Medical Assessors are fully qualified and experienced practitioners who provide independent, informed opinions on applications to the illness, disability & caring schemes, for the guidance of the Department's Deciding Officers.
Many of the Medical Assessors have specialist post-graduate qualifications, knowledge, or training such as Psychiatry, Rheumatology, Surgery, Occupational Medicine, Public Health, Anaesthesiology & General Practice et cetera and all have received structured training in disability evaluation and the operation of the Department's schemes.
The Medical Assessors have an ongoing commitment to continuing medical education to ensure that standards are maintained and enhanced.
When a request for review and/or appeal, a different Medical Assessor is assigned to review the application de novo as well as considering the newly submitted information.
The Medical Assessors assess each case, based on the information provided against the qualifying criteria for the relevant scheme. In Disability Allowance, the medical qualifying criteria is as follow :-
• The person must be suffering from an injury, disease, congenital deformity or physical or mental illness or defect which has continued or may reasonably be expected to continue for a period of at least a year
and
• as a result of the condition and for no other reason the person is substantially restricted in undertaking work which would otherwise be suitable having regard to the person's age, experience, and qualifications.
In Carers Allowance, the medical qualifying criteria is as follow :-
A person is regarded as requiring full-time care and attention when:
• they are so incapacitated as to need continual supervision to avoid danger to themselves or
• they need continual supervision and frequent assistance throughout the day in connection with normal bodily functions and
• they are likely to require full-time care and attention for at least 12 months
• if the person you are caring for goes into a nursing home on a full-time basis, payment of the allowance may continue for a period of 12 weeks. A letter from the nursing home confirming date of admittance should be submitted to the department
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
