Limited Capability for Work test mental health descriptors

Transcription

1 Limited Capability for Work test mental health descriptors Employment and Support Allowance was introduced from 27 October Here are the mental health descriptors for the limited capability for work test for Employment and Support Allowance. How the scoring works The mental health assessment is called the mental, cognitive and intellectual function assessment. The descriptors are grouped into ten activities. Each activity is broken down into a number of descriptors. Descriptors carry 0,, or points which relate to the degree of difficulty a person has in carrying out each task described. A person has to score at least points to be found to have limited capability for work. The points can come from the mental health assessment alone or be combined with any scored on the physical health assessment. A person can only score once under each activity even if more than one descriptor applies to them. They should count the highest scoring descriptor which applies to them in each activity. The numbering follows on from the physical disabilities descriptors Activities 12. Learning or comprehension in the completion of tasks 13. Awareness of hazard 14. Memory and concentration. Execution of tasks 1. Initiating and sustaining personal action 17. Coping with change 18. Getting about 1. Coping with social situations 20. Propriety of behaviour with other people 21. Dealing with other people Descriptors

2 12. Learning or comprehension in the completion of tasks e) Needs verbal instructions as to how to carry out a simple task before the claimant is able to learn or understand how to complete the task successfully, but would be unable, within a period of less than one week, to successfully complete the task the following day without receiving a verbal prompt from another person f) None of the above apply 0 Cannot learn or understand how to successfully complete a simple task, such as setting an alarm clock, at all Needs to witness a demonstration, given more than once on the same occasion, of how to carry out a simple task before the claimant is able to learn or understand how to complete the task successfully, but would be unable to successfully complete the task the following day without receiving a further demonstration of how to complete it Needs to witness a demonstration of how to carry out a simple task, before the claimant is able to learn or understand how to complete the task successfully, but would be unable to successfully complete the task the following day without receiving a verbal prompt from another person

3 d) Needs to witness a demonstration of how to carry out a moderately complex task, such as the steps involved in operating a washing machine to correctly clean clothes, before the claimant is able to learn or understand how to complete the task successfully, but would be unable to successfully complete the task the following day without receiving a verbal prompt from another person Go to Top 13. Awareness of hazard Reduced awareness of the risks of everyday hazards (such as boiling water or sharp objects) would lead to daily instances of or to near-avoidance of: (i) injury to self or others; or (ii) significant damage to property or possessions, to the extent that overall day to day life cannot successfully be managed Reduced awareness of the risks of everyday hazards would lead for the majority of the time to instances of or to the near-avoidance of: (i) injury to self or others; or (ii) significant damage to property or possessions, such that overall day to day life cannot successfully be managed without supervision from another person Reduced awareness of the risks of everyday hazards has led or would lead to

4 13. Awareness of hazard frequent instances of or to the near-avoidance of: (i) injury to self or others; or (ii) significant damage to property or possessions, but not to such an extent that overall day to day life cannot managed when such incidents occur d) None of the above apply Memory or concentration On a daily basis, forgets or loses concentration to such an extent that overall day to day life cannot be successfully manaed without receiving verbal prompting, given by someone else in the claimant's presence For the majority of the time, forgets or loses concentration to such an extent that overall day to day life cannot be successfully managed without receiving verbal prompting, given by someone else in the claimant's presence Frequently forgets or loses concentration to such an extent that overall day to day life can only be successfully managed with pre-planning, such as making a daily written list of all tasks forming part of daily life that are to be completed d) None of the above apply 0. Execution of tasks e) None of the above apply 0 Is unable to successfully complete any everyday task Takes more than twice the length of time it would take a person without any form of mental disablement, to successfully complete an everyday task with which the claimant is familiar Takes more than one and a half times but no more than twice the length of time it would take a person without any form of mental disablement to successfully complete an everyday task with which the claimant is familiar d) Takes one and a half times the length of time it would take a person without any

5 . Execution of tasks form of mental disablement to successfully complete an everyday task with which the claimant is familiar Go to Top 1. Initiating and sustaining personal action d) Cannot, due to a cognitive impairment or a severe disorder of mood or behaviour, initiate or sustain personal action without requiring frequent verbal prompting given by another person in the claimant's presence for the majority of the time e) None of the above apply 0 Cannot, due to a cognitive impairment or a severe disorder of mood or behaviour, initiate or sustain any personal action (which means planning, organisation, problem solving, prioritising or switching tasks) Cannot, due to a cognitive impairment or a severe disorder of mood or behaviour, initiate or sustain personal action without requiring verbal prompting given by another person in the claimant's presence for the majority of the time Cannot, due to a cognitive impairment or a severe disorder of mood or behaviour, initiate or sustain personal action without requiring verbal prompting given by another person in the claimant's presence for the majority of the time Note this is identical to the descriptor above. It is not clear therefore if it carries or points. The equivalent descriptor in the draft regulations carries points. (This error in the regulations which will be amended at some point and we will amend this page when this is done) 17. Coping with change d) None of the above apply 0 Cannot cope with very minor, expected changes in routine, to the exent that overall day to day life cannot be managed

6 17. Coping with change Cannot cope with expected changes in routine (such as a pre-arranged permanent change to the routine time scheduled for a lunch break), to the exent that overall day to day life is made significantly more difficult Cannot cope with expected changes in routine (such as an unexpected change of the timing of an appointment on the day on which it is due to occur), to the exent that overall day to day life is made significantly more difficult 18. Getting about e) None of the above apply 0 Cannot get to any specified place with which the claimant is, or would be, familiar Is unable to get to a specified place with which the claimant is familiar, without being accompanied by another person on each occasion For the majority of the time is unable to get to a specified place with which the claimant is familiar without being accompanied by another person d) Is frequently unable to get to a specified place with which the claimant is familiar without being accompanied by another person 1. Coping with social situations Normal activities, for example, visiting new places or engaging in social contact, are precluded because of overwhelming fear or anxiety Normal activities, for example, visiting new places or engaging in social contact, are precluded for the majority of the time due to overwhelming fear or anxiety Note There is an error in the regulations for this descriptor as no points are specified. It carries points in the draft regulations. We will update this information when the regulations are amended? Normal activities, for example, visiting new places or engaging in social contact, are frequently precluded due to overwhelming fear or anxiety d) None of the above apply 0

7 Go to Top 20. Propriety of behaviour with other people d) e) f) Has a strongly disproportionate reaction to minor events or to criticism, to the extent that the claimant cannot manage overall day to day life when such events or criticism occur Has unpredictable outbursts of aggressive, disinhibited or bizarre behaviour, sufficient to cause frequent disruption Frequently demonstrates a moderately disproportionate reaction to minor events or to criticism but not to such an extend that the claimant cannot manage overall day to day life when such events or criticism occur g) None of the above apply 0 Has unpredictable outbursts of aggressive, disinhibited or bizarre behaviour being either: (i) sufficient to cause disruption to others on a daily basis; or (ii) of such severity that although occurring less frequently than on a daily b a sis, no rea sonable person would be expected to tolerate them Has a completely disproportionate reaction to minor events or criticism to the extent that the claimant has an extreme violent outburst leading to threatening behaviour or actual

8 20. Propriety of behaviour with other people physical violence Has unpredictable outbursts of aggressive, disinhibited or bizarre behaviour, sufficient in severity or frequency to cause disruption for the majority of the time 21. Dealing with other people e) Is unaware of impact of own behaviour to the extent that: (i) has difficulty relating to others for prolonged periods, such as a week; or (ii) frequently causes distress to others f) The claimant misinterprets verbal or non-verbal communication to the extent of causing himself or herself significant distress on a frequent basis g) None of the above apply 0 Is unaware of impact of own behaviour to the extent that: (i) has difficulty relating to others even for brief periods, such as a few hours; or (ii) causes distress to others on a daily basis The claimant misinterprets verbal or non-verbal communication to the extent of causing himself or herself significant distress on a daily basis Is unaware of impact of own behaviour to the extent that: (i) has difficulty relating to others for longer periods, such as a day or two; or (ii) causes distress to others for the majority of the time d) The claimant misinterprets verbal or non-verbal communication to the extent of causing himself or herself significant distress for the majority of the time

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