DWP: Work Capability Assessments (WCAs)

 I want to explain how this important cog in our social security works.

It's completely kafkaesque.

You go in for a work capability assessment. You're met by a person working for an outsourced company who has a relevant health degree but who is not a doctor. When I did mine I was interviewed by a young woman, very charming, very anxious. They're keen to assure you that no decision will be taken today, it's just the collection of information for the computer system. And it was, bless her, she's just a young woman at the start of her career making a living by collecting information on behalf of the government.

You're sat down and they ask you to do various tasks like raising your arm above your shoulder. Irrespective of what's your medical issue is. Most people - most disabled people - score 0/15 on this test. "Customers" invariably tell the interviewer about their disability and she'll listen politely then record the results of the test. None of what we say gets passed up the chain.

"I get chronic anxiety attacks and haven't slept for three weeks."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. Can you touch your toes?"

The data is typed into a computer where it's reviewed by what they call a "Decision Maker." I don't even know if this is a human being. They almost invariably find you fit for work. Partly because of the testing but I think they sometimes cheat. They've found blind people fit for work based on the WCA. They've found dead people fit for work based on the WCA.

The "decision maker" is based in an office a long way from the claimant. Deliberately. There's an office in London that does this work but if you claim in London you won't deal with that office. It'll be handled a long way away. It used to be Makersfield, when I last claimed money it was Northern Ireland. We're governed remotely as if we were in a colony.

Then you have to go on to JSA/UC or sign off. On UC you are in the jobseeking kind of UC so they make you apply vigorously to a large quota of jobs.

This leads to a humiliating period of turning up for job interviews for jobs you obviously can't do. "Why have you applied for a job in our warehouse when you're in a wheelchair?" might be what the interviewer wants to say but can't because it could be deemed discriminatory. Instead this horrible potemkin interview happens where they interview you as if you were a real candidate while you pretend to be interested as if you were going to cart boxes around while on crutches. Then a few days later you get a polite rejection letter.

Slow polite crushing of the human spirit.

You can appeal against the "Decision" and the appeals usually succeed because as soon as the facts are reviewed by an impartial human being he/she spots that the person clearly isn't fit for work. Most of us don't appeal though and just kinda get run over by the system. Appeals are fraught and stressful, rather like a court case. There's no formal help, you have to use things like CAB.