Work Capability Assessment to the DWP and would no longer be allowed to recommend any claimants for the Support Group without asking for permission first. When the doctor asked an experienced assessor where these rules had come from, she replied: "DWP". Both the DWP and Atos categorically denied ever having had any target for getting claimants "off" sickness benefits. However, both eventually admitted that Support Group "norms" were being used nationwide, though they both denied that the purpose of "targeted audit" was to limit the number of claimants placed in the Support Group. Atos said that the audit process triggered by the breach
Criticism of the Work Capability Assessment 49 claimants. It went on to explain that it only did this if a): it had been formally notified of a death by a relative of the deceased or a solicitor, and b): a link between the death and the DWP's actions had been alleged. The department admitted that these case audits would not try to establish who was responsible for any mistakes, nor would they "apportion blame" to anyone connected to the deaths. Criticism of the Work Capability Assessment The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is used by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in the United Kingdom to