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If the DWP pushes through changes during legal challenges, claimants affected by the 4 point rule could indeed lose benefits temporarily. However, if courts later rule the policy unlawful, those denied PIP may be entitled to backdated payments or reinstatement of benefits.

Hi Catherine, I’ve outlined my understanding below of how this is going to work based on the government’s announcements so far. If anything is incorrect, I’m sure another member will point it out, but this is how I’m understanding the new proposed rules.

The government is scrapping the WCA and replacing it with a new system linked to PIP eligibility. If you're currently receiving LCWRA, your payments are protected for now, but future claimants will face stricter rules.

Starting in 2026, new UC claimants will get a reduced "health element" (from £97 to £50 per week) unless they have severe lifelong conditions. Existing claimants will keep their current rate until 2029. By 2028, the WCA will be fully replaced by a PIP-style assessment that focuses on how disabilities affect daily life, not work capability.

At the same time, PIP rules are tightening. After Nov 2026, you’ll need 4+ points in one activity (e.g., washing or dressing) and 8+ points total for the standard allowance, or 12+ points for Enhanced.

This means some people who qualify now could lose PIP at future reassessment's if the new rules are in force when their renewal takes place. Mobility points are not affected, they stay the same.

ESA and JSA are merging into Unemployment Insurance, a new time-limited benefit requiring job-seeking, but without work capability tests.

The government wants to encourage people to find work, so if you're unable to find a job within the Unemployment Insurance period, your eligibility for the benefit could end. However, they haven't announced this yet, but I sincerely hope there will be options for extending support through other benefits or assistance, if you don’t secure employment within that time frame.

I am translating all the above (again, just my own opinion), but the strategy here seems to be to make claimants so poor that finding a job becomes their only hope for survival, and possibly their next meal!