Benefit types
We want to help you feel prepared and ready for your face-to-face assessment.
If you need any more help before your assessment, you can call us on 0800 072 0398. The Customer Enquiry line is open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm.
Select one of the options below to go to the relevant section:
Before your assessment
If you’re applying for UC you will need to create an online account on NI Direct. Once you have created your account you must send your claim within 28 days. If you try after 28 days you will need to create a new account.
You will need to fill in the online form. It’s important that you complete the form as fully as possible, answering all of the questions.
If you need help filling in the form you can contact UC through your online account or speak to a member of the team in your local Jobs and Benefits office or phone 0800 012 1331 (textphone: 0800 012 1441), Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm (excluding public holidays).
Watch this DfC Video on YouTube: ‘Universal Credit explained - What, who and how’
Watch this DfC Video on YouTube: ‘Universal Credit explained - Getting ready to claim’
What to bring to your assessment
Proof of identity
1. You will need to provide ID:
- One item from list A, or
- Three items from list B (if you do not have any of the items in list A)
If you do not have acceptable proof of identity, we may be unable to carry out your consultation.
List A: Primary ID |
List B: Secondary ID |
|---|---|
| A current passport Official European Community ID Card Certificate of Registration - Workers Registration Scheme Certificate eVisa |
Full/provisional driving licence Electoral Identity Card Senior Citizen bus pass Travel pass with photograph affixed Standard acknowledgement letter (SAL)/ARC Card EL3 (similar to SAL from the home office) Adoption Certificate Form GV3 (issued to foreign nationals) UK Residence Permit NIHE rent book Rates Collection Agency documents Life assurance/insurance documents Paid fuel/telephone bill in customers name Marriage Certificate Original full or short birth certificate Divorce/annulment papers Certificate/contract of employment in HM forces Certificate/contract of employment under the crown Certificate/contract of employment in the Merchant Navy P714 (tax certificate) Solicitors letter containing information which helps to establish identity Cheque book Cheque guarantee card Store/credit/Post Office Account card Trade Union membership card Apprentice Indentures Vehicle registration/motor insurance documents Wage slip, P45, or P60 from current or recent employer Medical Card Mortgage repayment documents |
2. Any medication you may be taking.
3. Any information from your general practitioner (GP) or specialist which explains how your condition affects you.
Interpreters
Please let us know at least two days before your consultation if you need an interpreter for your consultation. This will help to make sure that we can have an interpreter available for you.
Appointment arrangements
Appointment letters are available in a range of accessible formats. If you would like your appointment letter in a different format, please contact Capita.
If you would prefer to be assessed by a healthcare professional of a particular gender, please contact Capita as soon as possible and we will do our best to arrange this.
Further evidence
You will need to send any medical evidence or other information you might already have. Remember - only send us copies if you already have them, not original documents, and write your National Insurance number on each piece.
The DfC may not be able to continue to pay you benefits if we don't receive this form in time.
Things Capita would like to see, if you already have them include: |
Things Capita doesn’t need to see include general information about your medical conditions that are not about you personally such as: |
|---|---|
|
|
You may be asked for details of the professionals or carers who know the most about your health conditions, illnesses and disabilities – expand the list below to see who these might be:
List of professionals and carers
- consultant or specialist doctor
- psychiatrist
- specialist nurse, such as a community psychiatric nurse
- physiotherapist
- occupational therapist
- social worker
- support worker or personal assistant
- carer
Remember – only send us copies of medical or other information if you already have them. Don’t ask or pay for new information or send us original documents. Please write your National Insurance number on each piece of information you send to DfC.
If you cannot attend your assessment
If you do not attend your face-to-face or telephone assessment, you will be sent a form (BF223). It will ask why you did not attend. You will need to complete it and send it in the pre-paid addressed envelope DfC provided. If they accept 'good cause' for not attending the appointment, they may refer your case back to us and we will arrange a new appointment.
Getting to your assessment
All our assessment centres have standard wheelchair access. If you use a wheelchair, or have other significant mobility needs, please contact Capita as soon as possible so we can check that the centre you are sent to is suitable for you - some examination rooms cannot accommodate bariatric or wider specialist wheelchairs. If we cannot find a suitable centre, we may be able to carry out your assessment by telephone. You are welcome to bring an assistance dog or other service animal with you.
Audio recording
We will make an audio recording of your assessment unless you tell us you do not want this.
If you do not want us to make an audio recording, contact Capita and tell us before your appointment. You can also tell the health professional at the start of your assessment or at any time during it.
During your consultation
The healthcare professional will introduce themselves and explain the assessment to you. They will record information on a computer. The assessment questions may include: when your illness or disability started; how your condition changes from day-to-day; how it affects your daily life; how it affects your mood; and how you cope from day-to-day.
If your condition varies, the healthcare professional will ask questions to understand how it changes and how this affects you on both better and worse days. Please tell them if the day of your assessment is not typical for you.
The healthcare professional
Our healthcare professionals are doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and paramedics registered with their governing body, including the General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and the Healthcare Professions Council. They go through a specifically designed training course, approved by DfC.
Companion or chaperone during your consultation
You are welcome to bring a relative, carer or friend with you. Although the assessment will focus on you, a companion can offer useful support to you. This would usually be the person who knows you best, for example a relative, support worker or friend, but they must be 16 years old or over.
If you have an appointee
An appointee is someone appointed by the Department for Communities (DfC) to act on your behalf if you are not able to manage your own benefit claim. An appointee must be aged 18 or over. They can be a family member, a friend, or an organisation such as a solicitor or a Health and Social Care Trust.
If you have an appointee, they can deal with us about your assessment. They will receive your appointment letter and can contact us on your behalf.
Please ask your appointee to contact Capita before your appointment. We can then talk through what will happen at your assessment and make sure the right arrangements are in place for you.
Taking notes
You or your companion are welcome to take notes for your personal use. Your notes will not form part of the medical report that we send to DfC.
Waiting time and length of consultation
We’ll make sure you are seen as soon as possible. The receptionist will tell you if you have to wait.
Other people who arrive after you may go to their consultation before you. This is because we do several types of consultation, and some take longer than others. There is no set time for consultations, but they are usually between 20 minutes and 1 hour.
After your consultation
We provide DfC with an assessment report which is impartial and provides justified medical advice about how you are currently affected by your medical condition. The report is one piece of information DfC uses in deciding your entitlement. You may request a copy of the full report from the DfC office handling your claim.
DfC makes decisions on claims; Capita has no decision-making role.
Further information
If you have questions, contact the DfC office handling your claim. The office number will be on letters you have received about your claim or use your Journal to contact DfC.