Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 29
29
Accepted
The Department has made, and continues to make, reforms to improve PIP assessment and WCA...
Recommendation
The Department has made, and continues to make, reforms to improve PIP assessment and WCA processes. But the pace of change has been extremely slow. The plans to scrap WCAs are significant and will require further scrutiny in the months and years to come. In the meantime, too many people claiming disability and health-related benefits, even those not directly affected by poor decision- making, continue to view the processes with great trepidation, and for a minority the experience of assessment can be devastating. The continuing high overturn rates at appeal suggest fundamental flaws in the assessment system. We recommend that while it develops its long-term plans to remove WCAs, DWP accelerates improvements to health assessments in the short-term. We have suggested some areas for change in this Report to start that process—recording of assessments and sharing reports to increase transparency are key, and these should be implemented without delay. (Paragraph 125) 94 Health assessments for benefits
Government Response Summary
The Department has made progress with its plans to test the Severe Disability Group, so that the relevant claimants can benefit from a simplified process.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Department has made progress with its plans to test the Severe Disability Group, so that the relevant claimants can benefit from a simplified process without ever needing to complete a detailed application form, go through a full assessment or have frequent award reviews. This builds on existing successful measures such as the Severe Conditions Criteria for ESA or UC. The Department has worked with an expert group of specialist health professionals to draw up a set of draft criteria that focus on claimants who have conditions which are severely disabling, lifelong and with no realistic prospect of recovery. These criteria were shared with several charities and their feedback was used to further develop its draft criteria, which do not focus on a claimant’s ability to work.