Assessment Phase and time limit on ESA

birdyanne wrote:

What will happen to claimants who are still in the assessment phase after one year? My husband has been on ESA(C) for just over a year. It is now 21 weeks since we sent in the ESA50 and it is still in the pile. Is the DWP paying ESA till the claimant has a medical despite the 12 month limitation?

The target time for new ESA claims is 13 weeks and whilst there is no equivalent for claimants being transferred to ESA from other benefits, it should not be significantly different, as to re-assessments, this ought, in principle to be shorter.

Have you contacted the DWP to find out what is delaying our husbands claim?

With regard to your original question, whilst there is no DWP guidance on this matter at the moment, we would expect someone still being assessed, who has already spent a year in the WRAG while receiving ESA(CB), to have their payments stopped to prevent an overpayment, with backpayment of the oustanding monies if they are placed in the Support Group.

Gordon