The government has warned that a sweeping overhaul of disability benefits could mean people with complex or invisible illnesses could save hundreds of pounds out of pocket.
The reforms, announced on Wednesday and coinciding with the budget, were part of plans that ministers say would change the focus on disability benefits so people don’t have to prove they can’t work.
Under the changes, the Work Ability Assessment (WCA) used to determine benefits will be replaced by the current Personal Independence Payment (PIP) system, which is used to decide how much daily support a person with a disability needs.
However, experts warn that this is not enough to determine employment expectations and that those who do not meet strict definitions of disability face unfair punishments.
This could mean that someone with a condition such as multiple sclerosis, which can vary from person to person, an “invisible” chronic condition, or a complex mental illness, could be forced to work or have their benefits cut.
In its post-budget analysis, the Institute for Financial Studies (IFS) said the government could either disqualify hundreds of thousands of people from the program or expand the eligibility criteria.
Tom Waters, an economist at IFS, believes a million people could be forced to work and around 600,000 people could lose roughly £350 a month in aid.
In the short term, the government has said people will be financially protected during the transition, but it is not clear what protections will be in place for people transitioning to the new system once it is rolled out in the coming years.
“Many of them will likely apply for a PIP to keep their current rights, but unless their condition entails a higher cost of living, many of them will not be eligible,” Mr. Wasserer said.
He added that the government is “risking cost overruns on the one hand, or letting low-income patients bear the brunt” on the other.
James Taylor, director of strategy for the charity Scope, said the PIP scheme “is not intended to assess an individual’s ability to work, but rather to assess the support they need to live independently and the additional costs that come with it.”
“A review that tries to do two things can fail at both,” he said. “Strong questions need to be asked about what will happen to the more than 600,000 people who attend the WCA every year and may lose the support they would have received in the past or be forced to do inappropriate work.”
Scope also warned against burdening employment center job coaches, who may not have adequate health training, with deductions from benefits for unemployed people with disabilities.
The Multiple Sclerosis Society has said that a person living with multiple sclerosis — a variable condition meaning it causes a variable pattern of the disease rather than a well-defined trait — could be at risk of sanctions in such circumstances.
Register IPolicy manager Anastasia Berry welcomed the decision to end the WCA process, but said that instead, relying on a “perhaps more humiliating and deficient assessment of the PIP” we should simply move on to a “broken system that who needs it often refuses.” from support.” erect unnecessary obstacles in the way.
She added: “At this point, the WCA means that few people in our community need to interact with job coaches, but those who have told us that their job coaches are aware of their condition, the impact of their symptoms, or the barriers and challenges they face they collide. …”They face, understand, did not understand. With employers.
“We fear that without detailed information about how performance instructors will work, they will not have the time or experience with various health conditions to make informed decisions about an individual’s performance.”
A government spokesman said: “The White Paper on Health and Disability aims to remove the financial barriers that exist under the current system by eliminating work ability assessments and improving support and experience for people who can apply for and receive benefits.
“These are the biggest reforms in a decade. For this reason, we will take the time to carefully consider how best to implement the changes and provide applicants with peace of mind as we continue to communicate with people with disabilities and health conditions, as well as our stakeholders, as our proposals evolve. The reforms are being implemented. a leak.
“We will provide protection to ensure that no one suffers financial losses after the implementation of the reform, and we will also expand the range of our individual support to help people find and keep stable jobs.”
Which changes?
With the changes, the current assessment process to determine eligibility for additional health or disability benefits, known as the Work Ability Assessment (WCA), is no longer used.
Instead, the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) system, which assesses whether people need extra money to support tasks or mobility, will also be used to determine who can work and who can qualify for unemployment benefits.
The abolition of WUAs has long been desired because it places the responsibility on people to prove that they are too handicapped to work. However, there are concerns that the PIP evaluation process is very rigid and can make it difficult for people with different circumstances to prove what work they can or cannot do.
As a result, a person with a medical condition that makes it difficult for them to work is not necessarily eligible for PIP and may be fired or forced to work.
The government’s plan also includes removing a group of universal credit applicants known as the Disabled for Work and Work-Related Activities (LCWRA) group, which protects some disabled people from fines if they are found not to be looking for work.
This, combined with the recently tightened penalties for beneficiaries, could lead some people to cut their existing unemployment benefits.
The LCWRA is being replaced by a new financial supplement – the UC Health Element – but again, this only applies to those who qualify for the PIP, not to everyone who is unable to work due to a medical condition or disability.
Individuals undergoing cancer treatment or struggling with a complicated pregnancy are protected from sanctions. But the government is under pressure to make it clear who else will be prevented from falling into the holes of the new regime.
Source: I News
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