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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Work capability issues and ESA  →  Thread

Chances of successfully getting work capability assessments at home …

Stuart
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rightsnet editor

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Written answer from Justin Tomlinson yesterday -

‘Between August 2018 and July 2019, 2.2 per cent of face-to-face Work Capability Assessments for Employment and Support Allowance claims were carried out at the claimant’s home and 97.8 per cent were carried out in an assessment centre.’

 

Catblack
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Benefits specialist - South Somerset District Council

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Yeah the words “blood” and “stone” spring to mind and “pound of flesh”.
The clients we have had that have had HV agreed have suffered massive delays too.

splurge
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Welfare officer - Peabody, London

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I have found that where I have agoraphobic clients, or clients with a history of very uncontrollable behaviour, thus mandating a home visit for safety reasons, it is delay upon delay upon delay. I usually send an ESA113 form along with the GP/Consultant faxed request for a home visit.

The worst aspect is repeat assessment appointments issued. The call centre always re-assure us that its merely computer generated and its accepted the claimant wont be attending, but the distress it causes clients cannot be underestimated.

Eventually we get the home visit, but the hoops to be jumped generally mean that I will encourage clients to go to an assessment unless its impossible for them to.

Catblack
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Benefits specialist - South Somerset District Council

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I have also noticed that with HV our customer experience a high proportion of cancellations. One client had 6 HV cancelled and this sent him into crisis. We ended up going through the complaints process after the first few yet it continued. In the end they did a paper based assessment (which they should have done in the first place).

unhindered by talent
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Welfare Rights Team, Aberdeenshire Council

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Can the ESA113 be completed by another healthcare professional eg. CPN? After all, the definition of HCP’s that do the assessments is wide open to OT’s, former nurses… Surely they can’t have it both ways??

Elliot Kent
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The ESA113/UC113 is just a form used by the DWP to request further info from GPs who are apparently under a contractual obligation to complete them for free and within a deadline.

There is obviously nothing to stop you providing any other evidence you might wish from whomever you might wish, if you can get it, whether that is on an ESA113 pro forma or whatever else.

unhindered by talent
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Welfare Rights Team, Aberdeenshire Council

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Thanks, just wondered if anyone else had used the form with a non-GP