How To Use The Agent

To use the agent and assess your potential Access to Work eligibility, type your questions into the chat area.

Please answer or comment in response to each question you are asked, in order to fully complete the assessment.

What Is Access to Work?

Access to Work is a government scheme that can help people with a physical or mental health condition or disability to get or stay in work.

The scheme provides a grant to help pay for practical support, but it is not a substitute for the employer’s legal obligation to make reasonable adjustments or pay for them.

To qualify for Access To Work support, you must have a physical or mental health condition or disability that means you need support to do your job or get to and from work, be 16 or over, be in paid work, and be employed or self-employed

Who Can Apply For Access to Work?

Access to Work is a publicly funded employment support programme that aims to help more disabled people start or stay in work. It can provide practical and financial support if you have a disability or physical or mental health condition.

An Access to Work grant can pay for practical support to help you:

• start working
• stay in work
• move into self-employment or start a business

You must be over 16 years old to apply. Other people who can apply include:

• if you have a job offer
• if you are a company director
• if you are over retirement age (and now do not have to pay National Insurance) and are self- employed or starting self-employment
• a member of the clergy in paid employment  

Your Disability and How It Affects Your Work

Please provide a detailed explanation of your disability and how it affects your ability to work. The more details you provide, the better the agent will be able to assess your qualification for Access to Work support.

A couple of examples are provided below to help you know what type of information to provide:

1. I suffer from bilateral severe osteoarthritis in both of my hips – I can only walk for about fifty feet and that is on double crutches and I cannot sit for more than about 10 minutes without pain. This means I cannot sit very long to carry out any work on my PC and I do not have a laptop. This makes it difficult to concentrate and difficult to complete projects without a lot of interruptions
2. I have moderate hearing loss in both ears which prevents me from hearing customers conversations. I have difficulty hearing co- workers and I find it difficult to hear properly during training sessions

Please use the assessment agent to establish if you qualify and meet the criteria to receive support from Access to Work. 

Sometimes the agent might misquote your details. Please provide your answer and correct the agent by confirming your correct details. The agent will correct itself and proceed with the assessment. This will not normally affect the outcome of your assessment.