WCA telephone assessment, internal guidance.

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I'm sure others will be interested in this, it's the CHDA internal guidance for carrying out telephone WCA's:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/reque...%20v%201I.pdf?

It's long at 50 plus pages, so here's some selected quotes, all the bolding is theirs in the original document.

It starts off by confirming that the only recommendations they are making following a telephone assessment are LCWRA (Support Group).
LCW (WRAG) and Fit-for-Work decisions are not being done.

1. Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic is unchartered territory for every citizen of the UK. DWP services are a vital safety net for society, and as a key supplier CHDA have been asked to assist and adapt our operations in order to support the DWP and the vulnerable people that they serve.

The DWP have agreed the following advice will be provided by HCPs conducting telephone Work Capability Assessments:

LCWRA Yes or LCWRA No. (Including Risk LCWRA where appropriate).

All claimants will remain at least on the assessment rate, therefore LCW advice is not being given in this process.

No fit for work decisions will be made by DWP.

LCWRA Risk can be advised once the severe functional LCWRA categories have been found not to be appropriate.

This document will outline the processes involved in this new method of delivering Work Capability Assessments and provide HCPs with general guidance and support in considering evidence gathering and evaluation through a telephone consultation.

"Risk LCWRA" and "LCWRA Risk" means Support Group by application of regulation 35.

They are supposed to tell you at the begining:

The purpose of this call is to identify people who should be getting a higher rate of benefit, where we can. Please be reassured that you will not lose your benefit as a result of this call.

And at the end:

As I said at the beginning, the purpose of this call is to identify people who should be getting a higher rate of benefit where we can. When I review your report, I may not be able to make a recommendation about your capability to work without seeing you face-to-face. If this happens, you will continue to be paid your current rate of benefit and we will invite you to a face-to-face assessment as soon as we can once they resume. Please be reassured that you will not lose your benefit as a result of this call.

You can stop the telephone assessment at any time:

If at any stage the claimant is not happy to proceed the call should be terminated and ESA/UC 85A min completed detailing the circumstances.

Section 4.1.1 gives a list of those who should NOT be given a telephone assessment, I won't quote them all here but it obviously includes those with hearing/speech difficulties and also includes anyone who was put in Support Group by reg.35 for MH issues:

Where LCWRA risk was previously applied at any time for mental health we will not conduct a telephone assessment.

Don't expect to get more than a six month prognosis from a telephone WCA:

4.3 Prognosis or re-referral advice

Although we give advice on the balance of probability, in most cases the normal full body of evidence will not be available (observations, examination findings, further evidence), and therefore a 6 month prognosis should be given in most cases; unless there is strong evidence that a longer prognosis should apply, for example, previous report confirmed a chronic deteriorating condition and all evidence gathered in the telephone assessment continue to suggest ongoing deterioration. This applies to conditions that have not improved as well as those that have deteriorated.

It then goes on to give guidance on how they should assess over the telephone for each of the ESA activity descriptors, and then general guidance.