Documents leaked to the BBC last week, reveal that ministers are considering reducing the payment for work-related ESA to just 50p above jobseeker’s allowance, effectively abolishing the work-related activity component. The documents suggest that this would only apply to new claims. But many will remember that the same was said about the one year cut-off for contribution based ESA, until the coalition changed its mind and made it apply to all existing claimants retrospectively. As part of the softening up process for more massive benefits cuts, millions of taxpayers are receiving individual statements in the post presenting an entirely misleading picture of how much of their money goes on ‘welfare’. The other big ESA news is that Maximus have now been named as the company taking over from Atos to try to sort out the shambles that is the work capability assessment (WCA). Many people are very unhappy about the choice, given Maximus’ reputation in America. Though possibly not Disability Rights UK, who were named in a DWP press release as the charity which will be selling disability awareness training to Maximus, as well as being paid to produce independent information and advice about the WCA. DRUK have since said nothing definite has been agreed. Disability News Service have more about DRUK’s possible role in sanitising Maximus and the WCA and also about the fact that DRUK are trying to arrange a deal with the DWP run Pension Protection Fund to bail them out of a £3 million pensions deficit, which has brought DRUK to the brink of bankruptcy. Moving from the shambles that is ESA to the disaster that is personal independence payment (PIP), the DWP have updated their guidance to Atos and Capita health professionals carrying out PIP assessments. Changes include telling assessors: to ignore problems with carrying things in the kitchen but take account of possible self-harm issues when preparing a meal; to ignore commode use in some circumstances; that in rare circumstances ‘violent behaviour’ and ‘high suicide risk’ may be relevant to scoring points for needing prompting to undertake journeys; that typically claimants ‘will not have left their home for several years’ if they are to qualify as being unable to undertake any journey – ignoring the fact that the legal requirement is that you have had the same level of need for just three months and are likely to have it for at least nine more. We’ve updated our PIP claims guide to warn of the changes and, where appropriate, how to deal with them when completing your PIP claim form. In other benefits news, the DWP has ridden to the rescue of struggling payday lenders by increasing the waiting days for new ESA and JSA claims from 3 days to seven days before a claim can begin, ensuring, many more people are forced to borrow from dodgy lenders. We can also reveal that payday loan comparison sites are targeting claimants for an apparently lawful scam which removes £75 from your account, passes on your bank details to hundreds of other scammers and you still don’t even get a loan. The companies involved have been given licences to operate by the Financial Conduct Authority. So . . . be careful out there. Source: Benefits and Work
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 11:49:21 +0000
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