WCA Reassessments Starting Again and Managed Migration from IR ESA to UC

I have received my Universal Credit Managed Migration notice and have to submit my claim by the end of May.

I noticed from the Benefits & Work recent Newsletter that the government will resume WCA reassessments with a view to initially targeting those with short term prognoses (pregnancy risk and cancer treatment) as well as those who have been awarded ESA Support Group under Regulation 35 (substantial risk).

I was awarded ESA Support Group for substantial risk in 2020 with a medium term prognosis for review, which has twice been deferred due to backlogs. Now that WCA reassessments are resuming, targeting awards like mine, how does this work if I am going to be in the process of migrating to a different benefit?

What I mean to ask is, if I receive an ESA50 imminently before I migrate, what is the likelihood that I can complete and return it in time for me to be reassessed before migrating? Isn't it more likely that I will have migrated whilst in the middle of the process of my ESA review having been initiated.

And, given that once I am migrated, my ESA award will end 2 weeks after I submit my UC claim according to the migration letter I received, how can the reassessment process continue when it is for a different benefit? Will the reassessment carry over to be administered by UC?

I am really stressed by the prospect of migrating and will contact CAB Help to Claim as well as having help from family involved in my care to cope. But I really don't think I can manage to undergo being reassessed at the same time across two different benefits, with the potential loss of my transitional protection (I get SDP and EDP).

I hope someone can clarify what approach the government are taking towards those of us who are migrating from ESA to UC and are in the group of claimants now being targeted for reassessment.

Thank you.

Libra

Hi David,

I hadn't realised that the government don't intend to restart WCA reassessments initially targeting claims like mine (substantial risk) before April 2026. I was under the impression from the DWP Green Paper Impact Assessment Newsletter published by Benefits & Work on 26th March 2025 that they were resuming imminently because that April 2026 start date is not mentioned:

"Reintroduction of WCA reassessments
The OBR says:

The Government will reintroduce reassessments for claimants placed in the LCWRA group prior to April 2026 with certain short-term prognoses (such as high-risk pregnancies or cancer treatment) or who, without LCWRA, faced substantial risk to their physical or mental health. The savings from this policy are estimated to reach £0.3 billion in 2029-30, due to reassessments leading to more claimants leaving the LCWRA caseload. The key uncertainties in this costing are the level of off-flows following reassessment and whether there is sufficient workforce capacity for the reassessments to take place.

So, it looks like reassessments are going to be particularly targeted on pregnancy, cancer and substantial risk."

May I know if there is a link to the information that the new WCA reviews will start in April next year?

I am reassured if that is the case because I am already stressed by the idea of migrating and managing financially whilst I wait for my first payment, so I didn't want the added stress of going through a WCA reassessment and my UC managed migration simultaneously.

My original prognosis date for review was the end of August 2021, so I am already almost 4 years overdue. Thank you for the insight about the size of their backlog and the pressure they may be under from the potential reduction in DWP staff to manage all this. That gives me reassurance that it will be a while before they get to me once I've migrated.

Thank you for your help.

Libra