There is no single WeCARE form you fill out and submit. WeCARE (Wellness, Comprehensive Assessment, Rehabilitation and Employment) is a New York City Human Resources Administration program that evaluates cash assistance recipients with physical or mental health barriers to work, and the process starts when your HRA caseworker refers you to an in-person clinical assessment at a WeCARE center. The paperwork people usually mean when they search for “the WeCARE form” is one of two related HRA documents: the HRA-102c, which you fill out yourself to request a disability accommodation, and the HRA-102d, which your doctor fills out to document your condition. This guide walks through both forms, plus what to bring to the WeCARE assessment itself.
How You Get Into WeCARE in the First Place
You don’t apply to WeCARE directly. At your HRA office, a Benefits Access Center, or a workforce vendor like Career Compass, tell your caseworker that you have a medical or mental health condition that limits your ability to work. The worker should then refer you into WeCARE. If the referral isn’t offered, ask for one. You have the right to be evaluated if you believe a health condition affects your capacity to meet work requirements. You can also call 311 or visit any Benefits Access Center to ask about a referral.1NYC.gov. WeCARE for Cash Assistance Clients
Once referred, the initial assessment is usually scheduled within a few weeks. Appointments are required and can be scheduled in person or online.1NYC.gov. WeCARE for Cash Assistance Clients
The HRA-102c: The Accommodation Form You Fill Out
The HRA-102c is a reasonable accommodation request form. You use it to ask HRA for adjustments in how you interact with the agency because of a disability. Common requests include accessible office locations, modified appointment schedules, home visits, or communication in alternative formats.2NYC.gov. Disability Access – HRA
You complete this form yourself. The form notes that you do not need to provide proof of your condition when you submit it, though HRA may ask for medical documentation later.3NYC Human Resources Administration. HRA-102c – Help for People with Disabilities Describe your condition in your own words, explain what you are having trouble doing in your dealings with HRA, and state the specific accommodation you need and how it would help.
If you need help completing the HRA-102c or navigating the accommodation process, call 718-557-1399 or visit your local HRA office.3NYC Human Resources Administration. HRA-102c – Help for People with Disabilities
The HRA-102d: The Form Your Doctor Fills Out
If HRA requests medical documentation to support your accommodation request, they send you the HRA-102d, titled “Request for Medical/Clinical Information.” Your doctor, not you, fills out the clinical sections.4New York City Human Resources Administration. Request for Medical/Clinical Information
Bring the form to your provider and ask them to complete pages 3 and 4. Those pages ask the provider to:
- State your medical or mental health conditions
- Describe specific physical or mental health limitations affecting your ability to perform tasks and attend HRA appointments
- Indicate whether your condition is permanent, chronic, or temporary, and if temporary, how long it is expected to last
- List current treatments, medications, or therapy
- Describe what reasonable accommodation you need and how it would help
- Check boxes and describe difficulties with walking or climbing stairs, traveling on public transportation, cognitive functions like concentrating or remembering, sitting or standing for extended periods, and being in crowded places
The provider must sign the form, enter the date, and include their license number, along with their name, address, and phone number.4New York City Human Resources Administration. Request for Medical/Clinical Information An incomplete or unsigned form can delay the accommodation decision, so check it over before returning it to HRA.
What to Bring to the WeCARE Assessment
Separate from the forms above, the WeCARE assessment itself is where your health situation gets documented for purposes of work requirements. The single most important thing you can do before the appointment is gather your medical records. Get full copies from every current provider: your primary care doctor, psychiatrist, therapist, specialists, and any hospital where you’ve been treated recently. Bring them with you or send them to HRA or WeCARE beforehand. HRA is required to consider your own medical documentation, even though WeCARE clinicians will also make an independent evaluation.
Also write down the names, addresses, and phone numbers of all your current providers and have them ready at the appointment. Records that show a consistent treatment history carry more weight than a single recent visit, so older records matter too if you’ve been seeing a provider for a while.
Useful documents to bring include:
- Treatment records: office visit notes, medication lists, and therapy session summaries
- Diagnostic imaging or lab results: X-rays, MRIs, blood work, or other test results
- Hospital discharge summaries from recent inpatient stays or emergency room visits
- Specialist evaluations from neurologists, orthopedists, cardiologists, or others
- Mental health assessments, psychiatric records, or documentation of diagnoses like depression, PTSD, or anxiety
Organizing records by provider or in chronological order helps, but don’t skip the appointment because your records aren’t perfectly arranged. Showing up with imperfect documentation is far better than missing the appointment entirely.
What Happens at the Appointment
The core of the WeCARE process is the biopsychosocial assessment, a clinical evaluation that looks at your medical conditions (including mental health), your social supports like family and housing stability, and your work and educational history. A qualified health professional at a WeCARE center in your borough conducts it in person.
Expect questions about what daily activities you can and cannot do, how your condition affects your ability to travel on public transportation, whether you can sit or stand for extended periods, and how your mental health affects concentration and memory. The clinician will review the medical records you brought and may conduct a brief examination. Be honest and specific. If you can walk two blocks before pain starts, say that. If you have good days and bad days, explain both.
What the Assessment Decides
After the assessment, WeCARE assigns a functional capacity outcome (FCO), and HRA then sends you a written notice telling you whether you are exempt or nonexempt from work activities. There are four possible outcomes:
- Employable without limitations: no medical barrier was found; you return to standard HRA work requirements.
- Employable with limitations: you can work, but you need vocational rehabilitation services first, such as job training, skills development, or workplace accommodations.
- Temporarily unemployable: you need medical or mental health treatment before you can work, and WeCARE creates a wellness rehabilitation plan.
- Unable to work: your disability prevents employment, and WeCARE may help you apply for federal disability benefits like SSI or SSDI.5Peer TA Network. WeCARE Wellness Comprehensive Assessment Rehabilitation and Employment
Your cash assistance benefits continue as long as you meet eligibility and program requirements throughout this process.1NYC.gov. WeCARE for Cash Assistance Clients
If You Disagree With the Outcome
If WeCARE found you employable without limitations and you believe your condition prevents you from working, you can request a state fair hearing. The deadline is tight. You have 10 calendar days from the date printed on your notice to file. If you request the hearing within those 10 days, your benefits should continue at the existing level while you wait for a decision.
Request the hearing through the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA). For emergencies, call 1-800-205-0110. You can also submit the request through the OTDA fair hearings portal online. At the hearing, bring every piece of medical documentation you have: your own records, the WeCARE assessment results, and any letters from your doctors explaining why your functional limitations are more severe than WeCARE concluded.
If You Miss the Appointment
Missing a WeCARE appointment or refusing to participate triggers the same sanction rules as other cash assistance work requirements. HRA can reduce or completely discontinue your portion of cash assistance. Before imposing a sanction, HRA sends a conciliation or re-engagement notice giving you a chance to comply. Ignoring that notice leads to a formal sanction with a specific effective date.
Once a sanction takes effect, benefits stay reduced until you demonstrate compliance, which typically means participating in the required activity for five consecutive days. In the WeCARE context, that usually means showing up to the assessment and completing it. Lifting the sanction takes time even after you agree to cooperate.
If you receive a sanction notice and believe it was issued in error, such as a medical emergency that kept you from attending, request a fair hearing to challenge it. Document the reason with whatever evidence you have, such as hospital records or a letter from your doctor.