Benefit types
We want to help you feel prepared and ready for your face-to-face assessment.
If you need any more help before your assessment, you can contact Capita.
Before your assessment
If you're applying for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) you may be sent a capability for work questionnaire, also known as an ESA50 form. Please complete the form as fully as possible, answering all the questions. It's important that you return the form by the date on the letter you are sent.
You may also download the ESA50 form to your computer. If you use the online form, fill it out, print it, sign it and then send it to DfC. If you need help filling in the form, you can now speak to a dedicated advisor on our helpline by calling 0800 072 0398.
You can also go to your local benefits office and speak to your work coach.
Appointment letters are available in a range of accessible formats. If you would like your appointment letter in a different format, please contact Capita.
If you would prefer to be assessed by a healthcare professional of a particular gender, please contact Capita as soon as possible and we will do our best to arrange this.
Interpreters
Please let us know at least two days before your assessment if you need an interpreter for your assessment. This will help to make sure that we can have an interpreter available for you.
What to bring to your assessment
Proof of identity
You will need to provide one item of identification which has your photo on it. Acceptable documents include your current passport, UK full or provisional photo-card driving licence, foreign national identity card, Armed Forces identity card, or eVisa.
If you do not have any photographic identification, bring a different item of official identification, such as a council tax statement, local council rent card or tenancy agreement. A utility bill, bank statement or mobile phone statement is also acceptable, but the document must be no more than 6 months old.
Please see the full list below, of acceptable forms of ID.
- You will need to provide ID:
- One item from list A, or
- Three items from list B (if you do not have any of the items in list A)
If you do not have acceptable proof of identity, we may be unable to carry out your consultation.
List A: Primary ID |
List B: Secondary ID |
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| A current passport Official European Community ID Card Certificate of Registration - Workers Registration Scheme Certificate eVisa |
Full/provisional driving licence Electoral Identity Card Senior Citizen bus pass Travel pass with photograph affixed Standard acknowledgement letter (SAL)/ARC Card EL3 (similar to SAL from the home office) Adoption Certificate Form GV3 (issued to foreign nationals) UK Residence Permit NIHE rent book Rates Collection Agency documents Life assurance/insurance documents Paid fuel/telephone bill in customers name Marriage Certificate Original full or short birth certificate Divorce/annulment papers Certificate/contract of employment in HM forces Certificate/contract of employment under the crown Certificate/contract of employment in the Merchant Navy P714 (tax certificate) Solicitors letter containing information which helps to establish identity Cheque book Cheque guarantee card Store/credit/Post Office Account card Trade Union membership card Apprentice Indentures Vehicle registration/motor insurance documents Wage slip, P45, or P60 from current or recent employer Medical Card Mortgage repayment documents |
2. Any medication you may be taking.
3. Any information from your general practitioner (GP) or specialist which explains how your condition affects you.
Further evidence
You will need to send any medical evidence or other information you might already have, such as reports, care or treatment plans about you from GPs, hospital doctors, specialist nurses, community psychiatric nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, social workers, support workers, learning disability support team, counsellors or carers.
Things Capita would like to see if you already have them: |
Things Capita doesn’t need to see include general information about your medical conditions that are not about you personally: |
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You may be asked for details of the professionals or carers who know the most about your health conditions, illnesses and disabilities - expand the list below to see who these might be:
List of professionals and carers
- consultant or specialist doctor
- psychiatrist
- specialist nurse, such as a community psychiatric nurse
- physiotherapist
- occupational therapist
- social worker
- support worker or personal assistant
- carer
Remember – only send us copies of medical or other information if you already have them. Don’t ask or pay for new information or send us original documents. Please write your National Insurance number on each piece of information you send to us.
As soon as you have completed the form, you need to sign and date it, and return it in the envelope we provided. It is important for you to return the form before its due date. DfC may not be able to continue to pay you benefits if we don’t receive this form in time.
If you cannot return the form in time, let us know as soon as possible. There is also a box that allows you to explain why your form was late.
If you have any concerns, please contact Capita.
Audio recording
We will make an audio recording of your assessment unless you tell us you do not want this.
If you do not want us to make an audio recording, contact Capita and tell us before your appointment. You can also tell the health professional at the start of your assessment or at any time during it.
During your assessment
The healthcare professional will introduce themselves and explain the consultation to you. They’ll record information on a computer. Some questions may not relate directly to your medical condition, but to daily activities.
The assessment questions may include: when your illness or disability started; how your condition changes from day-to-day; how it affects your daily life; how it affects your mood and the way you behave; and how you cope with things from day-to-day.
If your condition varies, the healthcare professional will ask questions to understand how it changes and how this affects you on both better and worse days. Please tell them if the day of your assessment is not typical for you.
The healthcare professional will record information about your pain, fatigue, and the medication you take. Depending on your illness or disability the assessment may include a physical examination and movements such as stretching, standing and bending. The healthcare professional will not ask you to make any movements that cause you discomfort.
The healthcare professional
Our healthcare professionals are doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and paramedics registered with their governing body, including the General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and the Healthcare Professions Council. They go through a specifically designed training course approved by DfC.
Companion or chaperone during your assessment
You can have someone with you at your assessment. Although the assessment will focus on you, a companion can offer useful support to you. This would usually be the person who knows you best and understands you and your needs. For example, this may be a relative, support worker or friend but they must be 16 years old or over.
If you have an appointee
An appointee is someone appointed by the Department for Communities (DfC) to act on your behalf if you are not able to manage your own benefit claim. An appointee must be aged 18 or over. They can be a family member, a friend, or an organisation such as a solicitor or a Health and Social Care Trust.
If you have an appointee, they can deal with us about your assessment. They will receive your appointment letter and can contact us on your behalf.
Please ask your appointee to contact us before your appointment. We can then talk through what will happen at your assessment and make sure the right arrangements are in place for you.
Taking notes
You or your companion are welcome to take notes for your personal use. Your notes will not form part of the medical report that we send to DfC.
Waiting time and length of consultation
We’ll make sure you are seen as soon as possible. The receptionist will tell you if you have to wait.
Other people who arrive after you may go to their assessment before you. This is because we do several types of assessments, and some take longer than others. There is no set time for assessments, but they are usually between 20 minutes and 1 hour.
After your consultation
After your assessment our healthcare professional completes a report using criteria laid out by DfC. This is to provide the DfC decision maker with an impartial, justified medical opinion about how you are affected by your medical condition.
The report is one piece of information DfC uses in deciding your entitlement. You may request a copy of the full report from the DfC office handling your claim.
Decisions on claims
DfC will let you know of the outcome of your claim. DfC makes decisions on claims. The healthcare professional who carries out your assessment does not make any decision about your allowance, benefit or credits. Direct any questions or concerns about the outcome of your claim to the DfC office handling your claim. Capita will not be aware of this. We have no decision-making role.