ESA reassessment and WCA appointment

Hello,

I got a text message this morning stating I have a WCA for next week. However, I didn’t receive anything in the post notifying me of an appointment in the first place, just this reminder text. I just managed to get through to the DWP and they confirmed I do have the appointment, but they rearranged it for a couple weeks time because I would need accompanying by a family member and they agreed to my assessment being recorded.

I know that it would never be a good time to receive the appointment usually, but over the Xmas period I tried to take my life, so I’m really really struggling to cope right now. Since I’ve seen the message I’ve just sat here and cried, I already feel overwhelmed and I’m worried I won’t put the best case forward on the day because I’m struggling to focus on anything at the moment. So I’m asking for some help, please, I don’t know what to do or where to begin. I have had a WCA before, but it was several years ago.

Regards

I had the same a text message saying don't forget your wca assessment I hadn't had a letter so was confused but the letter did come after confirming appointment. they do seem to be sending you appointments for the next week wheras in the past it used to be a few weeks notice. I think as soon as a letter is generated a text message is automatically sent

Hi Gordon,

Thank you for the link. I will try my best to read through in the coming days.

I told my GP about my suicide attempt, he would like me to be more open with the other professionals involved my care, so I have more support. Thank you for asking.

Hi,

I have a couple of questions, please, so sorry for rambling in advance.

I was reading the guide regarding what to expect at the WCA. But, I was wondering does the assessor carry out a physical examination, please, because I didn’t see it mentioned in the guide for mental or physical health? The last time I went for a WCA was several years ago now and at that time I was only suffering from a mental health problem, but since then I’ve gone on to develop a physical health problem too. Is it likely I’ll have an examination and if so what should I expect? My physical health condition is that I struggle to walk and feel pain in my feet due to a nerve condition.

Secondly, when the appointment came through it was at an assessment centre further away from my home, which I’ve never been too before. At the time I was told that they no longer do assessments at the one closest to me. But when I contacted them today because I needed to make sure it was ground floor, I was told that the one closest to me is really backlogged and their audio equipment is broken. So, I was worried that the room I may end up in is far away from the reception area and that especially with travelling further to get there, that I would struggle to walk more. So I was told to ring the assessment centre directly and that they will leave a note to accommodate this, but the person who picked up the phone said there was nothing they could do and I would just have to go to whatever room I was called to and to be honest, she was very short and rude with me. Is there a way to handle this differently?

Regards