HOW TO FILL IN AN EMPLOYMENT AND SUPPORT ALLOWANCE (ESA50) FORM
There are some excellent guides on the internet from various organisations and support groups. We will try and keep putting links on our website and facebook page as we come across them. There are also various 'blogs' with people talking about their experiences of claiming ESA and giving hints and tips that they found useful. Doing a general search under 'filling in a ESA50 form' will bring up some interesting websites/blogs.
It would also be helpful to look at the ESA 'descriptors' - that is the points scoring system for Employment and Support Allowance. Being aware of what you may be awarded points for will help you know what information you need to get on the form. You can find the descriptors on the internet or we have electronic and paper copies at DIAL.
There are two levels of ESA - The Work related Activity Group and the Support Group. You have to be awarded 15 points from the Limited Capability for Work descriptors to get into the Work Related Activity group or you have to come under just one of the Limited Capability for Work Related Activity descriptors to get into the support Group (although there are some 'exceptional circumstances' rules not dependant on points which can apply and lead to an award in some cases).
The first section of the formis where you are asked to give factual details about yourself including your National Insurance number. It is important that you include this as it is the reference for all benefit claims. It begins with two letters, then six numbers and another letter at the end. If you have not claimed a benefit before it should be on any payslips or tax documents that you have.
You are then asked about attending for a face to face assessment. If you have difficulties getting out of the house (for physical or mental health reasons), travelling or moving around, indoors or out, give as much detail as possible in this section. It is possible to have a home based face to face assessment but will need to argue for this - in most cases you will need to send evidence as to why you need a home visit. If you can send this with the form then this could be helpful. This could be from your GP, Mental Health Support worker or another professional working with you. The Decision Maker has the 'discretion' to decide your claim without a face to face assessment. This is rare but is most likely to happen if you have sent extra evidence to inform your claim.
The next section asks for your GP details and details of any other medical or other professionals that you are seeing. If you no longer see a Consultant or other specialist but used to, you could make a note of this in the extra information section at the end. There are many conditions where patients are seen by a Consultant at the time of diagnosis but discharged back to their GP for management of their condition if there is nothing more that can be done at the hospital. It doesn't mean that you no longer have issues arising from your health problem. Typical examples of this are Mental Health and particularly patients suffering from ME and many chronic, long term conditions.
You are then asked to list your health conditions or disabilities. Include here all the health problems that you have - not just the main one affecting you - this gives the Decision Maker a more detailed picture of you.
Under the section asking for details of medication you could attach a copy of your repeat prescription and just put 'see attached repeat slip' in the box but don't forget to write in any medication not on repeat. Also mention any medical aids that you have been provided with by the NHS eg. splints, leg braces, walking aids, wheelchairs, orthotic inserts etc. You could also add in this section a list of any daily living or educational equipment that you use. If these have been provided following an assessment eg by Social Services or following an educational special needs assessment and you have a copy of the assessment then sending this could also be helpful. An example of these could be aids to help you with cooking or having a bath or special equipment to do with dyslexia or low vision equipment.
It can be helpful to send evidence which gives information on any of the following - length of time your medical or other professional has been treating you, diagnoses, treatment, prognosis (eg. likelihood of improvement or deterioration) and how your condition affects you. It is not just Doctors who may be able to provide this information - other professionals may know you better such as a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, dietician etc. Even your carer/partner could provide a statement as to what care you need, whether this is physical help or supervision or prompting to do things. The DWP sometimes say this is not helpful to your claim but experience tells us that your carer/partner is often the person best placed to give detailed information as to how your disability affects you on a day to day basis. Also if your case needs to go to appeal the Tribunal Service really do appreciate such statements. Do not assume that the DWP will contact any of the people named on your form - they often do not. If you can provide the evidence in the first instance it can give them information that they would otherwise never have. Copies of Occupational Therapy assessments, Occupational health letters, driving Assessments etc may also be helpful.
Each section on the form asking about how your disability/health condition affects you has tick boxes - don't just tick the boxes - give as much information as possible in the space below to paint a full picture of how your disability or health condition affects you on a day to day basis. If you need to continue onto a separate piece of paper that is fine (in fact if you find it difficult to write there is nothing to stop you writing your answers on a computer and just putting 'see attached printout' on the actual form). Someone else can physically fill the form in for you but this should still be as written in the first person eg 'I cannot cook a meal...' if you are signing the form. If someone acts on your behalf and signs forms for you they can fill in the form as themselves.
For each activity give information on the difficulty you have, what help you need from another person, what aids or equipment you need to use, whether it takes you much longer to do things and whether you can do them 'safely' repeatedly and reliably'. This is very important because it is not just about you not being able to do something at all, but about whether you can do something repeatedly, whether there is any risk involved in you doing it and if you can only do something very slowly. It is not just about how you manage at home but particularly how you would manage in the work place.
If you being able to do something fluctuates or your condition is variable give details of this on the form. The fact that you may have some particularly good days when you can do something is irrelevant if you cannot do it at all or without aids and equipment or help from someone for the majority of the time. So, if you are ticking the 'sometimes' or 'it varies' box state clearly in the space below what you mean by this or the DWP may assume it is not the majority of the time. This is particularly relevant for the first question regarding the mobility section - there is no option to tick if your mobility is less than 50 metres. If this is the case do not tick a box but write alongside the tick boxes 'I cannot walk 50 metres) then give more detail in the space below.
Do not be afraid to repeat yourself from section to section. If something is relevant to more than one section just restate it - there are often overlaps from one activity to another. Even if you have given a list of equipment that you use earlier in the form state again in each section what equipment you need to use to be able to carry out that particular activity. If you still have difficulties despite using equipment or aids explain this. This is especially relevant to the mobility section if you are a wheelchair user. It is important to state any difficulties you would have using a manual wheelchair that you would have to propel yourself e.g you couldn't do this because of upper limb problems, breathlessness, visual problems or any other issues. 'Mobilising' in the ESA descriptors includes using a manual wheelchair and if you can propel your own manual wheelchair without difficulty you will not be awarded points for mobilising. This does not apply to electric or powered wheelchairs. If you have had an assessment for an electric wheelchair or scooter then enclosing a copy may be useful.
It can also be helpful and informative to give examples of difficulties that you have had eg. describing any accidents you have had, what an actual panic attack was like, an example of when and why you had a fall.
Dont delay in filling in and sending off the form. You have 4 weeks to get it back to the DWP. You can ask for an extension if you need more time and if given this will usually allow another 2 weeks. If you do not get the form back by the deadline then your money will stop.
If you have a good reason why you will not be able to fill in the form in time, ring the DWP and discuss this with them - if they think you have 'good cause' they may allow you longer to get it back. This could be because you are ill, have had a bereavement or some other personal reason why you cannot do the form at the moment. Don't just leave it.
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