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What are the chances that assessments for ESA and PIP will be postponed due to Coronavirus?

Galarboy

Seeing as the vulnerable will soon be kept in lockdown will the DWP just postpone all assessments for the foreseeable future?

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Comments

pollyanna1052

it will also mean there are less assessors to do home visits and see claimants in their offices......current claims WILL have to be continued and dates should be extended...but what do I know? x

poppy123456

At the moment for the work capability assessment the forms are still being sent out. I received one just 2 days ago.

wilko

Just a thought, maybe we will have more paper based assessments requiring more prove sent in by us. Assuming there will be staff at DWP and the assessment company's to do the necessary paperwork.

OverlyAnxious

I wonder how long the virus can survive on paper inside envelopes. Maybe they'll move it to online instead! Can't catch viruses online...well, not that type anyway!

johnnyy85

surely the assessors will have to work from home and it will all be paper based for the foreseeable future and an end to the f2f ?

johnnyy85

skullcap

So for someone that has not completed the AR1 or PIP2 correctly and fully should get a paper based assessment? How would that work?
They need to be examined for the DWP to get to understand what their problems are and how they are affected by them.

johnnyy85

Could they not do it with the evidence people have sent in ?

poppy123456

skullcap said:

So for someone that has not completed the AR1 or PIP2 correctly and fully should get a paper based assessment? How would that work?

Not sure how you came to that conclusion.

Firefly123

I'm due a home vist on Thursday this will be my 3rd as the last two were no shows I started my claim at the end of July. Really hope its not postpone again and can get it over with.

cristobal

Here's something from the BBC website ......T

The Department for Work and Pensions has also announced that, from Tuesday, face-to-face assessments for sickness and disability welfare payments will be suspended for three months in an effort to protect vulnerable claimants.

The suspension will apply to claimants of personal independence payments, employment and support allowance, some on Universal Credit and people on industrial injuries schemes. Those with appointments will be contacted to discuss alternative arrangements.

cristobal

...and this is from the DWP...Nothing about those making a new claim unfortunately ..

For people already claiming support

Special arrangements will be in place for people in receipt of benefits who cannot attend reassessments or jobcentre appointments because they are required to stay at home or are infected by coronavirus.

The arrangements are:

disabled and sick claimants who cannot attend a reassessment for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Universal Credit will continue to receive their payments while their assessment is rearranged
people who need to claim ESA or Universal Credit because of coronavirus will not be required to produce a fit note.
when claimants tell us in good time that they are staying at home or that they have been diagnosed with coronavirus, they will not be sanctioned – we will review their conditionality requirements in their claimant commitment, to ensure they are reasonable
claimants who are staying at home as a result of coronavirus will have their mandatory work search and work availability requirements removed to account for a period of sickness

skullcap

It would be most amusing as to how you could get a face to face assessment either at home or at a centre if the home and it's inhabitants are in lockdown especially for those over 70 who have additional issues . Four months of house arrest has been mentioned which may well be extended further.

laurapeach

I'm guessing new claims won't be assessed at all until after the 3 months is up? Which means I'll be waiting even longer along with anyone else who applied in the last couple of months!

ShaunH

What about tribunal appeals? Will they still be going ahead as stated in my other posts I still awaiting my bundle and date but would they cancel them? If so what would happen instead?

If your sat 2 or 3 meters away I think it should be fine.

cristobal

@ShaunH - I don't know whether tribunals will continue to sit but I think that it's reasonable to assume that all of the PIP process - and other benefits - will be subject to delays.

No-one is immune to coronavirus - it will infect more of the population and this will include judges & court staff, assessors for PIP, DWP staff, and all of the support and admin staff.

As people self-isolate, and are sick, delays will be inevitable.

Adrian_Scope

We're aware of media articles stating that benefits assessments are cancelled. However, we've so far been unable to verify that the Department for Work and Pensions has officially announced this. Until such time that the DWP do make an announcement, please don't assume that any assessments or appointments have been cancelled.
If you have an assessment soon, it's worth calling the assessment centre to double-check ahead of setting off. Please don't assume it's okay to just not go.

cristobal

@Adrian_Scope - there's not been a lot of publicity but it's actually on the DWP website....

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/face-to-face-health-assessments-for-benefits-suspended-amid-coronavirus-outbreak

Adrian_Scope

Hi @cristobal. The previous guidance published by them covered if you need to cancel or rearrange if you're directly affected by Covid-19, but there wasn't published updates regarding the cancelling of all assessments.

However just as I posted, the DWP have updated!

Adrian_Scope

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/face-to-face-health-assessments-for-benefits-suspended-amid-coronavirus-outbreak

Face-to-face assessments for all sickness and disability benefits will be suspended for the next 3 months, the government announced today.

The temporary move, effective on Tuesday 17 March 2020, is being taken as a precautionary measure to protect vulnerable people from unnecessary risk of exposure to coronavirus as the country’s response ramps up in the ‘delay’ phase. We will ensure those who are entitled to a benefit continue to receive support, and that new claimants are able to access the safety net.

It affects claimants of Personal Independence Payment, those on Employment and Support Allowance and some on Universal Credit, and recipients of Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.

The suspension of face-to-face assessments also covers new claims to those benefits.

Work and Pensions Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:

As we move into the next phase of our response to coronavirus, it is right we take steps to protect those with health problems.
Temporarily suspending face-to-face assessments for sickness and disability benefits will allow us to ensure we continue to provide a safety net for those in need, while removing unnecessary risk of exposure to this disease.

Anyone who has a face-to-face assessment appointment scheduled from Tuesday 17 March onwards does not need to attend and will be contacted to discuss next steps and alternative arrangements, which could involve either telephone or paper-based assessments. We expect this measure will be in effect for the next 3 months but we will be regularly reviewing the position in line with Public Health advice.

No further action is required by any claimant as a result of this change. They will be contacted with advice on next steps.

Suspending face-to-face health assessments is a precautionary measure which reflects the Prime Minister’s decision to trigger the ‘delay’ phase. It is important to note that this change does not affect or change any existing public health advice.