How long for video WCA decision?

groke
groke Community member Posts: 4 Listener
in Benefits and income
Hi. I had a video WCA 3 weeks ago to determine my eligibility for ESA (was previously put into the work-related activity group upon appeal)

I woke up today with a really strange feeling, like something terrible had happened, and now I'm kinda freaking out. I need this money to live

I've always gotten zero points at the WCA and then won on appeal. I think I got around 30 points after my last one. I thought maybe it would be different this time

Comments

  • groke
    groke Community member Posts: 4 Listener
    I suppose, basically, I'm asking how long it took for you to hear the outcome after a video WCA?
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 59,054 Championing
    It can take up to 12 weeks once the assessment report is returned to DWP. For Support Group it's not about scoring points, you just need to meet at least one of the descriptors.

    Points refer to the WRAG, where you need at least 15 points.
  • groke
    groke Community member Posts: 4 Listener
    Thanks for your reply. I don't really understand all the points and criteria, etc. It's all a bit overwhelming for me. Fingers crossed though
  • L_Volunteer
    L_Volunteer Community Volunteer Adviser, Scope Member Posts: 7,925 Championing
    It can be an overwhelming system with overwhelming processes @groke. It's not necessarily a reflection of you. Please don't hesitate to let us know how it goes for you and if we can do anything to support you further  :)
  • groke
    groke Community member Posts: 4 Listener
    It turns out they've put me in the support group and given me an extra £120-ish per month! I only got the letter today but they made the decision about 4 weeks ago and the letter was dated about 3 weeks ago, so I've been worrying all this time over nothing. I can't even believe it!

    I think I come across as a lot more functional than I really am (they call it "masking"), so it probably helped that I showed the assessor the cluttered state of my house in the video call. So, to anyone reading this in the future, make sure to do the same. And keep an eye on your bank statements, because the increased rate showed up on my statement nearly a month ago (but I'm really bad at managing my finances so I didn't check), and their letters are incredibly slow to arrive

    🙌🏻
  • Adrian_Scope
    Adrian_Scope Posts: 11,543 Online Community Programme Lead
    Great news @groke, thanks for sharing your experience and advice! We often see the same with PIP and DLA, with payments often reaching people's banks before they receive any letter telling them they've been awarded.

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