5.5.4  Obtaining a Complete Assessment

The process for gathering formal assessment information will vary depending on the medical condition or employment barrier being addressed:

1.             For a learning or cognitive disability the case worker may need to specify in writing to the assessing agency what type of information is needed.  This may include:

·        A specific diagnosis;

·        Test findings that document both the nature and severity of the disability;

·        Any limitations to learning or other major life activities resulting from the disability and the degree to which it impacts the individual in the context of learning;

·        The impact the diagnosed learning or cognitive disability has on a specific major life activity;

·        Specific recommendations for accommodations as well as an explanation as to why each accommodation is recommended.

2.             For a mental health condition and/or AODAAlcohol and Other Drug Abuse, assessment information may be gathered using the Mental Health Report (126) form. If the assessment information is collected through other methods such as a written evaluation developed by the assessing agency, it is important that the document covers the same content as the Mental Health Report to ensure that the caseworker is receiving adequate information to make case management decisions with the participant.

3.             For other types of medical conditions, assessment information may be gathered using the Medical Examination & Capacity (2012) form. Conditions that could be appropriately documented with the Medical Examination & Capacity form may include, but are not limited to:

·        Short-term medical conditions and injuries that may require surgery, medical treatment and/or physical rehabilitation;

·        Pregnancies;

·        Long-term medical conditions which may be disabling, such as multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, arthritis; and

·        When a participant presents him or herself as unable to participate due to a medical problem(s), but the individual is unable or unwilling to articulate the medical condition.

4.             When the barrier is related to the care for another household member, the Need to Care for Disabled Family Member (10786) form must be used to gather the needed information. (See 7.4.2)  Although the information gathered with this form does not contain all of the required elements of a formal assessment, it will serve as documentation of the need for the individual to be the sole provider of care when the individual is placed in a W-2 TW-2 Transition and assigned to care for another member of the W-2 Group An adult custodial parent, all dependent children with respect to whom the individual is a legal custodial parent and all minor children with respect to whom the adult individual’s dependent child is a custodial parent. W-2 Group includes any non-marital co-parent or any spouse of the individual who resides in the same household as the individual and any minor children with respect to whom the spouse or non-marital co-parent is a custodial parent. W-2 Group does not include any person who is receiving cash benefits under a county relief block grant program. This is also referred to as the W-2 Assistance Group (W-2 AG) who is ill or incapacitated. Record family barriers, including caretaking responsibilities, on the Family Barriers page in the WWPWisconsin Work Programs Informal Assessment. Document non-confidential information in PIN comments.

When a participant has both a mental health condition and another type of medical condition and both conditions are potential barriers to employment that require formal assessment, the agency may need to request that the Mental Health Report (126) and the Medical Examination & Capacity (2012) are both completed by the appropriate service providers.  

History: Release 20-04; Release 19-02.