LWRAC review

ET22

My ESA was due to be reviewed in February but I havent heard anything from DWP. Im assuming theres a back log. If so, does anyone know how long it is or why DWP would miss a review date?

huckster

Yes ages behind with work capability reassessments. Well over 12 months. Have heard of people waiting 18 months or more.

Lack of assessors compared to volume of assessments.

ET22

@huckster

Crikey, that's unbelievable. Hopefully I will get a lot better and be able to go back to work and not have to go through with a stressful assessment and be at the mercy of a strangers decision again.

Thanks x

marcia_

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81931494#Comment_81931494

I haven't had a face to face telephone review since 2018. I assume they have been doing paper reviews because the last time I queried it with them my review was 2022 and that date came and went without contacting me.

huckster

Which is why Government are looking to make changes to assessment process as they will never be able to obtain enough assessors. Someone I know got a job as an assessor through an agency and they only took the job as they could no longer work in a hospital due to health/personal circumstances. But the pay was less than £40k per year, a significant reduction on previous earnings levels.

While some paper based reassessments are completed, I suspect that Decision Makers are just looking at the information from previous assessments and changing the review date to a future date, unless there is indication that the health conditions and conditions may have been temporary in nature.

nannytone_2

I never had a review date on my ESA award letter. I claimed in 2011, and have since moved across to UC. My claim has NEVER been reviewed. I'm not complaining, just a little surprised.

Robbie64

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81931560#Comment_81931560

For ESA, what happens is, when the WCA date is reached and if no WCA process is started (referral to the assessment provider etc) the WCA date is deferred (moved forward) by two years. This happens automatically. In your case, the WCA date has probably been extended by 2 years on multiple occassions.

If you had a WCA in 2018, it will automatically have been moved from a date in 2020 to 2022 due to covid. in 2022 it was probably then deferred to the exact same day and month in 2024, 2024 to 2026 and most likely 2026 to 2028.

born_again

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81931494#Comment_81931494

DWP, keep robbing peter to pay paul to clear backlogs on various groups under their control. Which just leads to longer backlogs elsewhere.

Newcad

There are also recent reports from Benefits Advisors on Rightsnet of their clients getting letters from the DWP saying that their Work Capability Re-assessment referrals have been "Withdrawn", usually after they have been waiting a long time.

I suppose that it's one way of reducing the backlogs.

eg: https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/forums/viewthread/21294/P45/#100486

How about this for a message? Sent by UC to claimant:

"Thank you for getting in touch with us.

Please note, the decision to withdraw the Work Capability Re-assessments (for people who already have a status of ‘Limited capability for work’) is a decision that was made at the highest level, in order to help deal with the current backlogs in the health system.  If you wish to complain about this decision, please speak to your local MP.  I’m afraid that Universal Credit staff would be unable to assist.

That said, if [claimant]’s health condition has worsened since the original ‘Limited capability for work’ decision was made, or if there is a new health condition, then this can be reported via the ‘Report a change’ and ‘Health’ section.  This may allow us to submit a new WCA referral.”

And earlier this week Andrew reported: https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/forums/viewthread/21294/P45/#100925

"Looks like it - another one today -

‘We have withdrawn your Work Capability
Assessment referral. This is because we
are currently only able to complete a
limited number of health assessment
reviews."

Spoonie_Turtle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81931655#Comment_81931655

Ah, so my aunt isn't a complete outlier then. She claimed in 2013 and has never, to her knowledge, been reassessed.

(Neither have I, but I only claimed in 2020.)

ET22

I would imagine if they are struggling for assessors then the assessors they do have are under strict timescales to complete as many assessments as they can. That will definitely impact on the quality of assessment outcomes. They are probably also getting more appeals or requests for mandatory considerations as a result.