An online petition proposing that people with certain medical conditions should not be required to attend a health assessment for health-related benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) has received an official response from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The petition, which has received more than 26,800 signatures of support, was created by Ray Vanderahe, suggests that PIP assessments should be based “solely on evidence from medical professionals, such as a letter from a GP or consultant”.
However, the DWP response explains how assessments are necessary to ensure people claiming certain benefits are getting the right amount of support and indicated that the more relevant information provided from the start of an application, the reduced need for a Health Professional to seek this out at a consultation - in person, over the phone or by video call.
DWP said: “Whenever it is possible to assess a claimant on the basis of paper evidence alone, we will do so. Increased use of paper assessments is also helping to reduce waiting times.”
DWP goes on to say how it wants to “test a new Severe Disability Group so that some people can benefit from a simplified process without needing to complete a detailed application form or go through an assessment.”
It added: “We will work directly with disabled people and people with health conditions to develop and test the approach. This will ensure that it delivers the desired improvements.”
The DWP response to the petition reads: “The Government has no plans to assess eligibility for all disability benefit applications based on medical evidence alone.
“DWP uses assessments to help determine entitlement for a number of benefits, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP); Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB); Employment and Support Allowance (ESA); and, for those claiming due to a disability or health condition that affects their capability for work, Universal Credit (UC).
“These benefits were designed for specific purposes, be that support with additional costs associated with long-term ill-health or disability; compensation following a work-related accident or illness; or income replacement.
“Each benefit has its own assessment criteria, to ensure that those who meet the entitlement conditions get the support they are entitled to.”
DWP then explained the need for assessment for certain benefits including PIP, Work Capability Assessment and the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.
Work Capability Assessment
DWP said: “The Work Capability Assessment, which assesses entitlement to ESA and the additional health-related amount of UC, ensures that people receive appropriate financial and tailored work-related support.
“ This supports those who can work to do so. It assesses people’s functional ability over a range of physical and mental/cognitive criteria, as well as several non-functional criteria covering circumstances such as cancer treatment and kidney dialysis.”
PIP
DWP explained: “PIP contributes to the extra costs of disability or long-term ill health regardless of whether someone is in work. The PIP assessment looks at the impact of a disability or health condition on someone’s ability to do a range of day-to-day activities, e.g., washing; using the toilet; communicating; and mobility needs.”
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
DWP said: “Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) provides non-contributory benefit for people who become disabled because of an accident at work or due to certain prescribed diseases caused by their job. The aim of the IIDB assessment is to establish the causation of the illness or disease and a percentage disablement.”
DWP added: “For all benefits, we encourage people to provide any relevant evidence at the outset of their claim. This includes letters from their outpatient clinic or specialist; or information from other professionals involved in their care, e.g., support workers or carers.
“Healthcare professionals who carry out the assessment are expected to seek further evidence if it may help them to provide advice without requiring the claimant to attend a face-to-face, telephone, or video assessment.
“Whenever it is possible to assess a claimant on the basis of paper evidence alone, we will do so. Increased use of paper assessments is also helping to reduce waiting times.”
Directly responding the proposal in the petition to use medical evidence alone for the assessment, DWP said: “The assessor’s role is to evaluate the effects of a claimant’s health condition or disability on their ability to perform everyday activities, and/or to advise DWP whether the evidence, including that provided by a doctor, supports the legislative intent of the benefit in question.
“Factual information from a clinician about an individual’s diagnosis or treatment can be helpful, but is often not sufficient to determine entitlement to benefit.
“We do not expect clinicians to have an expert knowledge of the benefit system; their role is to diagnose and treat a person’s illness.”
Severe Disability Group
DWP explained its plans for the future: “Looking ahead, we want to test a new Severe Disability Group so that some people can benefit from a simplified process without needing to complete a detailed application form or go through an assessment.
“We will work directly with disabled people and people with health conditions to develop and test the approach. This will ensure that it delivers the desired improvements.
“We will consider the test results alongside the responses to the Green Paper when determining whether the policy should be rolled out further.”
Last year DWP published Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper. This explored how the welfare system can better meet the needs of disabled people and those with health conditions to build a system that enables people to live independently and move into work where possible - the White Paper will be published next year.
You can read the full response to the petition here.
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