Hi everyone - I was just wondering if anyone has any tips on the work capability assessment interview. I have looked through the site but have found older posts and wasn't too sure if things may have changed, albeit ever so slightly, since the days of the brutal way they were decided. I have a myriad of health problems, Fibromyalgia, arthritis, Raynaud's, hypothyroidism, c.o.p.d., anxiety, depression, chronic back pain (for which I have had 4 procedures for) but didn't even score 1 point. I take among many medications, morphine 4 x daily for the pain. The assessor thought I was fine as I retrieved my mobile out of my hand bag and answered it. My son was being looked after by a friend and she had called me, so naturally, I feared there was a problem so I answered it. He wrote this action in great detail as I received a copy of the transcript.
I would really appreciate any thoughts or suggestions to get through this interviews as I am feeling completely overwhelmed by it all at the moment. Kindest regards, Ashely
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AsheleyGreen
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Hi Ajay, many thanks for taking the time to respond. I will definitely have a look at the test. Sometimes I feel like it's just too much and I should just give up pursuing this but I know for a fact that it is just an impossibility for me to work right now so I have to do this. Kind regards, Asheley
They still do really badly with multiple conditions and mental health.
It is about focusing on your bad days - and whether you can perform an action repeatedly and safely. And you need evidence from doctors/hospitals.
The assessor will probably ignore both of these but it all counts in the following tribunal.
Score yourself against the items first, note down your answers.
Get someone else to review your answers.
Try to take someone with you. Ask in advance for the assessment to be recorded and state you want a copy - the number of errors/distortions is high and you need evidence when they get it wrong.
If they ask you to do something that will be painful vocalise clearly why you cannot do it (they note down 'refused', you need a record saying you cannot because ...).
Beware of the location - the offices are inaccessible for a reason and they monitor your approach - if you manage the walk/stairs, no matter how you feel afterwards, they state you can walk easily. They note if you visit the toilet how 'easily' you got to it. If you managed to get in but it caused pain, comment on this after the interview starts.
If/when you are turned down, appeal ASAP to DWP. List the reasons why, list any errors in the report. Eg answering a phone does not mean you could answer it twice, or do another action after.
DWP usually just rubber stamp the original decision, but you need to appeal to them in order to progress to tribunal.
If you go to tribunal remember that they will ask about how you were at the time of the original assessment - keep a note of how you were after the assessment, eg did you need extra rest or pain relief as a result?
Hi Rose, I had my assessment earlier today and it went really well. The nurse who assessed me was such a lovely person. I'm just hoping that I have scored enough points.
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