Work Capability Assessment
If you have applied for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) because you are not well enough to work, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) have to decide whether you do qualify for this benefit. The test they use to decide this is called the Work Capability Assessment (WCA).
Starting from March 2011 until March 2014, if you are currently receiving Incapacity Benefit, Income Support (on the grounds of disability) or Severe Disablement Allowance, you will be asked to go through the WCA rather than the Personal Capability Assessment. You should receive a telephone call and letters from the DWP to explain what and why this is happening.
This information is taken from the Rethink Advices and Information Service Work Capability Assessment (WCA) Factsheet (292 kb) ![[pdf]](http://www.rethink.org/display_images/document_icons/pdf.gif){kind=icon}
You may find it helpful to have a copy of the ESA50 questionnaire in front of you while you read this information.
'Limited Capability for Work'
In order to qualify for and receive Employment and Support Allowance the Department of Work and Pensions has to be satisfied that you have limited capability for work. 
You will automatically be treated as though you have limited capability for work if you are a hospital in-patient and in some other limited circumstances.
In some cases the decision maker at the Department of Work and Pensions may be able to decide that you have limited capability for work based on the information provided in your initial claim for Employment and Support Allowance along with the doctor’s note provided.
If they can’t they will send you an ESA50 Questionnaire.
In order to qualify for ESA you need to score 15 points in total across the whole questionnaire.
It is possible to score a different amount of points for different questions. Look at the bottom of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) Factsheet for the descriptors and the points available for each answer.
Despite fierce opposition from Rethink and other disability charities, the Government decided to change some of the descriptors and points scored starting from the 28th March 2011. If you applied for ESA or were going through the assessment or appeals process before this date, you are likely to be assessed using the old descriptors. Please contact the Rethink Advice & Information Service for a copy of our older version of this factsheet which shows the original descriptors.
