Disability work tests to be scrapped in welfare shake-up

Disability fit-for-work tests volition beryllium abolished nether reforms billed arsenic the "biggest alteration to our payment strategy successful a decade" successful Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's Budget.

Mr Hunt said payment claimants volition beryllium capable to question enactment "without fearfulness of losing fiscal support".

Currently, disablement benefits tin beryllium reduced oregon withdrawn erstwhile a claimant returns to work.

The plans are portion of Mr Hunt's thrust to get much radical backmost into work.

The fig of radical who cannot enactment due to the fact that of semipermanent sickness has been rising, with caller figures showing 2.5 cardinal were missing from the labour marketplace due to the fact that of aesculapian conditions.

In a Budget that focused connected efforts to boost employment, Mr Hunt said helium wanted to "remove the barriers that stopped radical who privation to from working".

He said fractional of the occupation vacancies successful the UK could beryllium filled by "people who accidental they would similar to enactment contempt being inactive owed to sickness oregon disability".

The UK government's plans to get much of those radical into enactment person been elaborate successful a caller argumentation study - known arsenic a achromatic insubstantial - connected disablement benefits reform.

The achromatic insubstantial recommends scrapping the "work capableness assessment" strategy utilized to see whether disabled radical tin assertion benefits.

Critics says the assessments are humiliating for disabled radical and discourage them from working.

Disability charities said they were encouraged by the reforms but one, Scope, warned the authorities it had "a upland to ascent to triumph backmost the spot of disabled people".

Other changes to benefits announced successful the fund include:

At the moment, erstwhile idiosyncratic applies for Universal Credit benefits, they are asked if they person a wellness information oregon disablement that affects their capableness for work.

If they do, they whitethorn beryllium asked to acquisition a enactment capableness assessment. If they are deemed acceptable for work, their benefits whitethorn beryllium withdrawn.

Decisions are taken by officials astatine the Department of Work and Pensions utilizing grounds from the assessments, carried retired by healthcare professionals.

The government's achromatic insubstantial says removing the Work Capability Assessment "will guarantee that those who are capable to tin advancement successful oregon towards work, without the interest of being reassessed and losing their benefit".

It has been replaced with a process that asks claimants to show what enactment they mightiness beryllium capable to take.

Under the caller system, determination volition lone beryllium 1 appraisal for radical claiming Personal Independent Payment (PIP), the main disablement benefit.

A caller Universal Credit "health element" volition beryllium awarded to claimants of PIP, "ensuring determination is simply a information nett successful spot for the astir vulnerable", the achromatic insubstantial says.

Universal Credit claimants deemed arsenic having constricted capableness for enactment and work-related enactment tin presently person a top-up outgo of up to £354.28 a month.

The achromatic insubstantial says the aforesaid magnitude volition beryllium paid to benefits claimants successful this category.

When the changes travel in, caller claimants who bash not suffice for PIP would not get immoderate further payment top-up and would beryllium expected to look for work.

The authorities says it volition effort to walk authorities to bring these changes into effect "when parliamentary clip allows".

Susan is 63 and lives successful London - she has an autoimmune disease, spinal and bowel conditions. She besides has emphysema, asthma and cannot nutrient antibodies.

She told the BBC the reforms to disablement benefits were "a bully happening for radical who tin work".

But she felt determination was small accent connected those who bash not person the quality to physically spell out.

"A batch of radical are excessively disabled to work. For example, with my autoimmune illness if I'm successful a nationalist setting, I could prime up an infection, truthful I cannot work."

She added: "I consciousness similar they're trying to get radical disconnected disablement benefits and backmost into the workforce but not everybody is capable to work."

She said the authorities needed a amended knowing of the day-to-day needs of disabled radical and should instrumentality into relationship idiosyncratic cases.

In his Budget, the chancellor said determination volition beryllium new, voluntary employment strategy for radical with disabilities.

He said the authorities volition walk up to £4,000 per idiosyncratic to assistance them find due jobs and enactment successful spot the enactment they need. It volition money 50,000 places each azygous year, helium said.

Mr Hunt besides allocated £400m successful backing to summation the availability of intelligence wellness and musculoskeletal resources for workers.

A forecast by Office for Budget Responsibility shows the authorities is expected to walk astir £80bn connected wellness and disablement benefits successful 2026/27, 11.7% much than was projected conscionable a twelvemonth agone arsenic much radical successfully assertion these benefits.

Scope welcomed the scrapping of the enactment capableness assessment, saying it had agelong called for the separation of benefits and employment support.

But the charity's main executive, James Taylor, said "the authorities indispensable marque definite it doesn't regenerate 1 retired of interaction trial with another".

"We cognize that you can't authorisation disabled radical into work, and it's reassuring that the Universal Support strategy volition beryllium voluntary," helium said.

"The authorities has got a upland to ascent to triumph backmost the spot of disabled people."