Atos have issued a statement following Benefits and Work’s revelation that repeat ESA medicals are being stopped. It appears the company have been receiving a large number of calls from people wanting to know if they will still have to complete an ESA50 or attend a medical.{jcomments on}
Here is their response in full, which is available on the Atos website:
Clarification about the completion of Work Capability Assessments
There have been reports online and in the media about changes to the way Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) referrals are being made by the DWP. There is some confusion around what the change actually means for people either receiving IB, ESA or who have recently claimed ESA but not yet had a decision on their claim made by the DWP. We want to clarify what the change means for the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) part of the ESA process, which is the part that we do.
WCA Referrals to Atos Healthcare
Atos Healthcare receives referrals from DWP when they want us to carry out an assessment for a claim to ESA. We continue to do this for DWP and we are processing all claims that are being sent to us.
We receive referrals for claimants who are making a new claim to ESA, claimants whose claim is being reviewed by DWP and also from those people who are receiving Incapacity Benefit but who are being reassessed under ESA guidelines.
DWP recently decided to defer routine repeat assessments until further notice. Although they will still refer cases where there has been a reported change in condition, typically where someone’s condition worsens.
What this means to Claimants
We continue to receive new WCA referrals and they will continue the assessment process as normal.
Any WCA repeat referrals that we have already received from DWP will also continue through the WCA process as they would before.
You can normally tell that this process has started because you receive a Limited Capability for Work questionnaire, or ESA50. You should still return forms, supply additional evidence or attend appointments for a face to face assessment as necessary. You can find more information on this process in our Q&A section of the website or in other articles on this blog.
