Work capability assessment and definition of terms
Can someone tell me what is meant by "social engagement" in one of the mental health areas of the WCA. And how it affects someone. Does it mean the person cannot see anyone in their own home even if it is only a visit from a support professional or a friend once a year? Would that disqualify someone from 16 points, even if they cannot see anyone for the rest of the year or have only had contact a handful of times for a whole year? What about a visit to a hospital which is severely distressing in itself. Is that social contact?
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Hi @axab43 I've had a look on the government site, and it's very vague (sorry if you've also already done this). I have found a discussion on the forum which might be helpful. I've added a snippet from the original post below where they've shared what the assessor wrote. It might be worth having a read through the post/comments.
“Coping with social engagement due to cognitive impairment or mental disorder” the assessor put “ engagement in social contact with someone unfamiliar to the claimant is always precluded due to difficulty relating to others or significant distress experienced by the individual “.
Link to post - Can I do anything after 4 years? — Scope | Online Community
Sorry I couldn't answer this. Hopefully other members will see this and be able to add their advice.
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Thanks Holly. I did some searching on this and found this link, which I'll put up for anyone else looking into this in the future. This link says, due to past tribunals etc, the social engagement only means the majority of the time and not that social engagement can never occur at all.
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Thanks so much @axab43, really appreciate you sharing this for others in future. ☺️
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