You may have questions about the telephone assessment process. Here are a selection of some commonly asked questions and answers to help you. Simply click on a question to see the answer.
If you have provided a mobile phone number, you will be called on that. If you have not provided a mobile number, we will call you on the landline number you have provided.
The number we will call you on will be included in your appointment letter.
The call will come from an 0808 or withheld number.
Our health professional will try to call you up to three times over a 20-minute period. If you do not answer, we will return your claim to the DWP.
If the phone signal is not very good, we will ask you for an alternative contact number. If there is no alternative available, the assessor will need to rearrange the appointment and you may have a different type of assessment.
Yes, we encourage you to have someone with you during the assessment. This could be a friend, family member, carer or support worker. They should not speak for you, but they can help you to answer any questions or explain the difficulties you face more clearly. If your companion cannot be with you in person, we can add them to the telephone call.
If your companion will be translating or interpreting for you, they must be over 18.
You will be asked security questions over the telephone before the assessment starts.
If you are a British Sign Language user, your telephone assessment will take place using our video relay service. The service is free to use, and the interpreters are fully qualified and registered.
For more information about what you will need and how to join your assessment, click here.
Your assessment will be carried out by one of our health professionals. All our health professionals are fully qualified and registered nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists or paramedics.
If you have any concerns that the health professional is not who they say they are, please abandon the call and contact us.
Yes, the health professional will have seen your ‘How your disability affects you’ form and any supporting information you sent in as part of your claim.
Our health professionals come from a variety of backgrounds and are specially trained in carrying out functional assessments. They are there to assess how your health condition or disability affects you and they have wide range of knowledge.
Yes, the health professional will ask you questions to understand whether your condition changes and how this impacts you.
If you have additional evidence that you have not already submitted, please discuss this with the health professional. They will ask you to send this to the DWP after your assessment.
If you would like your assessment to be audio recorded, plese let the health professional know at the start of your assessment.
If you have asked us to record your assessment, after your appointment you will receive a link to your recording by text message or email. You will receive a separate text message with a one-time password. The password will expire after 24 hours and can only be used once to access and download your recording. This is to protect you and the information you provided at your appointment.
If you would like a CD copy of the recording, please let the health professional know. We will also keep a copy of the recording.
After your assessment, if you have any difficulties accessing your recording, or need a CD copy, please contact us.
To withdraw consent after your assessment, please contact us.
If you would like a new link and password to access your audio recording, please contact us. You can also request a CD copy of the recording.
The recording will not be used by DWP to make a decision on your benefit claim. However, the recording may be used to assist with complaint resolution and/or any appeal proceedings.
Capita will store a copy of the recording securely and keep it for a period of 24 months. After this, it will be destroyed.