Proposed benefit changes cause alarm
01 July 2010
Proposed changes to the welfare system have caused alarm for some people with MS.
In the Budget, Chancellor George Osborne announced that a medical assessment will be introduced for Disability Living Allowance from 2013 for new and existing claimants. The details and implications of this are still to be known, although the announcement was part of the plan to make significant cuts in the overall welfare budget.
Changes to Incapacity Benefit put in place by the previous government have been accelerated by the Coalition. Since October 2008, Incapacity Benefit has been replaced for new claimants by employment and support allowance (ESA). The new benefit requires a medical assessment to determine if the claimant is able to work and what support they need to do so.
The application of ESA has caused concerns. A recent review of the benefit by BBC Scotland found that two thirds of claimants were being found fit to work, It is now the most commonly appealed benefit, with 8,000 tribunals heard every month across the UK - and 40% of appealed decisions being reversed (see link below).
The MS Trust entirely supports the intention of allowing people who want to work the support to achieve this. However, we are concerned that the measures of fitness to work are too blunt to cope with a fluctuating condition such as MS where a person's ability can vary greatly in a short period. If the medical tests within ESA and proposed for DLA are unable to achieve this, people with MS with genuine need may find the benefit system working against them or requiring effort to challenge inappropriate decisions. The MS Trust will continue to monitor how these rules are applied.
MS Trust Information Service
For more information contact the MS Trust's personal information service on 0800 032 38 39 or by email
