Rethinking the Work Capability Assessment

The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) – which assesses eligibility for the main out-of-work disability benefit, Employment and Support Allowance – is widely seen to be failing

This Demos report examines the feasibility of replacing WCA with a real-world assessment.

Real-world assessments consider whether a person could actually get or keep work, given their impairments and given who they are.

This report finds:

• Real-world assessment is possible – even commonplace
• A standardised real-world test is possible
• We can separate real-world incapacity from unemployment
• Unemployment benefits must also be a ‘safe place’ for disabled people

It concludes with a series of recommendations for how the new government in May 2015 can take the steps towards a new incapacity assessment. Our view is that this should be based on a real-world idea of incapacity – not for political reasons, but because it better reflects everyday realities.