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The future for the disabled claiming UC/ESA, etc - budget march 2023

apple85

I’m going to start this topic as it’s going to affect thousands of us

it looks 95% likely that wca are being scrapped which should be a reason to celebrate but after 13 years of the (cruelest) Tory government in history for many of us the gut feeling is if they are scrapping wca then it’s probably being replaced by something significantly worse that will trip up/fail more of us than ever before

rumor is the new assessment will ask people what work they can do (guess the dwp are going to get creative of reading between the lines - or just outright lie) - it sounds like a good chunk of the disabled may be pushed off the system if they ‘say’ they might be able to work

more worryingly labour seem to be on the same page as the tories so waiting and crossing fingers till next election isn’t going to provide a reprieve

pretty scared to be honest

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JBS2022

I'm not going to pass judgment until we know what the new assessment process is for certain. I don't see an issue with offering those that are LCWRA/LCW/Support Group the ability to try work without it affecting their benefits as long as it's optional. We'll see what happens.

calcotti

apple85 said:

..it looks 95% likely that wca are being scrapped ..

You haven't said where you have read this.

Had seen this in January
https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/welfare-rights/news/item/government-expected-to-publish-health-and-disability-white-paper-before-the-spring-budget-setting-out-ambitious-and-extensive-reforms

Labour speech had said
https://labour.org.uk/press/jonathan-ashworth-speech-at-the-centre-for-social-justice/

bg844

The thing is, newspapers stir the facts and I’d never advise reading them about anything benefit related. I’m quite sick of seeing articles headlining ‘if you have these conditions, you qualify for maximum rate PIP’.

poppy123456

There's a thread here that was posted this morning on the same subject. In that thread it includes a link from Welfare Rights.

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/103226/the-future-for-the-disabled-claiming-uc-esa-etc-budget-march-2023#latest

Maybe a member of the scope team can link both threads together to save confusion? @Alex_Scope @Cher_Scope @Hannah_Scope

apple85

My apologies Calcotti

the source I’m using is the one below:

https://www.fenews.co.uk/skills/chancellors-back-to-work-budget-to-boost-the-economy/

the reason why I’m saying it sounds like a done deal is several organisations have provided comments on these new measures (I don’t think they’d do so unless they had legit info)

apple85

JBS2022

prehaps your experiences with the dwp but in my experience (in claiming esa) in their eyes if you work then you can’t be truly disabled, if you volunteer you can’t be truly disabled and if you study you can’t be truly disabled (even if you haven’t done any of these things for years due to disability)

now prehaps those with physical disabilities may be okay under a new assessment that asks what work you can do but those with (normal/higher functioning) ‘unseen’ disabilities will have a tougher time

also the dwp are rewarding people for sanctioning people and under huge pressure to fail those going through wca (hence the large percentage of tribunal overturns) - this change could be much harder to overturn at tribunal’s

okay we don’t know the full details but we will do in the next 100hrs which is why I started this topic early as this is going to effect thousands of us

i will point out again that when was the last time the tories changed something for compassionate reasons?

also the esa to uc switchover has recently been extended till 2028 which means natural migration is back on the table (managed migration offers retention/protection of current benefit amount - natural migration does not) - I imagine the new assessment will trigger natural migration for many more of us saving the gov thousands

I admit I’m reading between the lines - I hope I will have to eat my words but I doubt it

also Jon ashworth has said recently that the tories have stolen labours benefit reform ideas - which worries me as it sounds unlikely any possible cruel policy on the disabled would be reversed by a labour gov in less than 2 years

apple85

Also relevant

https://www.sense.org.uk/policy-blog/lookahead-to-the-health-and-disability-white-paper/

apple85

Mainline media starting to confirm

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/universal-credit-sanctions-hunt-budget-b2298836.html?amp

apple85

Sorry about all the links

https://mobile.twitter.com/TorstenBell/status/1634827354475229186

apple85

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11846679/Jeremy-Hunt-nudge-long-term-sick-work.html

JBS2022

apple85 said:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11846679/Jeremy-Hunt-nudge-long-term-sick-work.html

Daily mail is extremely anti-welfare and rightwing. I'm not passing judgement until we know for sure what's happening. We haven't even had the Budget yet. I'm waiting to see how things play out and definitely not worrying about it.

apple85

Yes I know it’s the daily ‘fail’ - however they just published exclusive interviews with Jeremy hunt and are very much a Tory go to media so I imagine this is from the horses mouth

if the daily mail have got it right it’s worse than I imagined - obviously pockets of information is missing but the line that ‘all’ (it doesn’t mention if their are exceptions and if so what percentage of sick/disabled would be excluded) long term sick must be actively looking for work in order to continue receiving benefits is no difference to the ‘contract’ uc claimants have to currently sign.

The big question still answered is when would all this officially start - considering assessment providers have had their contract extended till march 2024 I’d hope we’d have a year before it kicks in but the tories seem so desperate for the old and sick to clean the mess they created it could be sooner.

the other question is if all this is true how big will the public outcry be - the general public is more interested in other issues is my gut feeling - the sick and disabled in this country are the forgotten and/or easy targets in the uk and everyone seems preoccupied by the migrant situation right now

Ray212

I will await judgement but having been on the DWP merry go round for a long time now I can't believe this is going to be good news by any means.

Getting rid of the assessment is all well and good but what replaces it and even worse I hope it doesn't mean the work related interviews are increased as you no longer have the assessment to say you are not well enough for work.

I can't see any good in this, any government especially Tory saying they will "help you into work" means push you until you can't be pushed any further.

Jonnyc

Media are reporting WCA to be officially scrapped in Budget statement - huge implications for everyone. No longer such categories as LCW, LCWRA or Support Group. How on earth is this all going to be rolled out ? Have just gone through the whole painful process of proving my inability to take on work only to find it was for nought ...

JBS2022

Ray212 said:

I will await judgement but having been on the DWP merry go round for a long time now I can't believe this is going to be good news by any means.

Getting rid of the assessment is all well and good but what replaces it and even worse I hope it doesn't mean the work related interviews are increased as you no longer have the assessment to say you are not well enough for work.

I can't see any good in this, any government especially Tory saying they will "help you into work" means push you until you can't be pushed any further.

Exactly what are they gonna replace it with, are they just gonna take your word for it that you cannot work. There will have to be some kind of assessment system in place. I was told the WCA and PIP assessments were being combined in some way to join both claims together.

JBS2022

They might be replacing the WCA but it will just be replaced with a similar assessment system, they gotta find some way of judging ability to work. I believe the WCA and PIP assessments will be joined up in some way and they'll just change the name.

Ray212

I was reading a thread by Torsten Bell who said this will take years to implement and will have to go through parliament anyway. Does that sound about right?

So they couldn't just announce on Wednesday this is what is happening and next month they have scrapped wca's and made people have more work focused interviews etc?

Ray212

JBS2022 said:

Exactly what are they gonna replace it with, are they just gonna take your word for it that you cannot work. There will have to be some kind of assessment system in place. I was told the WCA and PIP assessments were being combined in some way to join both claims together.

Indeed as I said, what replaces it. Be interesting what is said on Wednesday but I have never known a Tory government helping the poor/disabled. Remember when they froze benefit rates for 5 years and even tried blaming the recession and banks collapsing on the poor and disabled. I do!

L_Volunteer

Thanks for sharing these links with us @apple85. You have raised some really insightful and important points on this thread.

I can hear how, even though you wish you would be wrong, you don't feel like you will be wrong. Not least based on your experience.

How are you feeling about everything at the moment? Please don't hesitate to let us know if we can do anything to support you

2oldcodgers

'Can't work' as a statement is totally untrue. Most people that claim to be too sick, ill or disabled to work generally only look at their normal work routine.
I honestly believe that everybody can do some type of work no matter what their situation is. Surely it is a good thing that to help those who can do some type of work should be encouraged to do so. Isn't that where the JC+ come in? I am given to understand that 'fit notes' are also likely to change where the GP can identify the positives and to point the patient towards some type of employment that they could do despite their condition.