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Severe Disablement Allowance
Hello All,
We’ve just received a query from a carer of someone who gets SDA and has done for over 10years. They have received a letter from DWP asking for permission to contact their GP with a view to having their benefit entitlement reassessed. Apparently this is the first time this has happened the whole time he has been on the benefit.
SDA is a bit before my time and I don’t have access to the older editions of CPAG or Disability Rights handbook.
Am I right in saying that the test was that someone had to be incapacited for work and at least 80% disabled? Was the evidence for this just taken from the GP?
Can anyone also tell me what the rules (if any) were about reassessment of SDA? It seems strange to me this has come out now when the migration onto ESA is almost right around the corner.
Thanks in advance :-)
[ Edited: 12 Jul 2010 at 02:55 pm by rethink ]By coincidence someone rang me on 12.07.10 to say that they had recieved what seems to be the same request. I don’t think this particular client need worry about losing SDA but I share concerns that this may be the start of a large scale reassessment process prior to migration in earnest - was there a news story or an announcement?
Hi rethink,
SDA was an 80% disablement test however there were passporting criteria which could exempt a claimant from a medical.
These were registered blind, DLA HRCC, 80% IIDB award and the old mobility allowance to name some. This could be found in Decision Makers Guide 57041 et seq.
I used to see some medical assessments with a ‘not to refer again for 20 years’ or they could be exempted until age 65 when an assessment was no longer needed.
I understand that the ‘migration’ for Incapaity/SDA/NI credits only cases will begin in February 2011 and will conclude by end of March 2014. IB will be first, followed by SDA/NI credits cases so I doubt whether it is to do with migration yet?.
It could just be that the review date has finally come around!!
I saw SDA come in and cease before I left….....hope this helps.
That’s really helpful, thank you. Another advice agency were kind enough to send me pages on SDA from old CPAG books so it all seems much clearer now!
Thanks again :-)