Work Capacity Assessments for Disability Benefit Determinations: An International Comparison

Disability protection programs constitute a critical safety net for individuals unable to work due to disabling health conditions. Yet countries differ along a number of dimensions in terms of how their social safety nets assist people with disabilities. Learning from other countries’ approaches can be useful for countries seeking to make reforms to their own systems. This paper examines procedural differences in national disability determination approaches in order to provide insights into the systems and counterpoints to the U.S. Ideally, these insights will aid reflection on the American approach. The research focuses on work capacity assessments for disability determination processes. The recognition that work capacity goes beyond a purely medical diagnosis is evident across our sample countries. In particular, current systems rely to a significant degree on an assessment of claimants’ functional capacity, beyond their medical condition. However, differences remain across the countries in the way they measure functional capacity and how that measurement translates into a work capacity determination. Moreover, there are variations in whether and to what extent a claimant’s medical and functional data is complemented by vocational or biographical information. Finally, for all of the countries included, there is an absence of structural, standardized consideration of the functional requirements of actual jobs in the economy and other environmental factors, against which the claimant’s capacity to work can be weighted.