British Deaf Association

Do you currently receive DLA? The Department for Work & Pensions is looking for 30 volunteers from across the DLA rate combinations, from across Great Britain, by 30 June. We need to know name, telephone/textphone number, email address, home address and current DLA award rates/components.

* Taking part is voluntary and will not affect any benefits an individual is claiming or may claim in the future. An individual can change their mind about participating at any time, for any reason.
* It will involve a single, one hour, face-to-face appointment with a healthcare professional from G4S Medical Services, working on behalf of DWP.
* DWP will pass only volunteer contact details to G4S, who will contact individuals to arrange an appointment. They may not contact all those who initially agree to take part as they may secure enough volunteers without having to do so.
* Appointments will take place between 27 June and the end of August. G4S are likely to try to organise appointments 2-3 weeks in advance, so these volunteers would be contacted between July and August. This will be followed by a letter from G4S to confirm the details of the appointment.
* The majority of appointments will be at the volunteer's home, though they can ask to go to an assessment centre instead if they would prefer.
* Individuals can have a family member or friend with them throughout.
* During the appointment, the healthcare professional will confirm the individual's identity and obtain written consent. They will ask about the impact of the individual's impairment and there will also be a brief clinical examination, relevant to the individual's impairment.
* After the completed appointment, the individual will receive a £30 'Love to Spend' voucher as a token of appreciation. If the appointment took place at an assessment centre, any reasonable travel costs will be refunded (for the individual and a companion if they had one).
* The information collected will be treated in the strictest confidence; all records will be anonymous and will be destroyed after the testing.

Volunteers can be assured that G4S will do their best to comply with an individual's accessibility requirements, including email, textphone and text relay and providing the appointment details in alternative formats. G4S will also organise interpreters where necessary, speaking to the customer in the first instance to ask them what they may require to ensure that they book the right interpreter.

The initial draft assessment regulations/criteria for Personal Independence Payment, an explanatory technical note and six additional policy briefings can be found at the following link: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform/legislation-and-key-document...

To comply with security requirements, those wishing to volunteer must send their information as a hard copy using Royal Mail Special Delivery to:

Tash Shotton
DLA Reform - Assessment Development
Health, Work and Wellbeing Directorate
Department for Work and Pensions
Area B, second floor
Caxton House
Tothill Street
London SW1H 9NA