Should see a reduction for some to problems with claimant commitment
The issue is that a UC claimant will have their new claim interview days after making their claim for UC, whereas an ESA claimant’s work capability status does not transfer to their UC award until a few weeks later.
This meant that those moving onto ESA from UC were being told they needed to:
- look for work (when they didn’t)
- provide a fit note (when they didn’t)
causing confusion, upset and some failed claims.
After being pushed on this issue the DWP have now put (what they call) a fix in place. This fix will be there for any UC claim made on or after 25th November 2024.
The DWP’s fix is to identify claimants who have transferred from ESA onto UC and allocate them to the No Work-Related Requirements Group (NWRR). When someone is applying for UC, they are asked if they were previously on ESA. If they answer ‘yes’ to this question, they will be allocated to the NWRR Group.
New claims prior to this date still require a manual check.
IMPORTANT: Those previously in the ESA Work Related Requirement Group (WRAG) will be moved into the Work Preparation and Work Focused Interview Group within a few weeks of making their UC claim. This will require them to accept a new claimant commitment. Failure to do so could lead to a decision that they are not entitled to UC.
Missing Elements
This fix does not affect the speed with which the LCW decision is transferred to UC. In some cases the WCA decision is not transferred by the time the claimant receives their first UC payment so the LCW or LCWRA Element is missing. This could still happen.
IMPORTANT: Where the LCW or LCWRA Element is added later, and included back to the claimant’s first Assessment Period, this should not erode any Transitional Element.
