ESA

alice wrote: Hi,
Ive read the ESA and MR guides, it seems that i cant score any points on mobility if they just say use a wheelchair, i dont understand this. on my decision letter it also says i can be at a workstation for at least an hour by sitting and standing alternativly. sorry but im just so confused at the moment

Don't worry, these are not easy tests to understand and the current Government have made both more difficult to qualify for.

The Mobilising test looks at your ability to walk a range of distances but also considers whether that distance could be improved on if you used an aid such as a stick or walker, more importantly it also considers whether your using a self-propelled wheelchair would also help.

For these aids to be considered, their use must be considered reasonable, if a claimant fails to provide evidence to the contrary then there use will be assumed. You do not need to be using a wheelchair or even to own one for it to be included.

So, assuming it is the case, you need to show that your using a wheelchair is not reasonable, this could be for physical reasons, for example if you have a lack of function in your upper body and in particular the shoulders, arms and hands, or perhaps you have pain in the arms, shoulders and spine that would be exacerbated by your propelling a wheelchair, other reasons would include heart problems, and exhaustion.

You can also show that your usage of a wheelchair would not be reasonable, for example if you have received medical advice not to use or the practical storage and use of a wheelchair would be a problem, although you need to be careful of this last one as the DWP have recently issued new guidance on this.

The Standing and Sitting test looks at your ability to stay at a workstation whilst standing or sitting, this could be a till in a supermarket or a desk in an office. The test combines the time that you sit with the time that you stand to calculate the total time that you can remain at the workstation, so even though you might need to move from seated to standing and back again, repeatedly even in while in pain the clock will only stop when you move away from the workstation. If you had a face to face assessment then it is likely that the assessor has used the time you spent in the waiting room and the time you spent in the interview to determine your capability for this.

So to score points you first need to show that you cannot remain at the workstation, this could be because you cannot relieve the pain you would be experiencing by simply standing or sitting. Secondly you need to show the total time before you need to walk away.

The Decision Maker must also take into account the repeatability of the test, so as an example; if you could propel a manual wheelchair 100m but would have to stop and rest for 5 minutes every 25m then you should only be considered as being able to cover the first 25m. Again as an example, if you can only remain at the workstation for 10 minutes before walking away but could return after a couple of minutes, then it is only that initial 10 minutes that would count.

I hope this explains them better, but if not them please come back to the forum and we'll have another go

Gordon