Green Paper Related Discussions

You're absolutely right. These reforms offer little to help people like us. The Severe Conditions Criteria remain vague, with no clear list of qualifying conditions. The government claims that 200,000 people will be protected, yet we have no idea who they are referring to. They clearly have something in mind, but we are being left in the dark. Conditions such as fibromyalgia and ME, both incurable, may not be recognised under the criteria.

Even more frustrating is the fact that if they can estimate 200,000 people, they must already have set criteria or a list of qualifying conditions. So why not be transparent? Keeping this information hidden only raises more questions. As for "light touch" reviews, they seem about as rare as a politician giving a straight answer.

The criteria mention factors such as whether someone will always meet the LCWRA standard, if the condition is lifelong, if there is no realistic chance of improvement, and if it is diagnosed by an NHS professional. Yet in practice, everything depends on how individual assessors interpret these points. Without clear and consistent guidance, fairness simply cannot be guaranteed.

Hello Amy and welcome to Scope.

This whole situation is really confusing and a lot to take in, especially when it affects so many people’s lives so directly. I’ve been trying to make sense of it too.

You’re right, under the new plans, you will need to score at least 4 points in one PIP daily living activity. This is stricter than before, because instead of adding points from different activities, you must get four points in a single activity to qualify for any award. This means some people who currently get PIP might no longer be eligible. The mobility element of PIP will remain the same.

Universal Credit, this part is a bit harder to explain, but I’ll do my best. Right now, if you’re too unwell to work, you can get extra money added to your UC called the health element.

From April 2026, that extra money will only go to new claimants who have a very severe, lifelong condition that will never improve. The worrying part is the government hasn’t said exactly which conditions count, so many of us are left in limbo.

If you’re already getting that extra money before April 2026, you will keep it at the rate it is today, but it won’t rise with inflation, so over time it will be worth less.

From 2028, they will also stop using the current Work Capability Assessment and instead use the PIP assessment to decide if you qualify for the health element. This could make it harder for some people to get support.

You are definitely not alone in feeling overwhelmed by it all, I certainly am, as are most of our members.