Mandatory interview?

pack37 wrote: Hi. My son has just started claiming contribution-based ESA. He also has an ATOS form to send in. Today he had a letter from the local jobcentre stating that he had to come in for a 'work-focused interview for ESA claimants'. I was not sure about this as he hasn't been assessed at all yet and surely could possibly be not up to attending?
I phoned the DWP Benefit Centre at Caerphilly and was told that the interview was voluntary.
However, my son was phoned today by the Jobcentre and told that no, the interview was compulsory. They also asked him what the nature of his illness was. I was shocked by this. Are they allowed to do that?
So we are none the wiser as to whether the interview is mandatory or not. Can anyone help clear this up? Thanks.

It used to be common practice, although not so much recently, for claimants to be asked to attend a Work Focussed Interview during the Assessment phase of ESA. The interview is mandatory and a failure to attend could and likely will result in a sanction being placed against your son's payments.

At this point the JC+ staff (who deal with WFIs and related activity) rather than the DWP staff (who deal with the actual claim) are unlikely to have any information about your son's condition and limitations, part of the interview is for them to ask questions about this.

It is possible for the WFI to be held over the phone, but if the JC+ advisor is unwilling to entertain this then he will need to attend, someone can go with him and sit in with him. The only other thing I can suggest would be for his GP was to write a letter confirming that it would be detrimental to his conditions if were to attend.

Gordon