ESA renew after 3 years

Hi this is my first post on the forum.

I would like to thank B and W for there guide first time round 3 years back for ESA,I got a phone call after putting me in the support group.I have now just got a new capability for work questionnaire and it is different from the old one on page 4 saying Things we'd like to see,if you already have them -
dose this mean I can use the medical evidence from my doctor and consultant or would it be best to get new as nothing has changed with my health and is not going to get better due to a spinal injury?

Sorry if this has been asked before

Thanks in advance

Mark albo wrote: Hi this is my first post on the forum.

I would like to thank B and W for there guide first time round 3 years back for ESA,I got a phone call after putting me in the support group.I have now just got a new capability for work questionnaire and it is different from the old one on page 4 saying Things we'd like to see,if you already have them -
dose this mean I can use the medical evidence from my doctor and consultant or would it be best to get new as nothing has changed with my health and is not going to get better due to a spinal injury?

Sorry if this has been asked before

Thanks in advance

Hi Ma,

Welcome to Benefits and Work Forum

You can use older evidence and new evidence !

In fact, you can use any evidence that you feel will support the fact that you still qualify for The SG.

Theoretically ESA is awarded indefinitely, (open ended)

However, in reality, each ESA awarded comes with a recommended period (The Prognosis) before it is reassessed.

See : How often will I be reviewed

From our : ESA FAQ’s

The ESA decision notice letter that you receive after a decision, does not include the prognosis.

Normally, the longest period between re-assessments is 3 years !

So, it would be normal to have to go through regular periodic re-assessments.

Just to make you aware that : The Centre for Health and Disability Assessments (CHDA) (aka HAAS) (Maximus) who took over the ESA WCA Contract from ATOS on 02/03/15 now carry out ESA Assessments/Re-Assessments.

There have not been any changes to ESA Legislation since January 2013, however you should always use our most current Guides.

There have been some changes to The ESA50 itself.

Now that you have The ESA50, you may want to consider :

Using The PDF Version Of The ESA50 Questionnaire

Whilst referring to the guides on this page, 2nd & 3rd links down :

ESA Claims Guides

See also :

How long do I have to complete the ESA50?

ESA50 too big for the envelope

&

Sending Documents to the DWP or Maximus. (aka CHDA, aka HAAS.)

You should treat this re-assessment as if it was your first assessment and not assume that The Assessor will have access to any of your previous evidence. They may not even know that you are currently in The SG, so you should make it clear that you are.

It is therefore important that you reiterate how and why you still qualify for The SG, in that the limitations that you suffer as a result of your medical conditions have not changed nor diminished to such an extent that you no longer qualify for The SG.

Nor have you learned to deal with or adapt to your limitations since your last assessment.

If you are aware how and why you were placed into The SG last time, you could cite that also.

If you want to obtain fresh evidence such as a letter of support from your G.P., obtain it yourself and post it with the ESA50.

Do not rely on Maximus/DWP contacting your G.P. , even if you request that they do so.

They seldom do and are not legally obliged to do so.

You should Bookmark/Favourite this page in your Internet Browser now.

That way you can return to this topic easily to pose any further queries that you may have by replying to the topic.

See : This Topic also !

Thanks in anticipation of your future co-operation in keeping all your ESA related queries to this topic !

bro58

Wow thanks for the reply much appreciated!