Current status of esa/uc reassessments post covid

apple85

I know a similar post has been posted in the esa section of this forum so but as this involves uc ppl too I’d thought I’d start a new thread here

i think as soon as the last 1-2 months it was confirmed by someone with insider knowledge (I think? Don’t quote me on that) that reassessment for income related esa were still frozen apart from those who hadn’t been reassessed for a long time (10yrs?) but cb style and new style esa had restart
(did I get that right?)

anyways that sounds like it’s changing very soon
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/dwp-universal-credit-esa-warning-27793800?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target
(is it just me or have the dwp really been ramping things up the past couple of months? They seem to be on a right mission!)

now I know I’m alone in worrying that the dwp will rush through the wca reforms to happen pre their 2025 start date (many of you think it will be shot down before it’s even started) - I stand by the feeling I get that the tories under sunak are a new type of cruel that will try and bypass courts & human rights buts that me 

this is a quote from Birmingham mail:

”The work capability assessment consultation launched on September 5, 2023, and will run until October 30. The Government says it intends to respond before the end of 2023 and says full costings for these changes, should they go ahead, will be announced as part of the Chancellor's Autumn Statement”

I looked up the past length of time it has taken the gov to respond to a dwp consultation concerning disabilities via a paper or a statement and the average seems to be just under 4 months (a minimum of 3 months after the consultation end date)

The consultation ends 30th October and the chancellor’s autumn statement is on the 22nd November - that’s a max of 22 days to pour over (if taken to the last minute of the 11th hour) what could be thousands of responses? - what do you reckon is the probability of a gov that has in recent years been able to complete things neither quickly or competently, give the responses of this consultation the time, thought and delicacy the subject demands?

if Birmingham mail dates are right (and it seems they have direct info from the dwp) then imo stride & hunt never had any intent to listen to the consultation & disabled opinions and have already made their mind up on the reforms 
(I hope I’m wrong and you can throw every bad name at me if this never comes to play - but this stride led dwp makes me have a bad gut feeling like never before and I think things will be rushed)

and sorry for semi getting off topic

apple85

Also haven’t 95% of us not had a ir esa reassessment since before the pandemic started? (Correct me if I’m wrong)

I myself got my last esa reassessment result 3 months before the 1st lockdown but this is my first gap of more than 3 years between assessments 

so I’m I top or bottom of the reassessment list or is it totally dumb luck?
(I’ve only had a couple of months break since my year long pip ordeal - I like many need a rest)

apple85

@JBS2022

i believe it was your good self that had the ‘insider’ info per say

if it’s no trouble could your ‘source’ confirm the latest info they have because as I said before the dwp seem to be significantly busier than usual with all these new schemes starting

poppy123456

With all due respect i do wish some people wouldn't post links to newspaper articles, expecially from places like the Chronicle.

I haven't seen JBS2022 post for quite sometime so you may not get a response from them.

apple85

I did try to look for the dwp newsletter it referred to in the article but I guess those aren’t posted publicly hence why I tagged that member because yes a more solid source would be better

but even a bad paper can’t be 100% written off - and they do seem to have source material for this article so probably not 100% made up

Question for you poppy (and anyone else that would like to share an opinion) - would you agree with me in that the dwp/stride seem to be pushing out a lot more (and quicker) changes & “support” than we’ve seen at least the past 5yrs and seem to have a renewed bee in the bonnet when it comes to the disabled out of full time work (look up recent dwp press release - definitely feels like more than the norm to me)?

woodbine

No matter what decision they make if the DWP works to its usual speed then nothing much will happen post election, the govts. attitude atm seems to be that they want to "encourage" people from economic inactivity back into work, strange really when unemployment is increasing again.

apple85

Woodbine - did you mean pre election?
having a bit of a daft moment - was your post mocking the dwp/gov…….  If unemployment is increasing then it……… oh you mean unemployment is increasing but job vacancies are decreasing right?

apple85

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

A more ‘reliable’ source I hope you’d agree