UK: Disability benefits (UC, ESA and PIP) - news and updates 2026

rvallee said:
I'm not sure it's a genuine explanation, it rings fake to me. The people who work on junk rehabilitation pseudoscience seem to enjoy their work
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They're mostly nurses, ambulance techs, etc. There are hundreds of them and there's no reason to think any were involved in this. They're just ordinary workers who're very unlikely to have been in positions of influence (it doesn't pay well enough).

Judging by interviews I've heard/read, some of them are attracted to it because they've got young kids and the hours are better than shift work. Some tried it because their age meant they were starting to struggle with the physical demands of long nursing or paramedic shifts, but then realised they only got paid for about two thirds of the work they did (it apparently takes much longer to write up their notes than they're allowed).

There might be a minority who went into it for the wrong reasons, but a lot of them are just trying to find better or more manageable work. Years ago the assessments were done by doctors, and a lot of them were retired GPs. They could choose to work as many or as few days a week as they wanted, the fees (which used to be better than they are now) topped up their pensions nicely, and it got them out of the house. The chap who did my DLA assessments sat chatting afterwards and told me about it. (ETA: I got the impression he mainly did it because he missed feeling useful.)
 
Yes, let's not be too generous about the motivations for working in healthcare. I worked in the health system before getting sick and that range covers the full spectrum, from the most noble to the most self-serving.

That said, most I worked with were trying to do the best for patients, within the constraints of the job.
 
What are people using for evidence these days for assessments? A few years ago a welfare rights advisor knowledgeable of MECFS advised only consultant letters were useful. She knew I had comorbidities which had me seen by consultants so could use them. I will be going through a WCA at some point and am wondering what to gather in advance this time around.
 
Haveyoutriedyoga said:
What are people using for evidence these days for assessments?
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I don't have any. I rarely speak to doctors about ME/CFS because apart from the pain relief, there's nothing much they could do. All I have is my summary health record, and even then it's buried at the bottom because the date's 1976.

So far (touch wood!) it doesn't seem to have been a problem.
 
They seem keen on OT assessments.
It's probably good to explain why there is no specialist input for ME, as the CM (claim or case manager) kept referring to this in my daughter's report. She did have letters from a couple of NHS consultants she's seen re POTS. One of whom had been sent a form for further info by DWP.

Someone for DWP rang me at lunchtime as the info we had sent for her appeal was incompletely scanned. That was great because I was able to correct some of the errors and incorrect assumptions in the Award decision report as well as fill in details of the missing papers etc.
The upshot was that she has been awarded standard rate for the Daily Living Activities. She had previously only been awarded standardd rate mobility and was 2 points short for std ADL.
As is fairly usual the STAR, reliability criteria had been previously ignored.

It is such a relief to know that she has this, as we are both past retirement age and to have this decision and realisation of her functional limitations atm, gives her some level of security for the future.
 
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MEMarge said:
It is such a relief to know that she has this, as we are both past retirement age and to have this decision and realisation of her functional limitations atm, gives her some level of security for the future.
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That's great news, although it's a shame about those two points.

After retirement age the reassessments tend to get less frequent. I'm sure there'll be exceptions, but there seems to be an acknowledgement that older people are less likely to improve, so it probably costs more than it saves to keep doing them.

I was very relieved when they put me on 10-year light touch review; as you say, it gives you a sense of security. Reaching state pension age also helped, as being on ESA for 10 years always felt precarious even though they never put me through a WCA. There was always the possibility they might.
 
Haveyoutriedyoga said:
What are people using for evidence these days for assessments?
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I do the exact opposite of what they say and send every piece of evidence I have, including my original diagnosis letter from the clinic from 2013.

However, I was in the fortunate position that I had been seeing the long covid clinic last time I was reviewed for PIP, among other things, so had more recent evidence.

I opt for making life as easy possible for them and providing everything so they don't have to go looking for it. I also make a copy of the questions in a document and provide a complete response as an attachment so I can voice type it, and refer to it in every single question response.
 
JellyBabyKid said:
I do the exact opposite of what they say and send every piece of evidence I have, including my original diagnosis letter from the clinic from 2013.
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Definitely a good idea if you have any evidence. Otherwise it's up to DWP's assessors or decision makers to contact your GP to request further evidence or clarification, and of course they can choose not to.
 
Latest edition of Benefits and work


DWP ARGUE FRAUDSTERS MAY FAKE KIDNEY FAILURE IF SHOWN UNREDACTED GUIDANCE

Benefits and Work can reveal that, in order to avoid publishing severe conditions criteria guidance given to health assessors, the DWP are arguing that fraudsters might be inspired to fake end-stage chronic kidney disease if they saw the document.

The DWP provided us with only a heavily redacted version of the guidance, arguing that provision of the full document “would enable individuals to manipulate or tailor their responses to meet eligibility thresholds”.

However, we have an almost identical earlier version of the guidance and have been able to show exactly what the DWP redacted.

One redacted section discusses the fact that where there is medical evidence that a claimant is not suitable for a transplant, the assessor should accept this. The example is given of someone with end stage chronic kidney disease who also has significant left ventricular dysfunction. Because they would be unlikely to survive transplant surgery, “severe conditions advice could be offered.”

So, what the DWP seems to be arguing, is that claimants reading this might be tempted to fake end-stage kidney disease along with heart disease in order to get benefits.
There’s more dubious examples of redactions at the link below.
And members can download both the redacted and unredacted versions of the guidance to see for themselves how reasonable the omissions are.

PHARMACISTS AND SPEECH THERAPISTS CARRYING OUT PIP ASSESSMENTS

Capita and Serco each employ 20 pharmacists to carry out PIP and/or WCA assessments, figures obtained by Benefits and Work show.

Capita have also taken on a small number of speech and language therapists to carry out assessments.

Whilst both pharmacists and speech therapists are registered healthcare professionals, there has to be a real concern about how appropriate it is to employ them as benefits assessors.
 
Another interesting snippet is about council tax—some people have seen hikes in their monthly payments when they migrate to UC because it's not a passported benefit.

For some time, Benefits and Work has been hearing from readers who, contrary to everything they were promised by the DWP, have found themselves much worse off after migrating to UC because their council tax bill has shot up even though their income has remained the same
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But a recent court case may offer some hope on this:

Now, however, many of these same readers may be able to get their money back and their council tax bill reduced, after the High Court found that a council treating the transitional protection element as surplus income was being discriminatory.
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UC migration claimants’ council tax hikes may be unlawful

Get the benefits you're entitled to: help with personal independence payment (PIP), universal credit (UC), employment and support allowance (ESA),disability living allowance (DLA). Claims, assessments, reviews, appeals.
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk www.benefitsandwork.co.uk
 
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