Notes for you to keep continued
Work Capability Assessments
As part of your claim to ESA, you’ll be asked to take part in a Work Capability Assessment. We will ask you to read, fill in and return a Capability
for Work questionnaire (ESA50) about how your disability, illness or health condition affects your ability to work. You may then be asked to go to
a face-to-face assessment with a Healthcare Professional.
Please note: The face-to-face assessment is not a medical examination. It is to help us understand how your disability, illness or health condition
affects your ability to work.
This means we can give you the right support to help you work when you can. This could include work you haven’t thought about before.
Not everyone is asked to go, but if you are given an appointment, it’s important you attend. If you don’t fill in and send back the questionnaire,
or go to your Work Capability Assessment if you are asked to, your ESA payments may be stopped.
We understand you might be nervous about your assessment. If you would like someone to go with you to the assessment please take them
with you. The person you take should know and understand you and your needs (for example, a relative, support worker or friend. They must be
16 or over).
You can find out more about the Work Capability Assessment and see a video of a face-to-face assessment by visiting the Health Assessment
Advisory Service website at chdauk.co.uk
After your assessment, we’ll decide how much your disability, illness or health condition limits your ability to work. We’ll make our decision using:
l the report written by the Healthcare Professional
l the answers from your questionnaire and
l any other medical evidence we get from your General Practitioner (GP) or Healthcare Professional who knows about your disability, illness or
health condition.
If we find you are capable of work, we will stop paying you ESA.
If we find your disability, illness or health condition limits your ability to work, you will be placed into one of two different groups. These are called
the work-related activity group and the support group.
If you can show you’re able to start doing things to prepare for work in the future, you will be put into the work-related activity group.
If your disability, illness or health condition severely limits your ability to work, you will be put into the support group.
We will pay ESA at an assessment rate until you’ve had your Work Capability Assessment. The amount of benefit we pay you once you’ve had
your Work Capability Assessment could change depending on which group you are placed in. If you’re placed in the work-related activity group
or support group we will backdate any arrears to week 14 of your claim.
Health and work conversation
You may get an appointment to go to a health and work conversation. The health and work conversation is a type of work focused interview.
This isn’t your Work Capability Assessment. The conversation isn’t about you looking or applying for work now, it’s about helping you get into
work when you’re able to in the future. It can help you get to know your work coach and plan simple steps to help build your confidence and
motivation. Your ESA payments may be reduced if you don’t go to and take part in your health and work conversation, and you don’t have a
good reason.