ESA questionnaire

pope

I am going to ask my friend to fill in my ESA questionnaire as I have chronic pain in my hands find it difficult. I will be giving him the answers and telling him what to write. 

Question is towards the end of the questionnaire it says if someone else has filled in this form for you provide a phone number so we can contact them. My friend can't speak good English. Will this affect my claim and create a problem?

strawb_shortcake

I completed my Husband's form and they haven't contacted me 2 months later.

I imagine if they were to call they would only need to confirm they wrote it and why. 

Presumably they can write better English than they can speak? as I'd be more concerned about the extent of illness being lost in translation 

poppy12345

Presumably they can write better English than they can speak? as I'd be more concerned about the extent of illness being lost in translation 

I agree with this. Do you have access to a printer? If so then the ESA50 form is available online to fill in but you'll need to save it and then print it. Any extra information can be added to extra sheets of paper and can be sent with the form. This will be a lot easier than having to write everything yourself. You can then make sure that everything that's on the form is correct. See link. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capability-for-work-questionnaire

Alice_Holt

pope said:

I am going to ask my friend to fill in my ESA questionnaire as I have chronic pain in my hands find it difficult. I will be giving him the answers and telling him what to write. 

Question is towards the end of the questionnaire it says if someone else has filled in this form for you provide a phone number so we can contact them. My friend can't speak good English. Will this affect my claim and create a problem?

       Since your friend is only acting as your scribe, I don't think this is relevant. 

   Like others I'd be concerned about the potential language issue. I'd look at typing up sheets fully detailing your difficulties with the descriptors to add to your form (then you just need to write 'see attached sheet' on the form, or use the online form.  

Muttleythefrog

Agree with all above advice
1. Risk of detail being lost in translation if someone else with weak English deals with this
2. Try to electronically complete (helps also for saving/future use again) and refer to attached extra sheets as necessary (include Nino, name, date on each sheet and refer to question being answered)
3. Like Alice I would interpret the 'someone else filling in the form' as them actually completing it with their own mind rather than simply trying to write down what you want them to. If your friend was to help in any way that could always be clarified in additional information.

Good luck.... focus on the activities/descriptors and describe your difficulties in relation to them including real examples.

calcotti

When i have actually actually as a ‘scribe’ simply to do the actual of physically writing the answers I have written the words the claimant wants to put. In additional information I have added a sentence that says ‘before of the difficulty I have writing xx has does the writing on behalf.’

pope

poppy12345 said:

Presumably they can write better English than they can speak? as I'd be more concerned about the extent of illness being lost in translation 

I agree with this. Do you have access to a printer? If so then the ESA50 form is available online to fill in but you'll need to save it and then print it. Any extra information can be added to extra sheets of paper and can be sent with the form. This will be a lot easier than having to write everything yourself. You can then make sure that everything that's on the form is correct. See link. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capability-for-work-questionnaire

Unfortunately I don't have a printer.

nannytone_2

Someone is only completing the form on  your behalf if  they are providing the information.
If you provide the information then you are completing  the form

pope

nannytone_2 said:

Someone is only completing the form on  your behalf if  they are providing the information.
If you provide the information then you are completing  the form

I am going to provide the information and he is going to write it for me. So he would write something like.

I have written completed this form for ........  as he has difficulty writing. ?

Robbie64

pope said:

nannytone_2 said:

Someone is only completing the form on  your behalf if  they are providing the information.
If you provide the information then you are completing  the form

I am going to provide the information and he is going to write it for me. So he would write something like.

I have written completed this form for ........  as he has difficulty writing. ?

He could even write "I have written completed this form for ........  as he has difficulty writing due to chronic pain in (both?) his hands"

Many years ago DWP forms used to ask for details of anyone who was signing a form on behalf of anyone else, along with a space to provide a reason why. This then changed to the DWP asking for details of anyone who filled in a form on behalf of someone else. The person filling in the form for you can still write their name and address but there is no need or requirement to provide a telephone number and I would suggest that the person doesn't. That way, in the (very unlikely) event of the DWP or the assessment provider needing to contact the person it will have to be done in writing. There is also space to write why the person has completed the form. This is where the person can write what you suggested.

TimeLord1

Trouble with printing it yourself, is the amount of pages and then getting back to them. It can be tricky to get it done. Remember every page is a sheet where as the booklet is back to back.