Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the process is for a claimant who wishes to complain about a health assessment related to their benefit.

Assessment providers (APs) have their own complaints process to deal with dissatisfaction about the service they provide. Complaints about the health assessment are directed to the provider, unless it is a mixed complaint concerning the service provided by both the department and the AP. Mixed complaints are handled by the department.

The three APs, Capita and Independent Assessment Services (IAS) for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Centre for Health and Disability Assessments (CHDA) for Work Capability Assessments (WCA), each have webpages explaining how claimants can contact them directly to make a complaint.

AP complaints are investigated by a customer relations manager or a case officer, who obtains all relevant evidence to inform a balanced and appropriate reply. If deficiencies are identified, they apologise and advise the department where this may have a bearing on the entitlement decision. This is known as a Tier 1 complaint response.

If a claimant is dissatisfied with the investigation and outcome of a Tier 1 complaint this can be looked at afresh by a senior manager who will review the initial investigation and obtain further evidence if appropriate. The outcome is then conveyed to the claimant by the AP and is referred to as a Tier 2 complaint response.

If, following Tier 1 and 2 of the complaints process, the claimant is still dissatisfied, they can contact the Independent Case Examiner (ICE) to look at their complaint.