Upcoming changes to benefits
Comments
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mines up early next year so I could get my review form anytime now . How could this affect me , any idea?
plus why has the DWP employed more case managers to make decisions on paper if they’re making changes. I’ve heard of a few that have been awarded on paper based on assessments.0 -
im stressing out about it
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Read a little about the "right to try" legislation, which allows individuals to work without losing benefits or having to restart their disability application if the employment opportunity does not work out. Of course, what this looks like in practice remains to be seen. I, for one, would love to have a job where I can actually make it through the day.
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so if they scrap WCA they’re saying there are no longer sick or disabled people so we don’t need help ? How is that legal ? And if they want a work coach to decide if I’m fit enough to work or engage I hope they’re prepared to take responsibility when my condition deteriorates. Even Atos assessors need some experience, how can they have non medical people deciding on medical issues
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This was their disgusting plan all along , if they could of they would of even gone along with the freeze .... but they knew if push come too shove they could u turn on it and make it seem like they were doing us a favour .....
So they will u turn on the freeze ..
They will make it harder to qualify for pip..
And they will cut lcwra ..
Im 99% sure this is exactly what will happen , of course we just will have to wait till Tuesday .... Only thing I'm not so sure about is if they will make lcwra harder to qualify for
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(Edit: quotes didn’t post)
I recommend reading into ‘Labour together’ - many of the MPs that had a significant hand in building it (such as reeves, streeting………….surprisingly even nandy) now have a seat on the cabinet.
I don’t think starmer was ever a member and was chosen to be the face of the movement (now known as ‘starmerism’) but not a main scriptwriter.
If starmer does take the fall in the future - mcsweeneys team will just try to get one of their own installed as his replacement (probably streeting)
There’s a saying to ‘cut the head off the snake
My gut is telling me starmer is not the head of the snake but nearer to the tail (and a snake can survive its tail been cut off)
I’m not absolving starmer of blame of this s******w, on the contrary I think he needs open his eyes and see the old ‘swamp that needs draining’
Start using your lawyer techniques for good starmer!
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remember this is only the green paper and it was always going to be brutal the end result when it all gets put into place will be watered down
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I think it’s almost amusing that we have all been found to qualify for disability benefits largely based on the evidence of doctors, who have years if not decades of experience and vast amounts of knowledge.
Alongside that, those of us who have gone to tribunal have spoken to a doctor who works in the highly specialised field of disability benefits and health… eg, my tribunal doctor was so wonderful, very knowledgeable, especially of BPD which I really appreciated because it’s so misunderstood. My doctors are amazing. All of these people are MEDICAL EXPERTS who KNOW what they’re talking about.
Then here come eejits like Streeting, Kendall, etc who make bold claims that mental “health” is over diagnosed, work can cure it, work can prevent relapse etc. Not a shred of medical experience or education. Acting like they know more than professionals!
Dr Streeting, Dr Kendall, Dr Reeves, and Dr Starmer will see you now, it seems…
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I will be going tribunal on my 3 points to maken4 points !
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Me too, I don't understand how my points add up now and I can get pip but if they change the rules someone who scores less will qualify and I will not! Seriously considering asking for a review now rather than wait until the changes come in as I am due one next year anyway.
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I hope so as this is brutal and against our human rights
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Well yes who cares to lose 60 a year let labour put all this out once green paper out everyone will be on them that's why they keep putting off hoping put more on social media work up more hate I've seen alot of people horrified by thier suggestions
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I’d like to know why it’s 4 points if you can’t wash above your waist to the shoulders but any higher to your hair it’s only 2 . If you can’t wash your torso how would you wash you hair ?
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Those far right people are not, sadly. They think that if you're able to work you shouldn't receive any help, they also seem to conveniently discount the fact that just over half of all British adults are on some form of benefit to survive because pay is so poor in most jobs and rents are so high.
It's all a complete mess and going after the disabled is just easy low-hanging fruit for these people.0 -
Hold out
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Please excuse me if I've got any of this info wrong/names etc. I don't think I have though but what I perceive/interpret from it may be wrong.
I (probably because of HR/operations background) usually tend to look at what's going on from a 'recruitment perspective' to try and get a feel for what their strategy is.
Interesting to see a different focus/phrasing on jobs advertised with the civil service - DWP and Angeus (might be Augeus) whose contract, awarded until 2029, with the civil service went live c Sept 2024 and who provide the assessment service for the South (Maximus for the North). Caveat: first time I've looked for c a year or so and with their aim to merge the assessments for PIP and ESA into one.
DWP quite a few jobs now advertised stating people with visible and non-visible disabilities can apply including [examples stated] autism, chronic fatigue, epilepsy, mental health problems including schizophrenia.
I've never seen that before not to say it's not been their a while. More illuminating to me is Angeus Disability Assessors job vacancies, some similar sounding phrases to some of the rhetoric we've heard such as people not benefitting to improve their potential in life and coaxing people with long term and chronic health problems back to work. One mentioned the 'over 50s' too. Had to look at a few advertised to find them all and didn't know how to paste them here I'm sorry.
One of those advertised with Angeus is not working from home (as some are) as they'll 'visit clients in the community/? home visits'.
More jobs advertised for Work Psychologists to work with Job Centres to coach work coaches. Interestingly, it was the work coaches jobs that did not state that people with visible/non- visible disabilities could apply. (I just googled Disability Assessor jobs to find Angeus and DWP jobs to find the information. I had to accept Cookies and don't know if that's an identifying feature, just putting that out their but I personally don't give a rat's behind if it is).
I'm absolutely not trying, nor want, to 'scaremonger' sharing this info. 1. It's MY interpretation of what I see and 2. Forewarned is forearmed (usually) and to some extent.
I don't believe for one second that whatever plans that have been made in readiness for the Green Paper have been formulated recently. (The jobs I saw were mainly interview dates c end of April 2025, so ? start dates c ? August 2025 and theres usually an intensive c 8 week training period) ? ready for any transition and changes in 2026.
I suspect while Labour were in opposition it was being planned in readiness for major welfare changes at some point; albeit maybe kept between Starmer/Reeves.
Despite the question marks about whether increases to PIP are being frozen or not, I do not, sadly, think they'll be any significant backtracking by Reeves et al. on any of their major welfare policy changes, regardless of any opposition or rebellion from Labour MPs, or charities. I will be very happy to come back on here and eat my words if they do backtrack.
I will personally be looking with forensic detail (brain fog allowing) as I am determined to get my mojo/fighting spirit back and, whether changes do, or do not affect me personally (I do suspect they will!), but I will help Scope or anybody in our fight for justice, dignity and restoration of any money taken off us. There is so little dignity left in some of the health conditions I have and I'll be damned if I don't put up the fight of my life to try and avoid even less dignity and abject poverty especially because it is an avoidable and a sickening, political choice by Labour.
Please keep a strong spirit everybody, whatever is announced on Tuesday. I do not think any changes will be immediate but anything distressing announced or fear we feel, we can come on here to vent, share and get support. Am I glad I found Scope - thank you!
With very warmest wishes to everybody x
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Well said and echos my own experience and thoughts. PIP is rigorous to apply for and get.. I believe less than half of claimants are awarded at first application. It’s also worth mentioning that 61%of people on LWC and around 29% on LWCRA are not on PIP though they may be in the process of applying. The Tories promoted getting rid of WCA and incorporating PIP as a measure of disability.. whether this is fair or even possible to implement is another matter. You could for example just have been awarded LWCRA.. and in process of being awarded PIP.? How can a work coach at DWP assess the nature and depth of your medical/ psychiatric condition.. while the process is going on? It’s a non starter.
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if a pip freeze saves the dwp an average of £5 per claimant per week (there are 3.6 million total pip claimants as of 2025)
That would save dwp £936 million in the first year of a freeze
If the freeze continued for a second year - year 2 would be a accumulated £1.87 billion (total 2 year pip freeze saving guesstimate of £2.9 billion)
And if a pip freeze continued to a third year - the third year accumulated savings would rise to approx £2.9 billion (total pip savings due to 3yr freeze being £5.8billion)
I’m obviously excluding any rise to pip claimant numbers over that 3 years but checking my sums that adds up to the majority of the £6bil reeves is looking for and it’s a quicker and more guaranteed source of saving than any reform (look back in history - dwp reforms a benefit to save money but it actually ends up increasing the benefit billl - how is the dwp still a department with few wins and truckloads of epic fails)
(Not to mention the 1/6th of pip claimants (approx 600k) currently in work and in many cases only able to do so because of the award and allow them to continue contributing to the economy via being in the workforce and maybe paying ni/income tax (adding millions to the treasury pot)
Yes a 3 year pip freeze would cost each of the 3.6 million current pip claimants £1560 over 3 years but that is significantly significantly significantly better than losing the award altogether to the average pip claimant point of view surely?
Then the likes of Kendall could then slow things down - by actually spending time developing actual true benefit reforms that are fairer and actual non mandatory schemes (like some of the semi successful ones that existed 10-20 years ago before funding was axed) that may help a few disabled into work at their own pace (or Kendall could finally see the value of disabled doing volunteer work and favour praise over a ‘well that person is well enough to jump paid employment hoops then’)
finally I’m going to have a messy, arrogant b***h moment (sorry in advance):
But starmer, if you spend your Sundays lurking on disability forums - there you go, I did part of reeves and Kendall’s job for them above for free (no £200k+ combined salary) and are available for a much lower fee to offer my services in thinking up further solutions that don’t anger bulk of population 🤣
(My main issue is there’s a lot of scope members with the ability to outthink the likes of reeves and Kendall so probably don’t make it into the scope member top 50 candidacy……….if that was a thing 🤣🥰🤪😘😘)
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are you that first forum member who studied law? (prehaps a legacy member will know)
big welcome to all the scope forum newbies 🥳🎉🥳🎉🥳
(I think I’m a little drunk right now………though I’m teetotal - caffeine high prehaps 😂……….wacky from v little sleep in 9 days more likely 🤣)1 -
that would be the most humane and efficient way to cut costs . Maybe that’s why the pip freeze is possibly off the table now. They’d go ahead with the worst ideas
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