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We want to hear from you: please tell us about your experience of the online community.

Your reaction to today's budget and the Health and Disability White Paper

Cher_Alumni

The budget is underway with many announcements that will impact the lives of our community members. What are your immediate thoughts?

Here's a link to the BBC's budget summary.
UPDATE: Whilst here is a link to the H ealth and Disability White paper which discusses proposed changes to the disability benefits system in more detail (point 133 onwards).

Some key budget takeaways:

Universal Credit sanctions to be 'applied more rigorously'
30 hours free childcare for all under fives
Pensions lifetime allowance to be abolished
Apprenticeships for over-50s to return to work

Also:

Chancellor announces plans to change disability benefits

Hunt has now turned to barriers to people participating in the workforce.

The chancellor says a white paper is being published today on disability benefits, including plans to abolish the work capabilty assessment and to separate benefits entitlement from an individual’s ability to work.

As a result, he says, disabled benefit claimants will always be able to seek work without fear of losing financial support.

He says there will be new, voluntary employment scheme for disabled people where the government will spend up to £4,000 per person to help them find appropriate jobs and put in place the support they need. It will fund 50,000 places every single year, he says.

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Comments

66Mustang

Just answering for myself but I'm sure my response will be similar to some others...

I really want to get into work and would welcome support in finding a job that fits around my illness.

But I worry the "support" will continue to be generic and not applicable to me; I need some sort of tailored support from someone who understands MY disabilities, not a "Jack of All Trades" type person who has read a book about disability and thinks they are an expert.

I also worry that more things like having to attend meetings will apply, which I can't do. I can't use the telephone and cannot use computer programs like Zoom.

In conclusion I think if they are offering truly tailored support, i.e. working with the same person from start to finish so they can get to know me and my needs, I like the idea. However...I won't lie, the announcements do strike my anxiety and doubt chords!

Cher_Alumni

Here's some interesting reading for us: Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper - from 133. which discusses disability benefit changes.

I understand your anxiety @66Mustang, deep breaths. Let's read the detail and get our heads around it first. (And you know we'll be here always to speak with and for support.. we've got this!)

66Mustang

Well some of the things in that page have given me a bit more confidence, thanks @Cher_Scope

robjgr1

This is all so confusing and scary for me to be honest I only got lcwra last October and now I have to worry about this? Can I at least not worry about it for the next 6 months or so ? Will all this change be this year etc? I wish I didn't look at this white paper now

Cher_Alumni

@robjgr1 I understand, it's taking multiple reads for me to digest the proposals too. But try not to panic because it in terms of time frames and implementing the new UC health element system, the White Paper states:

These reforms would then be rolled out, to new claims only, on a staged, geographical basis from no earlier than 2026/27. We would expect the new claims roll-out to be completed within three years (so by 2029 at the earliest), when we would then begin to move the existing caseload on to the new system.

Jonnyc

From the Benefits and Work website:

New UC Health Element

The UC LCWRA element will be replaced with a new UC health element for claimants getting UC standard allowance and any PIP element. Paid at same rate as LCWRA element.

"Landmark reforms to the benefits system will change the emphasis from what people can’t do, to what they can, by legislating to remove the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) so that in future there is only one health and disability assessment – the Personal Independent Payment (PIP) assessment.

"This will mean there will be no need to be found to have limited capability for work and limited capability to prepare for work to get additional income-related support for a disability or health condition – reducing the worry claimants currently experience that they will lose their benefits following a reassessment.

"We will replace the current Universal Credit Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity (LCWRA) financial top up with a new UC health element. This will be awarded to people who are receiving the UC standard allowance and any PIP element. The award rate of the new UC health element will be set equal to the current award to those people that have LCWRA, ensuring there is a safety net in place for the most vulnerable."

Ray212

I am confused by this, it seems to mean that no matter what your circumstances if your work coach deems you can work then you will be made to work or lose your benefit. Does this also apply to those who will get UC and PIP? If I am wrong then please someone point it out, this is for when the reforms come into play :

159. This change means that in the future there will only be one health and disability functional assessment: the PIP assessment. People in receipt of PIP and UC will receive the new health element. The key change will be in UC, where instead of the WCA, people in receipt of PIP and UC will receive the new UC health element. In place of the WCA, we propose to introduce a new personalised health conditionality approach that will provide more personalised levels of conditionality and employment support, with the aim of helping people to reach their potential and live a more independent life.

160. We will use this opportunity to build greater levels of trust between DWP and the people who use our services, by reducing the assessment burden that people currently face. We want to introduce a more tailored approach, to allow work coaches to build a relationship with an individual and determine what, if any, work-related activities an individual can participate in. This also means that where work or work-related-activity is not possible or appropriate for someone, they will not be expected to participate in these activities to receive their benefit entitlement.

161. Our new approach will mean both voluntary and mandatory work-related requirements may be set for health and disability benefit claimants, where this is appropriate, with requirements added at a pace that is appropriate for the individual.

worried33

So the new criteria is PIP qualification, thats the movement of the goal posts then.

The press have mentioned a fit for work assessment though, so either they got it wrong or there might be a way on for those who dont get PIP via that assessment.

Of course PIP disqualification will now have bigger repercussions.

Votadini

My reaction is that unless they revamp the PIP descriptors in regard to mental illness making it easier to qualify we're going to see thousands of people with mental health conditions, many of them currently in the ESA support group, being treated as fit for work with all that implies.

NotReally

My concern is that this:

Cher_Scope said:
Universal Credit sanctions to be 'applied more rigorously

And this:

Cher_Scope said:
The chancellor says a white paper is being published today on disability benefits, including plans to abolish the work capabilty assessment and to separate benefits entitlement from an individual’s ability to work.
As a result, he says, disabled benefit claimants will always be able to seek work without fear of losing financial support.

Will be combined so as to try and force us into inappropriate working circumstances.

NotReally

Ray212 quoted:

" ... We want to introduce a more tailored approach, to allow work coaches to build a relationship with an individual and determine what, if any, work-related activities an individual can participate in. ... "

Given that work coaches have pretty much zero real understanding and even less training about disability / health conditions, this is a bit of a joke. The only upside is that their work burdan is so high that I can imagine that many of them will simply rubber stamp our circumstances and focus on the next person. Which is also a downside when we do actually want or need to start engaging with work. My own work coach is decent enough, but I've given up contacting her as she has no idea how to support me in engaging with activity that will lead to income.

Cher_Alumni

@NotReally I understand where you're coming from. One part of the White Paper does address Work Coaches training, saying:

We will continue to invest in developing our assessors’ skills. This year, we will begin testing matching people’s primary health condition to a specialist assessor. As part of this, assessors will take part in training to specialise in the functional impacts of specific health conditions. To prepare for this test we will work with stakeholders including disabled people to build on our understanding of the range of specialisms we need to make available, as well as the improvements we need to make to the assessment process and report to deliver the right outcomes.

WelshBlue

I just hope that too many people don't lose sleep over something that's a long time in the future.

The biggest thing is how much of the £4000 per person will be swallowed up by unethical companies just in it for a quick buck and not caring about the claimants

Cher_Alumni

Scope have published their response to today's Spring statement and White Paper for those wishing to read it

Ray212

Cher_Scope said:

Scope have published their response to today's Spring statement and White Paper for those wishing to read it

Thank you

I just hope that voluntary means just that. And when is it being introduced. Will it be the same time as the other changes? In a few years?

NotReally

Cher_Scope said:

@NotReally I understand where you're coming from. One part of the White Paper does address Work Coaches training, saying:
We will continue to invest in developing our assessors’ skills. [...]

Continue?!? How about they start to invest in developing assessors' skills?!?

NotReally

Listening to Radio 4 this morning, they were interviewing the Chancellor, and he was all "blahblahblah", usual poop, "we can do no wrong, nothing's on fire, everything is amazing because us"; and something I've been trying to communicate finally came together in my head:

I don't need help to find a job, because regular employment isn't ever going to be successful for me. What I need help with is creating a job for myself that will be successful.

There's a fair amount to unpack from that, but I think it encapsulates my situation well, and likely for a lot of others as well.

Cartini

To be honest, I think people are creating stress / unrest for themselves over something that may never enter into law. A white paper is a consultation paper produced by the government to seek comments from the public over proposed changes.

White papers do not always transition to law.

I, personally, will not be reading any sensationalistic journalism on the subject; I`ll wait until a decision is formally announced by the government.

Grissom123

I am on ESA in the Support Group, but it is slightly comforting to know that these changes (if they even happen at all) won't actually come into effect until at least 2026/27, and that people like me won't be effected until at least 2029. I know a lot of people think that Labour will be in government by then, but personally I don't have much hope of that considering the Tories always get voted back in no matter what they do. I'm working on improving my health and might not even be on ESA anymore by then, but you never know what will happen.

I also like the way the government have said that the Work Capability Assessment has been abolished, but that people under this new system will still have to go through a PIP assessment to get the health component, meaning they haven't actually abolished it at all, they've just kept it for that one benefit and I have no doubt that it will be as horrible as it is now.

worried33

Cartini said:

To be honest, I think people are creating stress / unrest for themselves over something that may never enter into law. A white paper is a consultation paper produced by the government to seek comments from the public over proposed changes.
White papers do not always transition to law.
I, personally, will not be reading any sensationalistic journalism on the subject; I`ll wait until a decision is formally announced by the government.

The problem is if you wait until something becomes law to fight it, then its too late.

It has also already been formally announced as the stated plan during the budget, if you wait until it is announced as been put into action then its too late to fight it.

My request to scope is I see in their statement they want to fight for people with the health topup to not have forced work activity.

But I see nothing there to fight for people losing support altogether, I request that this is added to the statement, because income related ESA will effectively be abolished with this plan leaving many people with no safety net. Those people are now the most vulnerable and need the most help in this fight as they will have nothing, no recognition whatsoever of their illness.