23 November 2010
Many people may condemn it as coming far too late, but the national body representing Citizens Advice Bureaux has begun a campaign to improve the medical assessment for employment and support allowance.
The call for improvements to the work capability assessment is part of a broader ‘Fair Welfare’ campaign, which aims to fight for a more just benefits and tax credits system.
In relation to the WCA, Citizens Advice wants people who are in the process of applying for ESA to contact their local CAB office and take part in a survey. Participants will be asked to allow the CAB to get a copy of their medical report, if they have one, and then go through part of it with an adviser looking for inaccuracies.
Given that:
- the problems with the WCA have been evident since it was first introduced;
- the first independent review of the WCA is just about to be published;
- the WCA is set to become even harsher if the amendments currently with the Social Security Advisory Committee go ahead in March as planned;
a survey that will take many months to complete seems a little late in the day. However, it is at least a sign that the national Citizens Advice organisation is finally beginning to remember whose side it’s supposed to be on.
There are more details of the Fair Welfare campaign here.
