Updated 19 November 2012
Employment and Support Allowance claimant journey
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) provides financial help to people who are unable to work because of a health condition or disability. It also provides personalised support to those who are able to work.
Our stakeholder information pack provides customer representative groups with an overview of the ESA claimant journey to help claimants to understand what will happen from their initial contact with us though to the end of their claim.
- ESA claimant journey – stakeholder information pack (118KB)
– updated 9 November 2012
The pack explains what ESA is and how it works as well as offering useful information and advice about back to work support and the continuous improvement and monitoring of ESA.
Links to further information about ESA
Overview of Employment and Support Allowance
- Introduction to ESA (Directgov)
- Eligibility for ESA (Directgov)
- How to claim ESA (Directgov)
- Rates of ESA (Directgov)
Leaflets and claim form downloads
- Employment and Support Allowance – help if you’re ill or disabled (DWP015) (1MB)
- Claim form notes for ESA (ESA40) (139KB)
- Llimited capability for work questionnaire (ESA50) (387KB)
Employment and Support Allowance regulations
Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance legislative changes
- Changes to contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance – information for claimants (Directgov)
- Changes to contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance – information for advisers and intermediaries
- ESA Legislative Changes 2012 for claimants in Great Britain – March 2012 (107KB)
- Letter to providers Changes to contribution-based (ESA1) (42KB)
- Press release – Important changes to Employment and Support Allowance – 30 March 2012
- Letter to claimants about changes to contribution-based ESA (ESA310) (53KB)
- Questions and answers – Changes to contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance – Welfare Reform Act 2012 (75KB)
Work Capability Assessment
- Work Capability Assessment (Directgov)
- Medical assessment (Directgov)
- After your medical assessment (Directgov)
- Statistical releases – ESA: Work Capability Assessment
- A guide to ESA – The Work Capability Assessment (ESA 214) (153KB)
- Developing an exemption definition for the ESA Work Capability Assessment: Findings from an Expert Consultation (May 2011 – Macmillan Cancer Support) (2.68MB)
- Employment and Support Allowance: Work Capability Assessment by Health Condition and Functional Impairment: Official statistics – October 2011 (138KB)
- WCA Handbook – training for healthcare professionals (1.2MB)
Incapacity Benefit and Incapacity Benefit reassessment
- Incapacity Benefit (Directgov)
- Benefits if you are ill or disabled – changes you need to know about (Directgov)
Work Programme
- Work Programme – frequently ask questions (39KB) – updated 19 November 2012
- The Work Programme Partnership Forum
- Work Programme Provider Guidance – Raising a compliance doubt (86KB)
Impact assessments and equality impact assessments
- Employment and Support Allowance legislative changes – Equality Impact Assessment April 2012 (209KB)
- Employment and Support Allowance – Equality Impact Assessment March 2008 (115KB)
- The Assessment of the Employment and Support Allowance Regulations impact assessment March 2008 – Public Sector Impact only (74KB)
Research and statistical information
- Destinations of Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support and Employment and Support Allowance leavers 2011 (DWP research report 791) – February 2012
- Routes onto Employment and Support Allowance (DWP research report 774) – September 2011
- Routes onto Employment and Support Allowance – research summary – 2011 (405KB)
- Employment and Support Allowance: findings from a face-to-face survey of customers (DWP research report 707) – November 2010
- Employment and Support Allowance early implementation experience of customers and staff (DWP research report 631) – March 2010
- Statistics about Employment and Support Allowance
- Ad-hoc analysis of recent ESA claimants who have previously claimed ESA – December 2010 (52KB)
Healthcare professional and GP information
- DWP Health and Work – Employment and Support Allowance
- Employment and Support Allowance – health care professional update – March 2009 (66KB)
- GP leaflet – "Doctor, Doctor What's Employment and Support Allowance?" (1.82MB)
Decision makers guide
Job Search Support
Communications
- ESA claimant journey – DWP Stakeholder Bulletin – April 2012 (35KB)
- Changes to contribiution-based ESA – Touchbase e-zine – March 2012 (710KB)
- ESA time-limiting – DWP Annual Forum 2011 – Progress update report – January 2012 (85KB)
- Harrington Review of the Work Capability Assessment – DWP Annual Forum – July 2011 (51KB)
International advice
- Pension Credit, income support, income-based Employment and Support Allowance and income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance – coming from abroad
- ESA – going or coming from abroad
