Work Capability Assessment

When you make a claim for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), you will usually have a Work Capability Assessment. You may also be asked to take part in a medical assessment.

About the Work Capability Assessment

The Work Capability Assessment is the main assessment for Employment and Support Allowance claims.

It may include a medical assessment if more information is needed about your illness or disability before a decision can be made on your capability for work.

An approved healthcare professional, who has been trained in handling Employment and Support Allowance claims, will assess how your illness or disability affects your capability for work or work related activity, and provide advice to Employment and Support Allowance benefit staff who are responsible for administering claims.

The approved healthcare professional may recommend that you attend a medical assessment if they feel they need more information about your condition.

How it works

When you make a claim for Employment and Support Allowance, you have to complete a questionnaire about how your illness or disability affects your ability to complete everyday tasks.

Your own doctor may be asked to provide a medical report.

An approved healthcare professional will consider the questionnaire and any medical reports, along with any other information you may have provided.

If the approved healthcare professional feels that the Employment and Support Allowance staff will need more information to make a decision on your benefit claim, they will recommend that you attend a face-to-face medical assessment.

Reasons for a medical assessment

You may have been asked to attend a medical assessment for a number of reasons. It is often because more medical information is needed before your claim can be approved.

Most people are asked to attend one. It doesn't mean the information you've provided on your claim form is being treated as suspicious or that your claim will be turned down.

Your benefit claim will not be turned down without you either having a medical assessment or being offered one.

About the medical assessment

The medical assessment will usually take place at a medical centre near where you live. If you're unfit to travel or you live more than 90 minutes journey from the nearest centre, the approved healthcare professional may visit you at home.

You will usually be contacted by telephone by the Medical Services provider. This can be any time between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm. You will be given notice of your appointment and the option to change it if the time doesn't suit you.

It is very important to attend and fully participate in your medical assessment as your benefit may be affected if you don't. If for any reason you cannot attend, you should contact the medical centre beforehand and arrange another appointment.

Your rights at the assessment

You have the right to:

have a friend, relative or support worker with you at the medical assessment
ask for an interpreter if you need one
ask to be assessed by an approved healthcare professional of the same gender as yourself

You need to let the medical centre know ahead of time if you want an interpreter or same-gender approved healthcare professional. They will try to find one for you, although this may not always be possible in some areas.

Guide to Work Capability Assessment

There is a detailed guide to the Work Capability Assessment in PDF format, published by the Social Security Agency. It is aimed mainly at professionals, but you may find it useful. However, because the information is detailed and technical, some of it can be quite hard to understand.