Who Is Currently Being Sent For An ESA Medical?
Many thanks to Benefits And Work.
Evidence given to the Commons Work and Pensions committee by the DWP and by Atos last week has shed a little more light on the confusion around which groups of employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants are currently being sent for a work capability (WCA) medical assessment.
Currently there is a backlog of 700,000 cases awaiting assessment. According to information given to the BBC by the DWP:
- 394,000 are new claimants for ESA.
- 234,000 are existing ESA claimants whose re-referrals have been delayed.
- 84,000 are people still on incapacity benefit who have not yet been moved over to ESA.
New claims
New claims are still being sent to Atos for assessment in the normal way, but because of the backlog they are taking much longer to be seen.
IB to ESA reassessments
There are still 800,000 incapacity benefit claimants waiting to be assessed for ESA, a process that should have been completed in April of this year. In evidence to the committee atos said that these referrals had been stopped. However, the DWP told the committee that this was incorrect and that they are now forwarding these cases to Atos at the rate of 5,000 a month. It is therefore likely to be well into next year before the final incapacity benefit claimants are assessed.
Existing ESA claimant re-referrals
According to the DWP and to Atos no existing ESA claimants are being reviewed, Atos call this a re-referral, unless there has been a change in their circumstances.
However, Atos did say that they have existing ESA claimants who had already been passed to them by the DWP before they stopped re-referrals but who they have not yet assessed. So some existing claimants may still find themselves called for a medical in the coming months.
You can download the transcript of the Atos evidence to the work and pensions committee here.
You can download the transcript of the DWP evidence to the work and pensions committee here.
Same Difference 
Reblogged this on sdbast.
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Reblogged this on lawrencerowntree.
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I was on incapacity benefit, failed my atos assessment, was put on esa appeal rate, won my tribunal, now all benefit has stopped because it became income based, all that fight and it stops anyway
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I have a letter for me to attend an Atos medical on 1st July and I am not a new claimant. I can’t get there to attend so I will need to phone them. I don’t understand why they have contacted me as I believed they were no longer doing these medicals. More misery for me then.
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Just got my first ATOS medical for October. Thought that they had stopped doing them
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I was in Support Group up to my 6th assessment a couple of weeks ago. It was another face2face for ESA and the 6 assessments have taken place in just 3 years after previously being on Incapacity Benefit and Invalidity benefit before that. But I may now be found fit for work as the DWP rang yesterday while I was out and the caller just said they needed to speak with me or my benefits will be stopped. I tried ringing them this morning but could not get connected to them but They never rang me after any of my 5 previous assessments.
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My ESA has stopped & I’m still waiting 4 interview/medical when I ring they say there is no time limit but money will b back dated r they allowed 2 do this 2 us
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i am suffering from parkinson disease. will i have to be assessed?
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my esa was stoped april last year i had memory promblems.janurary 10thi had a stroke. my memory is now worst iwas put on jsa and at to learn how to use computer, to find work. for me this was not possable but i did attend the corse. i am waiting to be assesed. can i back date my claim for esa from when it was stopped?
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This is morally illegal.I say these Tory Mp’s should go to Portsmouth to collect their pay.They would soon call it blackmail.Well this is blackmail pure & simple. ATOS are scum that should be stopped at all costs.They have proven they cannot handle this task & it must now rest on the company Maximus. They should have no dealings i the affair because they are not contracted to.
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Who will be re referred ? I’m in. Support group income related I think and been on this for two and a half years … Will I be re assessed again although nothing has changed
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