Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants would be subject to a "much harsher assessment system" under Reform's proposals for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), according to Benefits and Work, a leading disability forum and advice group.
The plans, outlined by Robert Jenrick on Monday, would abolish the current PIP assessment and the work capability assessment (WCA), replacing them with a new disability needs assessment. This would determine eligibility for the new PIP/Health Security Allowance (PIP/HSA), additional disability-related costs via a Disability Support Account (DSA), and the work requirements a claimant would face.
What the new assessment involves
The disability needs assessment would begin with "structured medical evidence" gathered by a GP, which Reform UK says would cover "diagnosis, severity, duration, prognosis, treatment history, expected recovery or deterioration, treatment burden, functional impact, mobility, supervision, safeguarding risk and evidenced additional costs."
After three years, other existing PIP claimants would begin to be reassessed using the new disability needs assessment. Current claimants who pass the "severe, enduring or high-risk gateway" would keep the current cash value of their awards, but awards would not be uprated using the current system.
Sanctions and work placements
Reform UK says they would "reinvest around one-fifth of the child DLA savings into treatment options directly targeted at these mild conditions." Claimants who fail to participate, show absenteeism, poor performance, or on-the-job misconduct in a work placement would face immediate sanctions, including "full non-time-limited revocation of benefits."
Reform UK describes this as "a much harsher sanction" than in previous workfare schemes in this country or abroad.
Financial impact and projections
By 2030, Reform’s welfare reforms, if implemented today, would get 241,000 British nationals back into work. The reforms would also save the taxpayer £50 billion a year, which amounts to £1,700 per family. These funds, Reform says, would support tax relief and public services for British families.
