The Personal Capability Assessment Questionnaire

• Completing the personal capability assessment questionnaire
• Scoring points from the questionnaire
• Other points to note
• The Physical Assessment - Descriptors and scores
• The Mental Health Assessment - Descriptors and scores

The 'personal capability assessment' is a test used to assess long term incapacity for work for social security benefits. Although mainly used for Incapacity Benefit purposes it also applies to those people claiming Income Support, Severe Disablement Allowance or National Insurance credits due to their incapacity for work.

The personal capability assessment questionnaire (form IB50) is used to gather information about your ability to perform certain tasks. There is a physical disabilities assessment and a mental health assessment involved. Points can be scored from either or both assessments and it is these scores, rather than whether you can actually work, which are used to decide whether you can be treated as incapable of work. Some people are exempt and are treated as incapable of work without having to go through the assessment. Most people however are sent a form IB50, a 'personal capability assessment' questionnaire, and many will also have to attend at a medical examination where a doctor will complete a similar form based on their opinion. Information from both of these forms, plus any other information the Department for Work and Pensions have obtained, is then used to decide how many points are to be scored in your assessment.

Completing the personal capability assessment questionnaire

Completing the IB50 form properly is important. If you do not score an adequate number of points in the assessment you may no longer be entitled any benefit or credits. When asked to complete the questionnaire should give a detailed account of your difficulties. Although you can give additional details later this can cause complications as a Decision Maker (or an Appeal Tribunal) may wonder why you did not give all the details when you were first asked.

The questionnaire asks for information about particular activities and how difficult it would be for you to perform them. The questions ask about activities like sitting, rising from a chair, bending and kneeling, standing, walking, walking up and down stairs, using your hands, reaching with your arms, and lifting and carrying. Seeing, speaking and hearing are also included, as are fits or blackouts and continence. For each of these areas (called descriptors) there is a box to tick which statement best describes your difficulties and there is also a space to give some details. You should consider all the statements for each activity before ticking a particular box and then give as much detail as possible in writing to say why you have such difficulties.

Be careful that you have properly understood the questions asked. The 'getting up from a chair' question, for example, does not mean 'do you require help to get out of a chair? The question just asks whether you have any difficulties when getting up. In this example you may score points if you find that you have to push up off of something, even if only occasionally, to ease some discomfort you may have in rising from a chair.

Although most of the form relates to the physical part of assessment there is also a mental health test. If you have any mental health problems it is important that you mention these on the page titled 'Information about anxiety, depression and other mental health problems'. Unlike the physical test though you are not shown the statements from which you can score points. The mental health test looks at problems you may have in the areas of daily living, completing tasks, coping with pressure, and interacting with other people. The mental health descriptors and points, shown below, show what specific difficulties are looked at in the assessment.

Whether applying under the physical or mental health tests (or both) you may find it helpful to refer to the questions and points in the personal capability assessment when you complete the questionnaire. The questions, together with the points they can score, are shown below. The following tips may help in completing the questionnaire:

• Take your time over completing the form. If you cannot get the form back to the Department for Work and Pensions in time let them know and ask for more time to complete it.
• Do a rough draft of your answers on a separate piece of paper first.
• Consider all the questions and statements thoroughly before answering them.
• Be honest about the extent of the difficulties you have due to your ill health or disability. You should not exaggerate your problems but should not understate them either.
• If your difficulties vary from day to day, describe what you are like on 'bad' day rather than a 'good' day but then state that you are not like this all the time. If possible, try to give an idea of how many days a week or month are 'good' or 'bad' days for you.
• If you can perform the tasks in the statements but could not do them repeatedly, would be in pain or discomfort if you did them, or feel that you should not do them for some reason, then make sure that you mention this when you give details.
• Give any additional information that may allow for a better understanding to the background of your difficulties. You could mention, for example, if you had to leave a job on ill health grounds. If you have previously filled in a questionnaire whilst you have been ill and have not improved since the last time then you should point this out.
• Finally, where possible, make a copy of the answers you give as they may be referred to later by the Department for Work and Pensions. You may also find it helpful to keep your answers to refer to for the next time you receive a questionnaire.

Scoring points from the questionnaire

For the physical test only one score from each section is counted. If more than one statement applies to you then count the one with the highest score. Only one score can be counted from the 'Walking' and 'Walking up and down stairs' sections. If you are scored 15 points or more from the questionnaire then you will be treated as incapable of work.

For the mental health test points can be scored and added together for any of the statements that apply to you. If you are scored 10 points or more you will be treated as incapable of work.

If you are scored points from the physical test and at least 6 points from the mental health the scores can be combined. If this applies to you then your score from the mental health test will be rounded up to 9 points. If you are scored 15 points or more from this combination then you will be treated as incapable of work.

Other points to note

If you are asked to attend at a medical examination you may wish to read the 'Survival Guide to Medical Examinations'.

If you wish to know about which benefits are available if you are unable to work please see 'A Guide to Claiming Benefits if you are Unable to Work'.

If you are told that you have not passed the personal capability assessment you can challenge such a decision. Do not delay though, the time limit for challenging decisions is normally only one month. Advice on challenging decisions can be found in 'A Guide to Challenging Department for Work and Pensions Decisions'.

The Physical Assessment - Descriptors and Scores

Descriptors	Points
Sitting
I have no problems with sitting	0
I cannot sit comfortably at all	15
I cannot sit comfortably for more than 10 minutes without having to move from the chair	15
I cannot sit comfortably for more than 30 minutes without having to move from the chair	7
I cannot sit comfortably for more than 1 hour without having to move from the chair	3
I cannot sit comfortably for more than 2 hours without having to move from the chair	0
Rising from sitting
No problem with rising from sitting to standing	0
I cannot rise from sitting to standing	15
I cannot rise from sitting to standing without holding on to something	7
Sometimes I cannot rise from sitting to standing without holding on to something	3
Bending and kneeling
I have no problems with bending or kneeling	0
I cannot bend to touch my knees and straighten up again	15
I cannot either, bend or kneel, or bend and kneel as if to pick up a piece of paper from the floor and straighten up again	15
Sometimes I cannot either, bend or kneel, or bend and kneel as if to pick up a piece of paper from the floor and straighten up again	3
Walking*
I have no problems with walking	0
I cannot walk at all	15
I cannot walk more than a few steps without stopping or feeling severe discomfort	15
I cannot walk more than 50 metres without stopping or feeling severe discomfort	15
I cannot walk more than 200 metres without stopping or feeling severe discomfort	7
I cannot walk more than 400 metres without stopping or feeling severe discomfort	3
I cannot walk more than 800 metres without stopping or feeling severe discomfort	0
Walking up and down stairs*
I have no problems walking up and down the stairs	0
I cannot walk up and down one stair	15
I cannot walk up and down a flight of 12 stairs	15
I cannot walk up and down a flight of 12 stairs without holding on and taking a rest	7
I cannot walk up and down a flight of 12 stairs without holding on	3
i can only walk up and down a flight of 12 stairs if you go sideways or one step at a time	3
* Only one score (the highest) from these two sections can be counted
Standing
I have no problems with standing	0
I cannot stand unassisted	15
I cannot stand for more than a minute before needing to sit down	15
I cannot stand for more than 10 minutes before needing to sit down	15
I cannot stand for more than 30 minutes before needing to sit down	7
I cannot stand for more than 10 minutes before needing to move around	7
I cannot stand for more than 30 minutes before needing to move around	3
Using your hands
I have no problems with using my hands	0
I cannot turn the pages of a book with either hand	15
I cannot turn a sink tap or the control knobs on a cooker with either hand	15
I cannot pick up a coin which is 2.5cm (1") or less in diameter with either hand	15
I cannot use a pen or a pencil	15
I cannot tie a bow in laces or string	10
I cannot turn a sink tap or the control knobs on a cooker with one hand, but can with the other	6
I cannot pick up a coin which is 2.5cm (1") or less in diameter with one hand, but can with the other	6
Reaching
I have no problems with reaching	0
I cannot raise either arm as if to put something in the top pocket of a coat or jacket	15
I cannot raise either arm to my head as if to put on a hat	15
I cannot put either arm behind back as if to put on a coat or jacket	15
I cannot raise either arm above head as if to reach for something	8
I cannot raise one arm to his head as if to put on a hat, but can with the other	6
I cannot raise one arm above his head as if to reach for something, but can with the other	0
Lifting and carrying
I have no problems with lifting and carrying	0
I cannot pick up a paperback book with either hand	15
I cannot pick up and carry a 0.5 litre (about a pint) carton of milk with either hand	15
I cannot pick up and pour from a full saucepan or kettle of 1.7 litre (about 3 pints) capacity with either hand	15
I cannot pick up and carry a 2.5 kg (about 5lbs) bag of potatoes with either hand	8
I cannot pick up and carry a 0.5 litre (about a pint) carton of milk with one hand but can with the other	6
I cannot pick up and carry a 2.5 kg (about 5lbs) bag of potatoes with one hand but can with the other	0
Seeing
I have no problems with my sight	0
I cannot see the shape of furniture in the room	15
I cannot see well enough to read 16 point print at a distance greater than 20cm	15
I cannot see well enough to recognise a friend across the room at a distance of a least 5 metres	12
I cannot see well enough to recognise a friend across the road at a distance of at least 15 metres	8
Speaking
I have no problems with speech	0
I cannot speak	15
My speech cannot be understood by family or friends	15
My speech cannot be understood by strangers	15
Strangers have great difficulty understanding my speech	10
Strangers have some difficulty understanding my speech	8
Hearing
I have no problem with hearing	0
I cannot hear well enough to follow a television programme with the volume turned up	15
I cannot hear well enough to understand someone talking in a loud voice in a quiet room	15
I cannot hear well enough to understand someone talking in a normal voice in a quiet room	10
I cannot hear well enough to understand someone talking in a normal voice on a busy street	8
Fits or something similar
I have no problems with fits or something similar	0
I have a fit or something similar at least once a week	15
I have a fit or something similar at least once a month	15
I have had a fit or something similar at least twice in the 6 months	12
I have had a fit or something similar at least once in the 6 months	8
I have had a fit or something similar at least once in the 3 years	0
Coping with toilet needs
I have no problems with continence	0
I have no voluntary control over my bowels	15
I have no voluntary control over my bladder	15
I lose control of my bowels at least once a week	15
I lose control of my bowels at least once a month	15
I lose control of my bowels occasionally	9
I lose control of my bladder at least once a month	3
I lose control of my of bladder occasionally	0

The Mental Health Assessment - Descriptors and scores

The mental health assessment is a separate part of the personal capability assessment. Like the physical assessment it involves scoring points from descriptors but you are not shown or directed to address these on the questionnaire. Even if you are asked to attend at a medical examination you will still not be directly asked about all the descriptors shown below. Which descriptors are satisfied and how many points you score will be based on the opinion of the doctor at the examination, together with any other evidence available, such as the details you give on the form and notes from your GP or anyone else helping you. The descriptors are divided into four main areas of difficulties that you may have. Points can be scored and added together from any of the areas and questions shown below.