ESA 50 - Which Box To Tick

ESA 50 - Picking Up & Moving

Which box should I tick? Yes, No, It Varies. This is my first ESA 50 following on from 5 previous WCA forms - all successful, and IB awarded. My problems in both hands are worse than they were, when I was last awarded IB. I have all the medical evidence. Yes, I can pick up the 1 pint carton of milk, but I experience hand pain in both hands whenever I do so. This pain occurs all the time. If I say I can do this, by ticking that box, then the powers that be may also miss out on the fact that carrying saucepans, frying pans, jugs, kettles etc is totally unsafe, as my hands are so weak, and the pain so acute, that I regularly drop them. I have put all the details on Additional Information extra sheets of paper, regarding the milk cartons and saucepans but I don’t know which box to tick. Would welcome advice. Thanks.

You are allowed to discount any activity that you cannot do without severe discomfort or fatigue and also anything that you cannot do reliably, repeatedly or safely.

In my experience, it is better to say 'no, I cannot do that without pain' (for instance) rather than saying 'yes, but it hurts'.

Thank you for your opinion. Do you think that if challenged, say at a medical, I will be seen to be lying by ticking the No box, when I can lift the carton even though it is very painful. They might then assume all my responses have to be treated with suspicion. However, can I assume by ticking Yes, that they will bother to read the additional evidence?

It states at the beginning of the Physical Functions:-

"To answer Yes to any of the following questions, you must be able to
do the activity safely, to an acceptable standard, as often as you
need to and in a reasonable length of time."

As Gordon has said the ESA Guide is an excellent reference source on this matter.