Post by nickd on Mar 1, 2011 14:33:23 GMT 1
TODAY'S HEADLINE'S. There's bound to be the need for a fair few welfare benefit advisers in Plymouth. Read the article and see why....
10,000 in city face sick note test to prove incapacity benefit claims are genuine
WARNING letters are being sent to more than 10,000 people in Plymouth who are claiming incapacity benefit.
The official letters are due to land on doormats next week and will instruct claimants they will have to undergo a tough new medical test to decide if they are genuinely sick or disabled.
The controversial Government scheme is expected to slash the number of people on sickness benefit in Plymouth by more than two-thirds.
But government advisors have raised concerns the "well-note" system, designed to weed out claimants that can do some form of work, is being introduced too quickly, pointing out in trials it had been "badly malfunctioning".
People with terminal cancer, multiple sclerosis and serious mental illnesses were deemed fit for work under pilots of the new tests, which are carried out by independent assessors. Prof Paul Gregg, who helped devise the new system, warned that more trials needed to be done to iron out serious flaws in the system before it was rolled out nationally.
He said: "In the first trial, the system did not work. We need to trial the new, proposed, reformed system to check and prove that it works and avoids the serious stress and misclassification of people that we have already seen, before we start implementing it on a large and vulnerable population.
"The test is badly malfunctioning. The current system is a complete mess.
"The test so far has caused a huge amount of anguish to the people who have gone through it. We need to have something that is working accurately before we apply it nationally. We shouldn't roll this out until we have something that is working."
The system has been in place for new claimants since 2008, but it will be extended to all those on incapacity benefit from the end of the month.
They will undergo a work capability assessment to decide whether they will be eligible for the new employment support allowance (ESA).
In trials, 30 per cent of claimants were judged fit to work and were immediately placed on job seekers' allowance (JSA) instead - losing at least £25 a week in benefit.
A further 40 per cent were assessed as able to look for work, with support. That means they will be moved onto JSA after one further year.
If replicated in Plymouth, it would see around 7,200 of 10,300 IB claimants lose the benefit.
The Government is convinced many people on sickness benefits are fit to work and hopes the shake-up will save £1 billion over five years.
But in the trials, 40 per cent of decisions were overturned on appeal.
Shadow Employment Secretary Stephen Timms said: "In principle, this is the right thing to do. My worry is that this exercise is being rushed.
"We know that there are some changes that need to be made to the WCA. There are risks with the roll-out. I think that the government is in a rush with the welfare reform."
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) insist changes have been made to the assessment.
Employment Minister Chris Grayling said: "I see this as a constant process of refinement and improvement."
Now of those 10,000 people who've suddenly become 'fit for work' -despite being declared unfit under Tory rules implemented in 1995 - a fair number will appeal; who'll be helping them?
Shall we refer them to the Jobcentre, our MP's or some other user-friendly government department?
Learn more....
www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/10000-FACE-SICK-NOTE-TEST/article-3267825-detail/article.html
10,000 in city face sick note test to prove incapacity benefit claims are genuine
WARNING letters are being sent to more than 10,000 people in Plymouth who are claiming incapacity benefit.
The official letters are due to land on doormats next week and will instruct claimants they will have to undergo a tough new medical test to decide if they are genuinely sick or disabled.
The controversial Government scheme is expected to slash the number of people on sickness benefit in Plymouth by more than two-thirds.
But government advisors have raised concerns the "well-note" system, designed to weed out claimants that can do some form of work, is being introduced too quickly, pointing out in trials it had been "badly malfunctioning".
People with terminal cancer, multiple sclerosis and serious mental illnesses were deemed fit for work under pilots of the new tests, which are carried out by independent assessors. Prof Paul Gregg, who helped devise the new system, warned that more trials needed to be done to iron out serious flaws in the system before it was rolled out nationally.
He said: "In the first trial, the system did not work. We need to trial the new, proposed, reformed system to check and prove that it works and avoids the serious stress and misclassification of people that we have already seen, before we start implementing it on a large and vulnerable population.
"The test is badly malfunctioning. The current system is a complete mess.
"The test so far has caused a huge amount of anguish to the people who have gone through it. We need to have something that is working accurately before we apply it nationally. We shouldn't roll this out until we have something that is working."
The system has been in place for new claimants since 2008, but it will be extended to all those on incapacity benefit from the end of the month.
They will undergo a work capability assessment to decide whether they will be eligible for the new employment support allowance (ESA).
In trials, 30 per cent of claimants were judged fit to work and were immediately placed on job seekers' allowance (JSA) instead - losing at least £25 a week in benefit.
A further 40 per cent were assessed as able to look for work, with support. That means they will be moved onto JSA after one further year.
If replicated in Plymouth, it would see around 7,200 of 10,300 IB claimants lose the benefit.
The Government is convinced many people on sickness benefits are fit to work and hopes the shake-up will save £1 billion over five years.
But in the trials, 40 per cent of decisions were overturned on appeal.
Shadow Employment Secretary Stephen Timms said: "In principle, this is the right thing to do. My worry is that this exercise is being rushed.
"We know that there are some changes that need to be made to the WCA. There are risks with the roll-out. I think that the government is in a rush with the welfare reform."
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) insist changes have been made to the assessment.
Employment Minister Chris Grayling said: "I see this as a constant process of refinement and improvement."
Now of those 10,000 people who've suddenly become 'fit for work' -despite being declared unfit under Tory rules implemented in 1995 - a fair number will appeal; who'll be helping them?
Shall we refer them to the Jobcentre, our MP's or some other user-friendly government department?
Learn more....
www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/10000-FACE-SICK-NOTE-TEST/article-3267825-detail/article.html