Health Assessment (fit note related)

Adrian_T_B

I had a video call assessment about 2 weeks ago, as I have been declared not fit to work by my GP and been supplying fit notes to DWP. At the end of the the assessment, I was told I would receive a letter of the decision in about a weeks time. I have not received anything yet. I had an appointment today with my work coach at the jobbcentre. I asked a question regarding fit notes, as I now have to request a new one via econsult. It's the first time I have used it and there was going to be a delay before I submitted my new one. I let DWP know on my journal and that was fine. Today though, when I asked about the fit notes if they had to be submitted within a certain time frame, she said it doesn't matter, coz I won't need another one. Does she know something I don't? 

NedS

Once you have had your Work Capability Assessment, you will either be found to have limited capability for work or fit for work - either way, DWP will not require any further fit notes from you.

Adrian_T_B

NedS said:

Once you have had your Work Capability Assessment, you will either be found to have limited capability for work or fit for work - either way, DWP will not require any further fit notes from you.

I know that. How does she know though, that I won't need another one, when I haven't been informed myself yet?

Spoonie_Turtle

She's probably assuming that the decision will be made before the current fit note runs out.

By the way, if you are found fit for work and disagree with the decision, make sure to keep submitting fit notes while you challenge the decision (even if the decision letter tells you not to).

NedS

Adrian_T_B said:

NedS said:

Once you have had your Work Capability Assessment, you will either be found to have limited capability for work or fit for work - either way, DWP will not require any further fit notes from you.

I know that. How does she know though, that I won't need another one, when I haven't been informed myself yet?

Your work coach will not know the outcome, but they may know that you have had your assessment and that a decision is due shortly. Is it a UC claim, or ESA?

Adrian_T_B

Spoonie_Turtle said:

She's probably assuming that the decision will be made before the current fit note runs out.

By the way, if you are found fit for work and disagree with the decision, make sure to keep submitting fit notes while you challenge the decision (even if the decision letter tells you not to).

I spoke to someone earlier and they said exactly that. So I will do. It still baffles me though how she can say I won't need another one. I got my current one yesterday to mid January, so if they say I'm fit for work, that will become worthless. Not only that, I'll have to stop seeing my GP and my counsellor. How can I continue that if I'm working? All this is doing is adding to my problems.

Adrian_T_B

NedS said:

Adrian_T_B said:

NedS said:

Once you have had your Work Capability Assessment, you will either be found to have limited capability for work or fit for work - either way, DWP will not require any further fit notes from you.

I know that. How does she know though, that I won't need another one, when I haven't been informed myself yet?

Your work coach will not know the outcome, but they may know that you have had your assessment and that a decision is due shortly. Is it a UC claim, or ESA?

It's UC. If she doesn't know the outcome, how does she know I won't need another fit note? Surely she would have said something like you 'might' not need another fit note? It was blatantly strange at the time.

Spoonie_Turtle

Adrian_T_B said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

She's probably assuming that the decision will be made before the current fit note runs out.

By the way, if you are found fit for work and disagree with the decision, make sure to keep submitting fit notes while you challenge the decision (even if the decision letter tells you not to).

I spoke to someone earlier and they said exactly that. So I will do. It still baffles me though how she can say I won't need another one. I got my current one yesterday to mid January, so if they say I'm fit for work, that will become worthless. Not only that, I'll have to stop seeing my GP and my counsellor. How can I continue that if I'm working? All this is doing is adding to my problems.

I don't understand this part.  Lots of people work and attend medical appointments, either outside of work hours or are allowed the medical time off (which could be a reasonable adjustment if their employer's policy doesn't normally allow for regular appointments).

As I said, if you disagree with the decision you can challenge it, but you would need to understand how it's assessed to be able to make a good case.  Have you read about the Work Capability Assessment at all?

Work coaches day all sorts of things that are inaccurate, ill advised, or just plain wrong.  Your work coach may have made an assumption that maybe she shouldn't have, but at the same time it could be possible she knows other people are getting their decisions quickly and is basing it on that.

poppy12345

Adrian_T_B said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

She's probably assuming that the decision will be made before the current fit note runs out.

By the way, if you are found fit for work and disagree with the decision, make sure to keep submitting fit notes while you challenge the decision (even if the decision letter tells you not to).

  It still baffles me though how she can say I won't need another one.

Because it's likely a decision will be made before the end of your fit note. Some people have decisions as quickly as a few days after their assessment. Others wait weeks.

TELLIT01

I don't know how the UC systems work regarding updating of information, but on ESA it would have been possible for the system to be updated to show that somebody had 'passed' the assessment before a letter got to the claimant.

NedS

TELLIT01 said:

I don't know how the UC systems work regarding updating of information, but on ESA it would have been possible for the system to be updated to show that somebody had 'passed' the assessment before a letter got to the claimant.

I think on UC when the decision maker makes the decision, they directly notify the claimant on their journal by uploading the letter, and create a todo for the case manager to update the system and make any necessary payments. So the claimant would be notified at the same time as anyone else who may have access to the claim, such as the work coach.

What the work coach may be party to is the recommendation of the WCA report upon which the DWP DM will act, which may give them a fairly strong indication as to what the decision is likely to be.