Criticism of the Work Capability Assessment the "written" guidance contained in the 255-page instruction manual issued to all assessors: The foreword to the WCA Handbook states: On 22 July 2013, the DWP announced that all Atos WCA assessors would be retrained, as part of a "quality improvement plan" that followed "a DWP audit which identified an unacceptable reduction in the quality of written reports produced following assessments." In 2006, the New Labour government set out its plans for welfare reform: over the course of a decade, it expected the deployment of the WCA to shrink the number of people on out-of-work sickness benefits by one million,
Work Capability Assessment electronically to the DWP. The whole report attempts both to record all the findings and to justify the recommendation on fitness for work. It shows the total points score and ends with a statement on whether significant disability is likely or unlikely, and a prognosis. After the assessment, a report in an official from the DWP decides on entitlement to Employment and Support Allowance (or to an enhanced rate of Universal Credit). The process also decides whether a "successful" claimant is able to take part in 'work-related activity'. In this way, the process sorts claimants — broadly speaking — into