Has anyone who is due an ESA reassessement this year been sent an ESA50?

poppy12345

kulu400 said:

Also Poppy if you’re about is there a link anywhere to latest official news on this ? Like I’d there somewhere they’d announce if assessments had restarted ? 

Nope, there's no announcements that reviews have started back yet. The latest news i can find is Feb 2022. https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/mounting-evidence-of-assessment-crisis-as-dwp-halts-wca-reassessments/

calcotti

kulu400 said:… is there a link anywhere to latest official news on this ? Like I’d there somewhere they’d announce if assessments had restarted ? 

Unfortunately this type of information often only appears in written replies to written questions asked in the House of Commons and these are difficult to track.

HillStreetBlues

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-december-2022/esa-work-capability-assessments-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-december-2022

With WCA if I'm reading it correctly there were 22,000 initial assessments & 5,300  repeat assessments from Apr-Jun 2022

EDIT (more info)
3. Volumes of completed initial and repeat Work Capability Assessments

In the quarter to June 2022 the number of initial assessments was 22,000 and the number of repeat assessments was 5,300.

poppy12345

HillStreetBlues said:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-december-2022/esa-work-capability-assessments-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-december-2022

With WCA if I'm reading it correctly there were 22,000 initial assessments & 5,300  repeat assessments from Apr-Jun 2022

EDIT (more info)
3. Volumes of completed initial and repeat Work Capability Assessments

In the quarter to June 2022 the number of initial assessments was 22,000 and the number of repeat assessments was 5,300.

My thoughts on that are the "repeat" assessments are likely to be change of circumstances" for those that were either in WRAG or LCW (UC)

Robbie64

kulu400 said:

That’s interesting I’m waiting to hear myself. I think Poppy said that they haven’t restarted assessments yet. Out of interest was there anymore detail on the decision ? Did they contact your GP or say it was on past history ? 

Also Poppy if you’re about is there a link anywhere to latest official news on this ? Like I’d there somewhere they’d announce if assessments had restarted ? 

All that has happened is that the WCA End date and the Next WCA Date are advanced by two years from what was previously on the relevant computer screen.

There is no actual WCA assessment, either on paper or face to face. My last WCA (which was face to face) was in March 2019. the print out I have from then shows:

WCA START DATE: 25/04/19 WCA END DATE: 17/09/20 NEXT WCA DATE: 18/09/20

The above WCA end date and next WCA date were then both extended by two years in September 2020 due to covid backlogs (i.e. the two dates were pushed back to September 2022). The two dates have simply been extended for another two years to September 2024.

The change in dates is simply done as an administrative exercise. No further action is taken, such as contacting the GP. The reasons why I was awarded ESA in January 2013 (on transfer from Incapacity Benefit / Income Support) are still on record as being the reason for why I am getting ESA.

HillStreetBlues

poppy12345 said:

My thoughts on that are the "repeat" assessments are likely to be change of circumstances" for those that were either in WRAG or LCW (UC)

Looking at the stats I would agree  as only 3% of reassessed were found FfW and a higher rate put in the Support group maybe from WRAG.

But the stat could also show that people that are in the Support Group are being reassessed as they are less likely to drop straight into FfW. (Could the DWP target people in SG before WRAG?

calcotti

Off topic but interesting to note - increasingly WCAs are for UC and DWP have refused to publish any statistics on WCA outcomes for UC despite frequently being urged to do so. 

poppy12345

HillStreetBlues said:

poppy12345 said:

My thoughts on that are the "repeat" assessments are likely to be change of circumstances" for those that were either in WRAG or LCW (UC)

But the stat could also show that people that are in the Support Group are being reassessed as they are less likely to drop straight into FfW. (Could the DWP target people in SG before WRAG?

I don't believe that's true.

HillStreetBlues

poppy12345 said:

HillStreetBlues said:

poppy12345 said:

My thoughts on that are the "repeat" assessments are likely to be change of circumstances" for those that were either in WRAG or LCW (UC)

But the stat could also show that people that are in the Support Group are being reassessed as they are less likely to drop straight into FfW. (Could the DWP target people in SG before WRAG?

I don't believe that's true.

That's good to hear.

HillStreetBlues

calcotti said:

 increasingly WCAs are for UC and DWP have refused to publish any statistics on WCA outcomes for UC despite frequently being urged to do so. 

The Government even claims they don't have the statistics!
(Well the Government of a couple of PMs ago)