Work Capability Assessment - What is a Work Capability Assessment (WCA)?

The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) looks at how your health condition or disability affects your ability to work and do work-related activities. 

The WCA is used for Universal Credit and New Style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). 

The WCA has two main parts:

• A questionnaire called the WCA50 (for you to complete)
• A medical assessment (for you to attend)

What does the Work Capability Assessment decide? 

For Universal Credit, the WCA can decide whether you have: 

• Limited Capability for Work (LCW) - your health condition or disability limits your ability to work, but you may be expected to take steps to prepare for work.
• Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) - your health condition or disability means you are not expected to work or take part in work-related activity. 

The WCA can also decide whether you meet the severe conditions criteria. This can be important because people who meet these criteria can get the higher rate of the Universal Credit health element. 

For New Style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), the WCA is used to decide whether you have limited capability for work, and whether you're placed in the Work-Related Activity Group or Support Group. 

Severe conditions criteria

Since April 2026, the WCA can also consider whether you have a severe and lifelong health condition or disabilty. 

You must have LCWRA and meet the severe conditions criteria. This means that at least one of the LCWRA activities must apply to you for the rest of your life. The condition or disability that causes this must also be lifelong and must have been diagnosed by an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

If you meet the severe conditions criteria, you can get the higher rate of the Universal Credit health element. You will not usually need to do another WCA unless there is relevent evidence that the decision was wrong or your health or circumstances have changed. 

Trying work 

If you have already been assessed as having LCW or LCWRA, trying paid or voluntary work does not, by itself, trigger a new WCA since April 2026. 

However, you can still be reassessed in some circumstances, for example if there is a relevent change in your health or circumstances. 

Your benefit can also be affected by your earnings.