Hi i have been claiming esa since november and was asked to attend an assesment but i just received a letter saying that they have cancelled the appointment as they bo longer need me to attend and to contact my local jcp which i did do but they said there was nothing on the computer as to what happens next -does anybody have any advice ???

Hi there - I've moved this post to a new thread where it should get more replies.

Usually where an assessment is cancelled like this it means that someone has decided that they can make a decision on your entitlement without one. Although we can't say for sure what has happened, very often they feel they have enough evidence to make an ESA award without having to see you face to face.

As I said, we don't know for sure. It can, though, take a while for decisions to be input into the computer system especially with the holiday period just finished. What I would suggest you do is wait another week or so and contact them again. Make sure you keep your medical certificates ("fit notes"/"sick notes") up to date and of course, contact them immediately if you don't receive any payment that you are expecting.

Its strange how its happened when they posted me a letter asking me to attend on the 21st dec for an assesment on 15th jan then cancelled it on the 30th just 9 days later also the woman at my jcp said my assesment had come about quicker than usual as my esa claim only started 18th november she says it normally takes longer for an assesment ?

It is a bit unusual to get an assessment so soon after making a claim, yes, and also unusual for them to cancel an appointment so soon after arranging it. Still, until we know exactly what's going on I wouldn't want to draw any conclusions, good or bad, from this.

Because they cancelled and told you that you no longer need to attend, though, my first guess (and it is just a guess) is as I stated above: they feel they have enough evidence to make a decision without the need for a face to face assessment. They would normally only do this if they were minded to make an award of ESA based on the information they already have. So it is possibly good news, but I really can't be sure.