Green Paper Related Discussions
Comments
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Just catching up here. I agree with @WhatThe that wherever possible credible links should be given. I'm not disputing that another member knows someone who worked as an assessor, etc for the DWP & left in disgust, as we've heard that from several other members. It's to be remembered that that's just a members personal opinion, so not objective.
The assessors have to follow guidelines such as here for PIP: & the DWP decision makers have to follow the Advice for Decision Makers (ADM) that @Wibbles linked to, which are based on the Social Security regulations, etc.
Do the assessors get it wrong, well yes in some ways this unfortunately happens as they have to try & 'fit' a claimant into that category of level of difficulty (or not), that they think appropriate as PIP, for example is a 'tick box' exercise with your assessment. As a neurosurgeon once said (well emailed) me, there's not one cookie size fits all. We're individuals with different needs, & therefore our own individual difficulties, & something like PIP won't capture these always correctly. The DWP will rely upon a PIP assessment if a claimant hasn't given appropriately detailed responses in their claim form; the assessment then becomes more important where the claimant's responses should matter the most.
As far as for those on CB ESA, this was only briefly mentioned in the 'Changes to benefits for disabled people.' A new contributory Unemployment Insurance benefit the Green Paper announced would be introduced from 2028-9 it said replacing both New Style Jobseeker's Allowance & New Style ESA. It will be time limited & paid at the rate of the ESA support group.
About the new premium in UC for claimants with the 'most severe, life long conditions who have no prospect of improvement & will never be able to work' the level of an additional premium for these claimants wasn't set out in the Green Paper, nor the eligibilty for this.
I don't know if they'll use this about 'severe conditions', tho this website mentioned this last month:
Quite honestly, I think Labour still remain vague about this, tho it does seem this is one possibility as @YogiBear seems to have alluded to. This is the latest mention of 'severe conditions' I could find from the Sept 2024 WCA handbook. You'd need to download the following, then go to Appendix 8 starting on p218:
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I wouldn't be suoprised if Labour put a stop to appeals especially tribunals. Many people are saying this is their next step. They really want us dead.
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are Labour intending to change the pip claim form/review form ?
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I have noticed Benefits and work have posted this today and this part i have noticed
about reviews. Not sure if they are doing them like they did back in 2023 with those who have not been reviewed for some time.
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The DWP has begun WCA reviews again. So existing LCWRA claimants may have their award reviewed before April 2026. But if you do not have a review before that date, or you maintain your LCWRA status when you are reviewed, then you will receive the pre-2026 claimant rate from April 2026.''
https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/universal-credit-and-personal-independence-payment-bill-in-brief
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That’s the first time he’s actually spoken the truth 😂
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It was who said that and I stand by it . Not only are assessors liars and I gave my first assessment full of lies in black and white but even the call centre staff of Atos or whatever their new name is. I was booked for a recorded phone assessment but they called my 30 minutes before the start to say my assessor wasn’t equipped. They then said it was the DWP fault as they made the appointment which as far as I know the DWP do not .
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Right so WCA are back up now , I thought it wasn't until after April 2026
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I wonder, does this mean everbody is getting reveiwed as normal, or is it still just those who were pregnant at the time, recovering cancer patients, and others who may not be 'as poorly when first assessed'? Iv'e read things before on Benefits & Work site, and it put sheer terror in me until it turned out they hadn't put all the facts out there. It just says WCA are now continuing again, but for who, some or all of us??? One more thing to worry me again all day until I get correct details.
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Just a note on assessors and assessments. I know multiple companies are involved in this and I also don't want to tarnish every single assessor as some must be doing their best. But, based on my own personal experience (thus not hearsay from another person), the DWP did not look at the whole of my evidence until the tribunal. They looked at some of it in the MR stage, to cherry pick lines from it. But the assessor had not seen my evidence prior to the assessment. We were also told that this was common practice.
Admittedly this was in 2017, maybe it's changed. I did notice a better approach on my review, the person who did my paper based reassessment and such was actually very nice, and I didn't need to speak to them directly at all, just confirm my advocate was entitled to speak for me over the phone.
There was an article a while back - and I apologise that I haven't been able to find it - that due to the number of assessments and how much is paid per assessment to the company, there is a priority on scheduling back to back assessments and not giving assessors time to review other evidence. But there is also a well documented problem of people not assessing conditions they are familiar with.
Now this part is my speculation - but I noticed that there were several inconsistencies between my assessment recording and my assessment report, and also between the assessment report and the initial decision letter. On the recording, you can also hear the assessor typing in sections where, in the assessment report, nothing is recorded. So whether the assessment reports go through other stages of editing or are written up from notes by someone else before they reach the decision maker, to save time - I am not sure.
My assessor seemed very pleasant, if fixated on my physical mobility despite my not claiming for that. She also didn't really understand when I didn't understand a question, but I put that down to her not having autism training. However, when the assessment report section begins with (Amaya reports difficulty with x y z), clearly meeting the criteria for whatever point, and then ends with, "but I think Amaya can do this" and 0 points, it does feel a bit odd.All this said, I wasn't given my assessment report till tribunal. I wasn't made aware that I could. Maybe in 2017, I couldn't. No idea. So it may be different now. As I said, that part is speculation, just based on how odd and contradictory it sounds.
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Indeed
the part ''
The DWP has begun WCA reviews again''
who knows exactly what they mean by that it could be for all or for some. They do have huge backlog so perhaps they may review those as you mentioned.
the DWP have a habbit for swapping and changing there minds lol
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I thought so to Danny
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My experience with the first pip assessor was almost identical. She lied on the report about the only dr letter she acknowledged, the rest she ignored. My GP said it’s the first time he’s had his letter ignored and he went through my award letter and counteracted everything. She also wrote X says she can’t do this but I say she can zero points .
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Morning Charlie,
I just migrated over to uc and I called them probably about less than a couple of months ago . I asked about them reassuring everyone on lcwra and the girl who was nice said they have no plans to and don’t have the staff even if they wanted to .
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Hi @secretsquirrel1 a member of the team will respond to your private message imminently. Best wishes, Holly.
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haha if you hold the wire tight and hold someone elses hand they get a harder shock whilst not hurting yourself
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If this were the case MW the assessment centres could rectify this by giving those who deserve longer awards . They seem to keep reassessing some of us when there’s some still on DLA . Not only that but the call centre themselves actually lied to me so they didn’t have to record my assessment. If they recorded it I should have been given the 4? Point. Even the dwp said it had nothing to do with the dwp as it’s the assessment centres who make the decisions. I know someone who went with someone and the assessor saw this person but said they arrived by themselves. It’s outright lying . I don’t trust them and never will after my first assessment left me fighting for two years
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……….Yet they continue with HS2 - which is currently estimated to cost over £100 billion - for a few minutes off the time taken to get to Birmingham from OUTSIDE London… seems they've got their priorities are completely wrong.
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Haha you never know what I am going to come out with that's why I don't say to much if I was coffee that I hate it would be unfiltered
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I just have no trust in them . I was told by dwp my last assessment would be a quick one . The assessor took over two hours going through everything in a form I’d filled out 18 months prior . She kept saying if I don’t answer they may have to call me back and it may not be her . But if that’s true why do I hear of people having quick phone calls and that’s it ? As I said my first assessor lied so much my GP was furious as was the dwp themselves
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