DWP disability minister Stephen Timms claims that the DWP have almost cleared the backlog of work capability assessment (WCA) reassessments, where the claimant has requested one and are increasing the number of scheduled reassessments targeting specific groups. Details of how some claimants can get reassessed more quickly were also shared by an MP during the debate last week.
During the debate, Timms told MPs:
“When I was advised that we had a backlog of 35,000 claimant-led reassessments, I told officials to prioritise that group, and I am pleased that most of that backlog was cleared by the start of this calendar year. The vast majority of it will be cleared altogether by the end of this month.”
Timms went on to say that they are also increasing the number of scheduled reassessments, targeting particular groups:
“ We are prioritising scheduled reassessments for people who are most likely to have had a change in their circumstances—for example, those with a short-term prognosis, for whom we can reasonably anticipate that a change in their health condition has occurred. That includes those with risks from pregnancy complications, or those who have recovered following cancer treatment.”
Timms claimed that contractors were recruiting more assessors and opening up evening and weekend appointment slots to allow more reassessments:
“To do that, we will continue to increase assessment capacity significantly, through accelerated recruitment of healthcare professionals. Our providers have also expanded appointment availability, including some evening and weekend slots, and improved triage processes to identify cases that are suitable for paper-based or remote assessment, which can be dealt with particularly quickly.”
LibDem MP Wendy Chamberlain revealed that one of her staff had attended a session run by Maximus at which the company revealed that they have been instructed by the DWP to prioritise new UC claims. However, where an MPs office writes to Maximus making a case for a reassessment to be prioritised, Maximus can then escalate this to the DWP to try to get permission to carry it out.
Assuming this is the case with all assessment providers, it seems worth trying to get your MP’s office involved if your condition has deteriorated and you need a WCA reassessment.
You can read the record of the Westminster Hall debate on WCA timescales here.
