medical conditions got worse

Tandy20

Since my ESA/DLA medical Assessment's failed ,my illnesses have worsend, so my GP has issued me with a 3 month fit note.The manager at the jobcentre adviced me not to bother with  mandatory reconsideration and to apply for both benefits again which is now have the forms .Was this the right thing to do

BenefitsTrainingCo

Hi Tandy20, 

Not necessarily! When you say DLA, do you mean PIP? PIP doesn't rely on sick notes at all so I would suggest you think about whether you should have got enough points at the time of the medical  - you can do a self-test here.

You can ask for a mandatory reconsideration if you think you should have got at least 8 points in either component. It is still important to tell the DWP that you have got worse, too. If you're not sure whether you should have qualified though, or you think it's borderline, yes you can claim again - but remember you have to have had problems for at least 3 months before you can claim PIP, so it's worth thinking about how long you think you have been at the stage where you would get at least 8 points.

For ESA, there's a different test, and you have to score at least 15 points. If you think you should have got it at the time of your medical, then you should ask them to look at the decision again. You can still report the change in your condition too (there's no 3 month rule there). Again, if you're not sure you would have qualified back at the time of the assessment, you can decide to claim again instead, but for ESA, it's essential you can show that your condition has significantly worsened, otherwise you won't get benefit whilst you are waiting for the medical.

Another option is to do both! You can ask for a mandatory reconsideration of the previous decision, but still decide to end those claims and make new ones. The DWP would still have to consider the mandatory reconsideration for the period before you stopped your first claims.

Will