ESA assessment after 9 month

You will get told that it is "normal"..... but the comments that you could have improved could equally apply to one or two WEEKS after your previous assessment; most mental heath conditions don't work like that and most people understand that, as do - or SHOULD - these official bodies, who are undoubtedly trying to weed out the odd one or two people who they can class as "fit for work", despite written and " in person" evidence to the contrary, and save the gvnmt about £50 a week.

Usually, the spectre of another assessment - especially so soon - damages mental health further. Pretty soon, they will be calling people in monthly to be re-assessed! If asked, they say that it is to "check" if there has been any change - but in reality, both the forms and the WCA treat you s though it is the initial application, not "just checking".
I had one in May last year (was told Support Group whilst actually still there, so no wait for a month for a letter, otherwise, it might have been June....) and received an ESA50 form at the start of March this year, so that too is around 9-10 months. It then has dragged on to 25/6 for the new WCA, which I now have to wait for an outcome to. I firmly believe that the recall was connected to an application for PIP, which I had been encouraged to apply for. Previously, it was four years between assessments - which I am sure is not usual, and unlikely to happen again.
I feel for you and hope all is OK. (If there are slap-downs on here, take no notice.)

Although the guide time frame between ESA assessments is circa 3 years, there is in reality presently no norm with regard to the time frame between ESA re-assessments.

On the one hand some members like _shel will argue that the DWP are within their rights to foreshorten the time frame between assessments, which strictly speaking they are.

On the other hand, the OP would appear to be relatively unfortunate to be put through the re-assessment process so soon after their last assessment..

In my area, and in part based on MIND sessions I routinely attend, the average period between ESA assessments is approx 4 years, and some in the ESA Support Group have been 'left alone' for a period of in excess of 6 years.

The time frame between ESA assessments would appear to be somewhat of a lottery. Moreover, the outcome of assessments can on occasions also be somewhat of a lottery.

The ESA process (and the benefits system in general) does seem to to work for the majority. Some of the posts on here may be the exception, but maybe they are not !?

Cheeky_Monkey wrote: »

Because you are claiming benefits funded by tax payers. If you want to be 'left alone' you would need to stop claiming. Is it really too much trouble for you to have an assessment once a year?

In some cases it can be too much.

Some people suffer distress and substantial detrimental effects to health due to having to go through the assessment, reassessment system. Including having to have medication increased, ending up hospitalized, or even ending up dead.

And some people are unable to manage going through the assessment, reassessment system. So they fail to fill in forms, attend face-to-face assessments, etcetera.

Also in cases where the medical condition is permanent it is a waste of time and money repeatedly reassessing people.

Cheeky_Monkey wrote: »

Oh please, OTT or what! Are you suggesting that some people commit suicide just because they might have to have an assessment once a year.

I am not suggesting I am stating it as a fact. A fact I am all too aware of. I personally know people who have suffered substantial detrimental effects to their health caused by the assessment, reassessment system. Including people who have had to have their medication increased and people who have been hospitalized. I will also point out that some people take months and even years to recover each time them become severely ill. And that for some people each time they become severely ill they never recover to the same level of capability they had before they became severely ill that time, that is it is degenerative. So the detrimental effect to them is permanent.

And I personally know people who have been unable to manage the assessment, reassessment system and fail to fill in forms, attend face-to-face, etcetera.

Fortunately so far no one I know has ended up dead due to the assessment, reassessment system. But, one person I knew ended up dead due to the DWP attempting to help them into work.

There is a reason the old disability/illness benefits included lists of conditions exempt from face-to-face assessments, and DWP used to have lists of people who were not to be contacted directly by the DWP but information obtained from their doctor or carer instead or first to check if the claimant was well and stable enough to contact directly. And a reason the old benefits had the ability to give some people life-time and indefinite awards.

The DWP is starting to realize this. The DWP has stated for some ESA claimants it will cease reassessments, and for PIP the DWP has on-going awards which it now plans to only have cursory (is your condition the same, worse, better) paper based checks on every ten years.