Another Deprivation Of Assets question!

Altior

It's very strange as everything I had read indicated that calling them won't progress anything and you won't be told anything specific. It's not just that I now know it will be this month, but I have a specific date and time.

So yes, also what I have read, the typical wait for a decision after the assessment is 2-3 weeks, but sometimes longer. So if it goes ahead, with a fair wind I should get the outcome some time in Feb. 

It's also a positive from my MH pov as I can approach this one step at a time now, no drastic action needed in the short term. I've not been able to think of anything else for a good while. Be prepared for any initial outcome, and also some relief that I don't have to try and attend in person or do a video call.

Altior

I didn't get any money from DWP now, that was 4 weeks so called again today. This is one of those 'you couldn't make it up' scenarios. Completely understandable, human mistake, the GP has inadvertently wrote '25 instead of '26 for the March year on the end date of the fit note. Out of 10 thousand people, all 10 thousand would agree he intended '26. But no discretion and no common sense to be applied, I have to get him to reissue the fit note with the corrected year. And the only way I was able to discover that was the issue in the first instance was by wasting 20 minutes of their support resources! Nothing ever seems to go smoothly in my benefits pathway! 

Altior

For anyone interested in my WCA scenario after contacting Serco directly, I received a text from DWP reminding me of the appointment, so it appears definite. It references a letter but I have not received an appointment letter as yet.

Somewhat curiously I am still waiting on my GP to provide me with a fit note with a corrected end year, so that I can provide it to the DWP. The clinic confirmed it has been posted out 1st class, but I suspect like many people, my RM inbound post is rather inconsistent nowadays, it tends to arrive in clumps, sporadically. 

Altior

Fit note finally sorted, received ESA 'backpay', and I've now had my WCA, so a few steps forward!

I'm gently positive about my WCA, it lasted not far off an hour but we went through the preamble, recording spiel and all of my medication (including new medication since I populated the ESA50), that all took probably 15-20 mins alone. 

They weren't overtly mentioned, but as I am aware of the format, we did a deep dive into two of the descriptors. Then they said that they had enough information, do I have any questions before finishing up. So there was another physical one I had populated (but wouldn't be 15 points on its own) and we didn't touch on any of the MH descriptors at all. I've read this is ordinarily positive from the WCA Handbook, as they don't want to waste either party's time unnecessarily.

Curiously I suppose, we didn't cover a 'typical day', but inevitably what happens in a typical day as part of the deep dive into the two descriptors covered.

I'm sure I will be back once the outcome has been shared with me!