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bench

Hi I received ESA for a number of years due to severe anxiety disorder, and have not had a review or assessment for a number of years, maybe because of COVID ,I have no idea, my question is , my condition hasn't changed, but I have also be diagnosed with curvature of the spine and arthritis in the lower back, which causes constant pain but painkillers like codine do help to reliever but not totally go away , so I had my ESA 50 form today , no idea why after a number of years, and Iam confused with the first question, about walking lifting etc as I can walk 200 meters but by back hurts all the time , so how do i answers said question, confused , thanks for any replys,much love

Rosie_Scope

Hi @bench, with these kinds of questions it's often taken into account whether you can repeatedly and safely do the activity without severe pain. If you feel you can't walk 200 metres without severe pain or having to stop, or it will take you a long time to recover, then it might be worth considering if one of the other boxes explains your condition better.

I'm not personally familiar with the ESA process, so I hope some of our members who've been through it can offer their thoughts, but with many of the other health assessments, you base it on what you're able to do for the majority of your week. If you can only manage to walk 200 metres once or twice a week, maybe one of the other options would be a better pick.

There's some useful information on the Citizens Advice website with guidance for each question that you might like to have a look through:

Q1 - moving around and using steps - Citizens Advice