your area. Most people have face to face assessments, so expect one of those.


My last ESA review was approximately 3 months from the time i returned the form, to having the face to face assessment and a decision being made. That was October last year.

poppy12345

Nothing will change with the answer from the last time you asked the same thing. https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6016879/hearing-back-from-dwp


It's stressful waiting i know but there's nothing more you can do.

venomx

Thanks
I'm worrying because I don't feel ready for paid work, and if my ESA gets cancelled im not going to have any money

Muttleythefrog

Such variance in timescales case to case.. but there is something you can do to perhaps get a handle on what is happening.

Email or call those you sent ESA50 to..the DWP's health assessment company.
Customer-relations@chdauk.co.uk
Giving your details including NiNo for identification.

Tell them you sent your completed ESA50 date x and are wondering what has happened with your case. They may say they're seeking further information like from your GP. They may tell you they're waiting for what you sent to be reviewed. It is possible they've returned the case back to the DWP... and if so then you can shift focus to them (or rather Vivaldi - I'm sure some will get what I mean).

In my experience they respond within 2 working days at chdauk to email. And I did get a fair bit experience...lol.. so frequently was I emailing them that it ended up as evidence in my face to face assessment unexpectedly. I think they call it anxiety so I appreciate you might have a problem with simply waiting similarly.

Similar to Poppy... it was 3 months to the day between them getting my ESA50 with evidence and deciding to call me for assessment. The process was slowed by my GP completed form they requested going AWOL... and an exchange with DWP regarding it seems as to whether it was safe to assess me in person. Having had assessment we're now 4 months on from returning forms and no DWP decision... although I have the assessment report.

venomx

Thanks. A family member recently applied for ESA and waited 3 months for the decision ( we live near eachother so im guessing the waiting time should be similar )

@muttleythefrog
I will wait until next month and then get in touch.

My financial advocate deals with all my benefit stuff so i dont have any of the information other than my NI number. I may give them an email ( to the one you provided ) in a month and see what they say

Update: Just email chdauk will wait for a response.

venomx

Emailed them explaining I dont like waiting because of anxiety and got a generic reply
Something a long the lines of " We have received your form and are processing it "

Muttleythefrog

venomx wrote: »

Emailed them explaining I dont like waiting because of anxiety and got a generic reply
Something a long the lines of " We have received your form and are processing it "

I would say that means they haven't yet decided if a face to face is necessary... 'we are waiting for a HCP to look at your form and evidence' perhaps what another of their staff would say. You could always chase up, say every week or two, until something more definitive (or you get invited to face to face).

Csmk

Definitely keep sending complaints. I've had clients who came to us after waiting ridiculously long times for an assessment.

If you're not happy with your complaint response and they still haven't given you an assessment date after this in a reasonable time period, you can ask them to review your complaint.

After this you can progress it to a senior manager at Maximus and then the independent case examiner if you're still not happy with the responses and you're still getting delays.

Nooney123456789

First time without a f2f I waited a month next time i waited about 3 months for a f2f assessment.

venomx

Still nothing.
I've been told that its under review, so I just replied back a few days ago requesting they inform me when progress has been made so I don't have to sit here anxiously.

I find it terrible that people with mental health problems should have to wait so long for a simple decision.