Each year when government benefit rates are uplifted, financial assessments need to be recalculated to reflect the new rates. A4W provides an automatic reassessment process that applies updated parameters to client assessments in bulk, saving significant manual effort. This article covers updating annual parameters and running the reassessment process.
Before you start
Check that the end date for all current parameters is set correctly before adding new ones. The system does not allow overlapping dates or gaps between the end of a previous rate and the start of a new one.
Update annual parameters
Assessment parameters
Navigate to System Maintenance > Annual Parameters > Assessment Parameters.
Enter the new parameter values for the coming financial year, including income thresholds and capital limits.
Domiciliary parameters
Navigate to System Maintenance > Annual Parameters > Domiciliary Parameters.
Enter the new minimum income guarantee (MIG) rate and any other domiciliary-specific values.
📌Note: The MIG rate is usually Income Support plus Disability Premium plus 25%, but this varies depending on your council's charging policy.
Benefit rates
Benefit rates can be updated using the Copy Rates option, which is more efficient than entering each rate manually.
Navigate to System Maintenance > Annual Parameters > Benefit Rates.
Use the Copy Rates option to create new rates for benefits with standard amounts (such as Attendance Allowance and DLA Care).
Use the Matrix option to enter the new rate values.
Run a preview report to Excel to check the new rates before applying.
Once confirmed, run the process to create the new rates.
🤓Tip: Before starting, prepare a list of all benefit descriptions (from System Maintenance > Reference Data > Benefit Descriptions) and a list of benefits that had standard rates last year. This ensures you create rates for all relevant benefits.
Additional parameters
Review and update any additional annual parameters that apply to your council, including:
Full and minimum charges.
Weekly allowance amounts.
Care cost element rates.
Third party contribution rates.
Domiciliary service rates.
Non-standard benefit rates.
Graduated retirement pension rates.
Outgoings allowances.
Preparation reports
Before running the reassessment, run validation reports to identify any issues.
Validate assessment dates
Run the Validate Assessment Dates report to check for assessments with date issues that could cause problems during reassessment.
User defined reports
Create user defined reports to review the current state of assessments before and after the reassessment process.
Run automatic reassessments
Select who to reassess
You can specify which clients to reassess either manually or by importing a file.
Navigate to the automatic reassessment screen.
Choose whether to reassess all clients or a selected subset.
Use the Client File option to import a list of clients if you are targeting specific groups.
Run the process
Review the Actions available and select the appropriate reassessment action.
Run the reassessment. The system creates new assessments with the updated parameters for each selected client.
Review the results and check for any exceptions.
⚠️Important: For the initial load and for annual reassessments that affect a large number of clients, consider running the process outside of normal working hours to avoid performance impact.
Produce notifications
After the reassessment is complete, produce notification letters to inform clients of their new assessed charges.
Run the notification process.
Letters are generated for each client whose assessment has changed.
Print and distribute the notifications.