Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 12
12
Accepted
Government's proposed WCA abolition decouples UC health from work capacity assessment.
Conclusion
We agree with the principle of a streamlined, single health and disability assessment, given the distress caused by repeated and unnecessary assessments. The objection to the Government’s proposal to abolish the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) and to link eligibility for UC health to receipt of the daily living component of PIP is that the two assessments assess different things: one a person’s capacity for work and the other the impact of a disability on a person’s daily living. This objection seems to miss the point, however, since the Government is explicit that it wants to decouple access to UC health from an assessment of a person’s capacity for work. (Conclusion, Paragraph 117) 66
Government Response Summary
The government reiterates its existing policy, as set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, that eligibility for the Universal Credit Health Element will be based on PIP daily living awards and decoupled from capacity to work, noting ongoing discussions with the Scottish Government.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
As set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, in a reformed system, additional financial support related to health and disability in Universal Credit (UC) will take the form of the UC Health Element (UCHE). With the abolition of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), eligibility for UCHE will not be linked in any way to someone’s capacity to work or their work status. Instead, it is proposed, in England and Wales, it will be based on whether someone is receiving any Daily Living Award in PIP. DWP typically describes UC Health Element (UCHE) in terms of how it works and what it involves, to ensure it is as easy as possible for customers to understand, rather than classifying it as a type of benefit. Discussions are ongoing with the Scottish Government regarding the interactions between the devolved and reserved systems.