The Personal Capability Assessment physical disabilities descriptors
See also mental disabilities descriptors
How the scoring works
Add together the highest score from each activity which applies. Walking on level ground and walking up and down stairs are classed as one activity so a person who scores on both can only count the highest.
15 points are need to pass on the physical descriptors alone.
A score of 6-9 on the mental disability descriptors is rounded up to 9 and can be added to any points scored on the physical descriptors. A total of 15 is need to pass the PCA.
10 points are needed to pass on the mental disability descriptors alone.
Incapacity benefits were replaced for new claims from 27 October 2008 by Employment and Support Allowance.
Activities:
1. Walking on level ground with a walking stick or other aid if such aid is normally used
2. Walking up and down stairs
3. Sitting in an upright chair with a back, but no arms
4. Standing without the support of another person or the use of an aid except a walking stick
5. Rising from sitting in an upright chair without the help of another person
6. Bending and kneeling
7. Manual dexterity
8. Lifting and carrying by use of the upper body and arms
9. Reaching
10. Speech
11. Hearing with a hearing aid or other aid if normally worn
12. Vision in normal daylight or bright electric light with glasses or other aid to vision if such aid is normally worn
13. Continence
14. Remaining conscious without having epileptic or similar seizures during waking moments
1. | | |
|---|
| e) | Cannot walk more than 400 metres without stopping or severe discomfort | 3 |
| f) | Cannot walk more than 800 metres without stopping or severe discomfort | 0 |
| g) | No walking problem | 0 |
| a) | Cannot walk at all | 15 |
| b) | Cannot walk more than a few steps without stopping or severe discomfort | 15 |
| c) | Cannot walk more than 50 metres without stopping or severe discomfort | 15 |
| d) | Cannot walk more than 200 metres without stopping or severe discomfort | 7 |
2. | | |
|---|
| e) | Can only walk up and down a flight of 12 stairs if he goes sideways or one step at a time | 3 |
| f) | No problem in walking up and down stairs | 0 |
| a) | Cannot walk up and down one stair | 15 |
| b) | Cannot walk up and down a flight of 12 stairs | 15 |
| c) | Cannot walk up and down a flight of 12 stairs without holding on and taking a rest | 7 |
| d) | Cannot walk up and down a flight of 12 stairs without holding on | 3 |
3. | | |
|---|
| e) | Cannot sit comfortably for more than 2 hours without have to move from the chair | 0 |
| f) | No problem with sitting | 0 |
| a) | Cannot sit comfortably | 15 |
| b) | Cannot sit comfortably for more than 10 minutes without having to move from the chair | 15 |
| c) | Cannot sit comfortably for more than 30 minutes without having to move from the chair | 7 |
| d) | Cannot sit comfortably for more than 1 hour without having to move from the chair | 3 |
4. | | |
|---|
| e) | Cannot stand for more than 10 minutes before needing to move around | 7 |
| f) | Cannot stand for more than 30 minutes before needing to move around | 3 |
| g) | No problem standing | 0 |
| a) | Cannot stand unassisted | 15 |
| b) | Cannot stand for more than a minute before needing to sit down | 15 |
| c) | Cannot stand for more than 10 minutes before needing to sit down | 15 |
| d) | Cannot stand for more than 30 minutes before needing to sit down | 7 |
5. | | |
|---|
| d) | No problem with rising from sitting to standing | 0 |
| a) | Cannot rise from sitting to standing | 15 |
| b) | Cannot rise from sitting to standing without holding on to something | 7 |
| c) | Sometimes cannot rise from sitting to standing without holding onto something | 3 |
6. | | |
|---|
| d) | No problem with bending and kneeling | 0 |
| a) | Cannot bend to touch his knees and straighten up again | 15 |
| b) | Cannot either bend or kneel, or bend and kneel as if to pick up a piece of paper from the floor and straighten again | 15 |
| c) | Sometimes cannot either bend or kneel, or bend and kneel as if to pick up a piece of paper from the floor and straighten again | 3 |
7. | | |
|---|
| e) | Cannot tie a bow in laces or string | 10 |
| f) | Cannot turn a sink tap or the control knobs on a cooker with one hand but can with the other | 6 |
| g) | Cannot pick up a coin, which is 2.5 centimetres or less in diameter with one hand but can with the other | 6 |
| h) | No problem with manual dexterity | 0 |
| a) | Cannot turn the pages of a book with either hand | 15 |
| b) | Cannot turn a sink tap or the control knobs on a cooker with either hand | 15 |
| c) | Cannot pick up a coin, which is 2.5 centimetres or less in diameter with either hand | 15 |
| d) | Cannot use a pen or pencil | 15 |
8. | | |
|---|
| f) | Cannot pick up and carry a 2.5 kilogram bag of potatoes with one hand, but can with the other | 0 |
| g) | No problem with lifting and carrying | 0 |
| a) | Cannot pick up a paperback book with either hand | 15 |
| b) | Cannot pick up and carry a 0.5 litre carton of milk with either hand | 15 |
| c) | Cannot pick up and pour from a full saucepan or kettle of 1.7 litre capacity with either hand | 15 |
| d) | Cannot pick up and carry a 2.5 kilogram bag of potatoes with either hand | 8 |
| e) | Cannot pick up and carry a 0.5 litre carton of milk with one hand, but can with the other | 6 |
9. | | |
|---|
| d) | Cannot raise either arm above his head as if to reach for something | 15 |
| e) | Cannot raise one arm to his head as if to put on a hat, but can with the other | 6 |
| f) | Cannot raise one arm above his head as if to reach for something but can with the other | 0 |
| g) | No problem with reaching | 0 |
| a) | Cannot raise either arm as if to put something in the top pocket of a coat or jacket | 15 |
| b) | Cannot raise either arm to his head as if to put on a hat | 15 |
| c) | Cannot put either arm behind back as if to put on a coat or jacket | 15 |
10. | | |
|---|
| e) | Strangers have some difficulty understanding speech | 8 |
| f) | No problems with speech | 0 |
| a) | Cannot speak | 15 |
| b) | Speech cannot be understood by family or friends | 15 |
| c) | Speech cannot be understood by strangers | 15 |
| d) | Strangers have great difficulty understanding speech | 10 |
11. | | |
|---|
| e) | Cannot hear well enough to understand someone talking in a normal voice on a busy street | 8 |
| f) | No problem with hearing | 0 |
| a) | Cannot hear sounds at all | 15 |
| b) | Cannot hear well enough to follow a television programme with the volume turned up | 15 |
| c) | Cannot hear well enough to understand someone talking in a loud voice in a quiet room | 15 |
| d) | Cannot hear well enough to understand someone talking in a normal voice in a quiet room | 10 |
12. | | |
|---|
| e) | Cannot see well enough to recognise a friend across the road at a distance of at least 15 metres | 8 |
| f) | No problems with vision | 0 |
| a) | Cannot tell light from dark | 15 |
| b) | Cannot see the shape of furniture in the room | 15 |
| c) | Cannot see well enough to read 16 point print at a distance greater than 20 centimetres | 15 |
| d) | Cannot see well enough to recognise a friend across the room at a distance of at least 5 metres | 12 |
13. | | |
|---|
| d) | Loses control of bowels at least once a month | 15 |
| e) | Loses control of bowels occasionally | 9 |
| f) | Loses control of bladder at least once a month | 3 |
| g) | Loses control of bladder occasionally | 0 |
| h) | No problem with continence | 0 |
| a) | No voluntary control over bowels | 15 |
| b) | No voluntary control over bladder | 15 |
| c) | Loses control of bowels at least once a week | 15 |
14. | | |
|---|
| d) | Has an involuntary episode of lost or altered consciousness at least twice in the 6 months before the day in respect to which it falls to be determined whether he is incapable of work for the purposes of entitlement to any benefit, allowance or advantage | 12 |
| e) | Has an involuntary episode of lost or altered consciousness once in the 6 months before the day in respect to which it falls to be determined whether he is incapable of work for the purposes of entitlement to any benefit, allowance or advantage | 8 |
| f) | Has an involuntary episode of lost or altered consciousness once in the 3 years before the day in respect to which it falls to be determined whether he is incapable of work for the purposes of entitlement to any benefit, allowance or advantage | 0 |
| g) | Has no problems with consciousness | 0 |
| a) | Has an involuntary episode of lost or altered consciousness once a day | 15 |
| b) | Has an involuntary episode of lost or altered consciousness at least once a week | 15 |
| c) | Has an involuntary episode of lost or altered consciousness at least once a month | 15 |
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