New DWP ESA warning to claimants

Creativechaos678

Hi all, 

I am currently on the old style ESA contribution based in the support group and have been in it for at least 3-4 years now since my last reassessment. I am not sure why I have not been reassessed earlier. Not receiving any other benefits or tax credits. In the last day or two I have seen a couple of news articles stating 'The Department for Work and Pensions is to review Universal Credit and Employment & Support Allowance claims where people have been ruled medically unfit for work'. 
 
Link
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/dwp-universal-credit-esa-warning-27793800.amp

Link
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/dwp-universal-credit-warning-thousands-27781995?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target

Is this true? And if so do I fall into this category? Causing me a little anxiety, there seems to be a lot of recent quick benefit amendments being pushed through lately.

Thanks

Silver925

Hello,

I have reads this too.  Everyone gets reassessed at some point, but I shouldn't worry about some of the wording in these news articles as they are designed to shock and panic you sometimes especially with the headlines.  It's called click bait.  You see an article with a cleverly headed title and they make it sound like your going to get hung or something.  Not that what the article is about isn't true, but these newspapers who word these items live in another world and can use patronising language.  I've read articles about Cost of living payments saying the dates have been announced.  You click it and it's the same thing no dates announced.  Martin Lewis articles saying he gives a stark, urgent warning to anyone on benefits and all it reads is new payment dates for Bank Holidays.  I think they might work with DWP and do it out of contempt for the sick as some are Tory led papers.  I hate the way they sometimes use words like claimants don't need to do anything to get the handout apparently.  Try not to worry too much.  Just take the wording with a pinch of salt.  The article just says reassessments are to restart soon that's all.  Take care

Grissom123

The 'warning' from the DWP is just a notice saying that they're going to be starting reassessments again sometime soon.

These articles are mainly designed to cause benefits claimants panic and distress with inflated headlines and inflammatory wording.

I don't think it's anything to worry about too much. As Silver said, everyone gets reviewed at some point.

sunflower2

So basically it means reviews are starting again for everyone is that correct @poppy123456?

poppy123456

sunflower2 said:

So basically it means reviews are starting again for everyone is that correct @poppy123456?

No, not correct. Some were contacted a few months ago but they won't start back fully until at least the end of the year. The links above are newspaper articles... i'll say no more.

Creativechaos678

poppy123456 said:

sunflower2 said:

So basically it means reviews are starting again for everyone is that correct @poppy123456?

No, not correct. Some were contacted a few months ago but they won't start back fully until at least the end of the year. The links above are newspaper articles... i'll say no more.

Thanks, I guess that's what I was kind of asking.. They are both newspaper articles, I've not seen any official announcement that they are going to to reassess everyone on these types of ESA from the DWP.. Correct me if I am wrong? 

sunflower2

poppy123456 said:

sunflower2 said:

So basically it means reviews are starting again for everyone is that correct @poppy123456?

No, not correct. Some were contacted a few months ago but they won't start back fully until at least the end of the year. The links above are newspaper articles... i'll say no more.

Thank you @p@poppy123456 so there still suspended for some?

bg844

@sunflower2 Some people still have their reviews suspended and have had their WCA referral dates changed, towards the end of this year claimants may hear something but the re-assessment backlog is huge and even if you are going through the process, it may be many months to even receive a decision (especially if they want to 'ramp' it up).

Newspapers have appalling knowledge of the benefits system and 9 times out of 10 give the wrong information or stir the facts. 

apple85

https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/more-wca-reviews-to-be-carried-out,-dwp-warns

I trust this site to actually dig up what’s true and what’s not (and they are seeking further clarification by the sounds of things)

apple85

And here’s a link to the actual newsletter sent by the dwp:

https://hbinfo.org/newsletters/touchbase-8-september-2023/

https://hbinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Touchbase-15-September-2023.pdf

Edit: (Okay I can’t find the quotes that benefitsandwork.co.uk quoted and I doubt that they’d lie - wondering if there is a even more recent newsletter)

second edit: found it - it’s a copy and paste of what I presume is from the dwp original document onto someone website

https://teacakeclub.org/2023/09/25/dwp-touchbase-fri-22-september/

apple85

Having read the source for myself I’d conclude that the newspapers didn’t make up the quotes, however they did add a lot of panic inducing padding to their articles which was in all frankness unnecessary.

we always knew that the dwp were behind in assessments and would need to catch things up at some point (either by extending award lengths or getting through claims quicker)

in all honestly I’m a little surprised the dwp aren’t just leaving those overdue a wca till the possible wca reforms come in 2025 or earlier and catch all of us out - esp whilst tribunals are still reversing a huge percentage of dwp decisions (which is expensive & time consuming for the dwp right now) - but that’s my logic only

Grissom123

https://teacakeclub.org/2023/09/25/dwp-touchbase-fri-22-september/

This came up when I searched for wca/touchbase

Edit: I just saw someone else beat me to it, sorry ha ha 

Creativechaos678

apple85 said:

Having read the source for myself I’d conclude that the newspapers didn’t make up the quotes, however they did add a lot of panic inducing padding to their articles which was in all frankness unnecessary.

we always knew that the dwp were behind in assessments and would need to catch things up at some point (either by extending award lengths or getting through claims quicker)

in all honestly I’m a little surprised the dwp aren’t just leaving those overdue a wca till the possible wca reforms come in 2025 or earlier and catch all of us out - esp whilst tribunals are still reversing a huge percentage of dwp decisions (which is expensive & time consuming for the dwp right now) - but that’s my logic only

Thanks, the newsletter doesn't specify which benefits they want to reassess, they seem to talk from a broad spectrum of benefits?! I see what you mean with the 'unnecessary padding'. It's basically scare mongering. How long is the backlog exactly? I'm personally well overdue for an reassessment. How realistic do you think the reassessments target dates are.. 2024/2025? 

poppy123456

The links confirm what we already knew anyway and the reviews are planning on starting back up soon. One member already confirmed this a few months ago that they are likely to start back by the end of the year. This isn't far off as we are almost into October.

When they do start back properly then it's clear to me that there will be backlogs so there will still be a wait for a lot of people.

In my opinion the newspapers are just scare mongering again.

Creativechaos678

poppy123456 said:

The links confirm what we already knew anyway and the reviews are planning on starting back up soon. One member already confirmed this a few months ago that they are likely to start back by the end of the year. This isn't far off as we are almost into October.

When they do start back properly then it's clear to me that there will be backlogs so there will still be a wait for a lot of people.

In my opinion the newspapers are just scare mongering again.

Thanks, How long have the reassessments been suspended for? 

Creativechaos678

poppy123456

Sorry yeah, just read this. Thanks. 

'I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.

If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help.' 

poppy123456

Creativechaos678 said:

poppy123456

Sorry yeah, just read this. Thanks. 

'I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.

If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help.' 

No worries, it's fine, you didn't tag me, other than quote what i commented, which is fine.

carbow32

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/work-capability-assessment-activities-and-descriptors/work-capability-assessment-activities-and-descriptors .. this was updated a couple of days ago but I can't work out how .. sorry not completely on topic but relevant. These lot make me want to shrivel up and die 

Creativechaos678

carbow32 said:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/work-capability-assessment-activities-and-descriptors/work-capability-assessment-activities-and-descriptors .. this was updated a couple of days ago but I can't work out how .. sorry not completely on topic but relevant. These lot make me want to shrivel up and die 

Thanks, The title of the link once opened says 'Open Consultation', does that imply everything mentioned below is a proposal rather than set in a stone plan?

carbow32

yeah but it is still quite nasty proposals that keep me awake in fear at night 

poppy123456

carbow32 said:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/work-capability-assessment-activities-and-descriptors/work-capability-assessment-activities-and-descriptors .. this was updated a couple of days ago but I can't work out how .. sorry not completely on topic but relevant. These lot make me want to shrivel up and die 

I'm sure i've seen parts of that link pon a previous thread quite recently. Though i see it's been updated a few days ago.

Creativechaos678 said:

carbow32 said:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/work-capability-assessment-activities-and-descriptors/work-capability-assessment-activities-and-descriptors .. this was updated a couple of days ago but I can't work out how .. sorry not completely on topic but relevant. These lot make me want to shrivel up and die 

Thanks, The title of the link once opened says 'Open Consultation', does that imply everything mentioned below is a proposal rather than set in a stone plan?

They are considering changes. Nothing is set in stone yet.