Click here to read the full Housing Benefit/ Council Tax Benefit Guidance issued by the DWP - HB/CTB A23/2010.

The guidance covers many issues such as if ESA is disallowed, appeals and I woud urge you to read it.

Here are some of the main general points.

"Note: Since publishing the HB/CTB circular A14/2010 the IB Migration
project has been renamed as the IB(IS) Reassessment project.

Operational procedures and information flows during the
national IB(IS) Reassessment period

The IB(IS) Reassessment process  

4 The IB(IS) Reassessment exercise is expected to start from 28 February
2011, and will end in March 2014.

Case volumes

7 Jobcentre Plus expects to process approximately 10,000 cases per week
and is committed to moving all customers off the incapacity benefits within
the three year period ending March 2014.

8 However, where competing business priorities occur during the
reassessment exercise, Jobcentre Plus may need to vary the number of
cases being processed for reassessment week on week. This will not affect
the end date (March 2014) of the reassessment exercise.

   
9 Initially the national IB(IS) Reassessment exercise will only process 33% of
the 10,000 customers reaching the date of their Work Capability
Assessment (WCA). This is to help bed in the process gradually and give
staff time to get used to the new procedures. We expect this reduction to
continue for five weeks, when it will increase to 66% for a further five weeks
before rising to 100% after week ten.

Stockpiling of cases

10 Until the IT supporting the reassessment exercise becomes available at the
end of May 2011, Jobcentre Plus will stockpile cases following completion of
the WCA and all of these customers will remain on their current benefit.
Once the IT is in place these cases will be assessed and progressed
through the remainder of the reassessment process. Jobcentre Plus hasn’t
decided how to clear the backlog of cases, but we will circulate this
information via a bulletin once that decision has been made.  
Impact for Local Authorities (LAs)

11 From the end of May 2011, you can expect cases to filter through for
reassessment of HB/CTB. You will be notified of decisions to change the
volume of cases being processed by your Jobcentre Plus External Relations
Manager (ERM). You are advised to make contact with your local ERM prior
to the start of national rollout to ensure that you have established links for
the purposes of the IB(IS) Reassessment exercise.

12 As is the case now, you should contact your ERM should there be a
breakdown in information flow from Jobcentre Plus. Alternatively you can
contact the Housing Benefit Strategy Division using the contact details on
the first page of this circular.

Additional information

61 Jobcentre Plus has provided the following links to two of the communication
products which have been made available for external stakeholders via the
DWP website. The frequently asked questions include a substantial section
on the impact for LAs and the payment of HB

 http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/ib-reassessment-information-pack.pdf

 http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/incapacity-benefit-reassessment-faqs.pdf

"