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The decision-maker will consider the report along with all the other information provided for your claim. They will decide whether you are entitled to Incapacity Benefit and at what rate it should be paid if you are. They will then send you a letter telling you about their decision. 

Confidentiality

All the medical information related to your claim, including the healthcare professional's report from the medical examination, is confidential and will not be released to anyone outside the DWP.

Sometimes the healthcare professional may want to send some information about your medical examination to your own doctor. In that case, Atos Healthcare, who organise medical examinations on behalf of the DWP, will write to you and ask whether you agree to them giving your doctor the information.

If you're not happy with the medical examination

If you're not happy with the way the medical examination was carried out, you can complain to Atos Healthcare. The complaints procedure is outlined in the letter you received about your medical examination.

You can also complain to the healthcare professional at the time of the examination. If they cannot resolve the problem, they will give you a brochure explaining the formal complaints procedure.

If you're not happy with the benefit decision

If you think the decision about your benefit claim is wrong, or you don't understand it, you can:

• How to appeal against a benefits decision (general money, tax and benefits section)

Repeat medical examinations

In the medical report that is written after your medical examination, the healthcare professional says when your condition could be expected to change. This can be one of the following options:

The decision-maker decides when your claim will be reassessed, based on the healthcare professional's advice. The reassessment may involve another medical examination.