Labor will not pursue the government’s plans to consolidate disability benefit estimates, but will work with disability communities to develop replacement guidelines, the shadow minister said.
Vicki Foxcroft, Secretary of State for Shadow Disability, said she wants to reform performance measurement, but did not provide details on what the system would look like under a Labor government.
She warned that a “lack of trust” between people with disabilities and the government means that any changes must be made in partnership with affected communities, and said a “priority” is a new performance assessment for disability benefits.
Labor called on the government to clarify the details of its proposed new scheme, which was announced last month.
Mrs Foxcroft MP for Lewisham of Deptford said: I“We really want to make sure we do it right when we’re in government, which is why we said we were going to do it with people with disabilities.
“People with disabilities and organizations are saying that the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is not trusted, so you need to drastically change that culture so people don’t feel like going through the assessment process as such a stressful experience. through.
“The best way to get it right is to make sure we design it with people with disabilities at the center.”
The government has announced plans to abolish the Work-Related Disability Pension (LCWRA) and replace it with the Personal Independence Program (PIP), which is currently used to determine the daily activities a person with a disability needs.
There are concerns that the PIP threshold is stricter than existing benefits, meaning that the unemployed may not be eligible due to short-term or changing circumstances.
The DWP said the transition will be slow and people will be protected financially, but there are fears that large groups of people trying to find work could face cuts in their benefits in the future.
Last week, Conservative MP Nigel Mills, who sits on the Committee on Work and Pensions, warned Secretary of State Mel Stride that the changes have “virtually raised the bar” for those claiming disability benefits. This was rejected by the government.
But Ms Foxcroft said there are concerns about the roughly 630,000 people who are classified as disabled due to health conditions but are not currently receiving PIP.
“While the government says they have transitional arrangements for them, who else will come in the future who won’t necessarily have these transitional arrangements?” she said. “There are some concerns about this and whether further sanctions will be taken.”
Of particular concern is how people with various medical conditions, such as multiple sclerosis or mental illness, are adequately protected from forced inappropriate work.
The government has received questions about this from members of the parliamentary committee on work and pensions and from several disabled people’s organizations. The answer was that changes would be made in consultation with stakeholders.
Ms. Foxcroft said she would like to place more emphasis on reasonable accommodation – the changes that organizations need to make to accommodate people with disabilities, such as B. Extra time to study or change environments.
“I think people need a more rigorous approach to get these worthy sanctuaries. And part of that is that people can make sure their rights are respected,” she said.
Legislative proposals to implement these changes will only be presented after the next elections.
Labor called for reform of the WCA and urged the government to clarify what its replacement would look like, but Ms Foxcroft said Labor would not go ahead with the plan if the party entered government.
She suggested that the system could be changed to make it more flexible or adapt to certain conditions.
“There are certain things to think about when people are suffering from a condition that is not getting better and is likely to get worse, but still needs constant evaluation. Does it make sense? Or just need a light touch that says if you want to be overrated then you can because you think you can be rewarded more but if you don’t…why do we do this all the time uh if? We know that the situation is not improving?
Ms Foxcroft said people with disabilities also fear that with performance appraisals, they risk losing all their support if things go wrong.
“While you might think that there is some common sense in this, the fear in the system means that people do not have the confidence that if there was an assessment, that assessment would be done correctly,” she said.
A government spokesman said: “Most people claiming sickness and disability benefits report positive experiences, and the reforms announced in the Health and Disability White Paper will continue to improve the overall experience and confidence in the disability benefits system.
“We are implementing the biggest reforms in a decade, including the removal of performance assessments, to increase the credibility and transparency of our decisions and processes. We will take the time to carefully consider how best to implement change, and will engage with people with disabilities and health conditions, as well as our stakeholders, as our offerings evolve.”
Source: I News
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