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WCA waiting time

SJM2023

I have been waiting 6 weeks without any decision being made on my WCA and i have contacted UC as my assessor suggested contacting them if i hadn't heard anything after 4 weeks. I'm checking my UC journal daily which has become very tedious.

I have read that decisions can take anything from a few days to several weeks.

What waiting periods are people currently facing with this? and can anything be read into the length of time involved as I'm imagining all sorts of negative scenarios like the DWP contacting my GP or physio which is fine, but i know isn't generally done especially after medical reports/evidence had been sent.

Frustrated

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Comments

poppy123456

Decisions can take anything up to about 12 weeks once the report is returned. Some have decisions quite quickly and others not as quick. If your report was chosen for audit, this can delay the decision because it can't be made until the report is returned. If it's in audit, it's nothing to worry about, it just means they are checking the assessor did their job correctly.

Alex_Alumni

Hi there @SJM2023 sorry to hear you've been having a long wait, that can certainly feel frustrating! I know it's a lot easier said than done, but sometimes it can help to focus on other things for a while, like something you enjoy doing, or perhaps spending time in good company.

Hopefully it won't be long until you hear more, and we can help support you whatever the outcome

SJM2023

It's now been 8 weeks without hearing back from them! Tired of looking at my journal. Is anyone currently waiting this length of time or longer for a decision?

Adrian_Scope

Sadly there seems to be a real range @SJM2023 and you can't judge from the time it's taken. We hear regularly from people who've had an answer within a few days of their WCA and others waiting 12-16 weeks for a decision.

poppy123456

Try to do something that wil distract you while you wait. The report may have been chosen for audit which delays it being returned to DWP. It then delays the decision making process but up to about 12 weeks is normal.

SJM2023

Thanks.
I know the wca by telephone was written up and sent to the DWP on the same day as i called them to check. I've recently contacted the DWP but they just give me the what i expect is the default answer "a backlog"

poppy123456

Unfortunately all you can do is wait.

SJM2023

I have an update regarding this but not what i expected.

So its 11 weeks and I've still not heard anything about my wca. I called UC today to check and they said they will chase it up with my case manager.

Shorly after i received this in my journal. It's not something I've seen before.

Can someone please explain what this means, and if it has anything to do with my ongoing wca.
I'm concerned about what it means.

We are reviewing your Universal
Credit claim to make sure your
payments are correct.

As part of the review, you will 
need to send us information to 
confirm your details. You will 
get a separate journal message 
about this.

We will update you in the next 7 
days with more information.

If you want to talk about the 
review before then, send us a 
journal message by 1st June 2023 and we will arrange a call.

poppy123456

It's nothing to do with your WCA. It means they are looking at your claim to make sure it's correct. They can do these compliance checks anytime and often just at random.

SJM2023

Ok thanks for that, much appreciated.

I have been getting very stressed about this long wait and imagining all sorts like the DWP spying on me and suspicious of my claims for the wca even though ive nothing to hide.

This just added fuel to that as ive never had one before, but i feel more reassured with whst you said.

poppy123456

They wouldn't usually just "watch you." Did you first claim UC during the pandemic by any chance?

SJM2023

My initial UC claim started early April 2022, so maybe yes. Would that make a difference?

Thanks

poppy123456

The reason i asked that was because during the pendemic the checks for new claims were relaxed. They started doing some random checks in the past 6 months or so to check your claim is correct. I think the checks were back on by April 2022 but that doesn't mean they can't still do a random check.

SJM2023

Ok thanks, maybe I'll have an update about my wca sometime soon, but not expecting it unfortunately

SJM2023

One last thing if it's ok.
You said this isn't anything to do with my ongoing wca which i understand, but if they are needing to do this compliance interview because they want to check all my details/ID is correct as i haven't had one before, could it possibly have been triggered now because the decision maker with my wca has made their decision but wants everything checked firstly?

Or would it simply not be wca related as the compliance interviews don't deal with wca related things?

poppy123456

It will have nothing to do with your WCA.

It will just be a coincidence that they are doing this while you’re waiting for a decision.

SJM2023

I had a phone conversation today about it as i had the option to do this on my UC journal.

They said this is just a random check and partly linked to the pandemic and a backlog. They just want basic documents to be sent as proof of ID.

Said its definitely not even a compliance interview.

He also said they will become increasingly more common going forwards, and most people claiming UC will have them, new and old claims.

Thanks for your advice.

poppy123456

I thought that maybe the reason. Thanks for the update.

SJM2023

Hi again, so ive had an update on my journal today regarding the WCA. I did ask for someone to look into it.
It seems very none standard this as i was just expecting the standard journal message with a decision.

Can you please shed some light on this please:

"Following on from your Work Capability Assessment I have now received your medical report and would like to talk with you to confirm the information we hold on your Health Conditions. Your phone may show the call as an 0800 or withheld number. If this call time is inconvenient or you would like me to call you on a different number, please leave a message on your journal. Please make every effort to be available for the call as I would like your input prior to making a decision on your capability for work. If you do not want to continue with the health journey because you no longer have a health condition that affects your ability to work or you have returned to work please report the change to your health on your account."

SJM2023

Pretty sure this is from a regular workcoach and Ive spoken to her several times.

But, 12 weeks after the wca she's asking basic questions?