The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is under growing pressure after figures revealed a stark imbalance in Work Capability Assessments (WCAs). While more than 250,000 assessments for new claims were completed in the past five months, fewer than 10,000 existing claimants received reassessments during the same period.
As of August 2025, around 110,000 existing claimants remain in limbo, awaiting an assessment that determines their eligibility for disability-related benefits. This backlog has raised concerns about service equity, with critics warning that prioritising new claims over reassessments could leave vulnerable individuals facing prolonged uncertainty.
Sir Stephen Timms, Minister of State for Work and Pensions, acknowledged the issue, stating:
“It is well-established government policy to prioritise Work Capability Assessments for new benefit claims to determine their capability for work at the earliest possible opportunity. Reassessments occur when there is capacity in the system, which has been limited due to an increase in demand for WCAs for new benefit claims.”
Campaigners argue that this approach is failing those whose health has deteriorated. Finn Keaney, welfare rights team lead for Mind in the City, Hackney and Waltham Forest, said:
“We have noticed a trend wherein people who already have limited capability for work are not being granted reassessments to determine whether they also have limited capability for work-related activity. This leaves people stuck on lower support rates despite worsening conditions.”
Advocacy groups warn that delays risk financial hardship and heightened anxiety for thousands of claimants who depend on timely benefit adjustments. Calls are growing for urgent action, including increased staffing and streamlined processes, to tackle what campaigners describe as a “systemic failure” in managing reassessments.
The DWP has indicated plans to accelerate healthcare professional recruitment and improve efficiency, but critics say these measures cannot come soon enough.
Work and Pensions Minister Sir Stephen Timms has said that the DWP expects to take another 6 months to clear ‘most’ of the work capability assessment (WCA) reassessment backlog.
Following a FOI – Instructions regarding Work Capabiltiy Assessments and policy intent – a Freedom of Information request to Department for Work and Pensions – WhatDoTheyKnow
And following the announcement in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that the UC health element will be cut from April 2026 –
For advisers supporting claimants who currently have LCW and report a deterioration in health with the intention of being reassessed for LCWRA, it’s important to note the following policy intent:
· If the reassessment is not completed before April 2026, the effective date of change (supersession date) will be the date the deterioration was reported. This means the claimant will receive the current LCWRA rate, rather than the rate introduced from 6 April 2026.
· Similarly, for new Universal Credit claimants who meet the three-month qualifying period for LCWRA before April 2026, but whose WCA is completed after that date, the LCWRA element should be backdated to the relevant Universal Credit payment period. Again, the claimant will receive the existing LCWRA rate, not the post-April 2026 rate.