Employment and Support Allowance

Angela Toal

CPAG in Scotland

Context and background

New deal for welfare – empowering people to work, January 2006:– Reduce numbers on IB by one million– Achieve 80% employment rate

Welfare Reform Bill 2006 Welfare Reform Act, May 2007 Draft regulations, January 2007

What’s changing

Incapacity benefit

and

Income support

Employment and Support Allowance:

Income-based

and

contribution–based benefit

Employment and Support Allowance

ESA – first 13 weeks

Basic allowance(Income-based or contributory)

Income based premiums/housing costs

Three Assessments

To get ESA

To decide level of benefit

To inform action plan

Revised PCA

Work-related activity/support group

Work-focused health assessment

Revised personal capability assessment

Assessment of ‘limited capability for work’

Review of PCA Some descriptors

removed Some new and revised

descriptors No exemption for

severely disabled

Work-related activity or support component?

Test of ‘limited capability for work-related activity’

Depends on ability to undertake work-related activity

Must satisfy one of the physical or mental descriptors

Some exemptions

Limited capability for work-related activity

Physical descriptors Can’t move more than 30m Can’t rise from sitting or

move from one seat to another

Can’t turn a tap or pick up £1 coin

Can’t bring food/drink to mouth, chew or swallow

Can’t be understood by speaking, writing, typing or sign language

Mental descriptors Can’t wash, bring food or

drink to mouth, chew or swallow without help or prompting

Can’t learn simple task, or complete task day after learning

Can’t plan, organise, solve problems, prioritise, switch tasks at all, or without prompting

ESA – after 13 weeks

Basic allowance(Income-based or contributory)

Work-related component or support component(Income-based or contributory)

Income-based premiums/housing costs

WRA group – what is expected?

Work-focused health assessments– Looks at barriers to getting or keeping work, claimants aspirations

and views– Report sent to personal adviser

Pathways to Work– Work-focused interviews, action plans

Work-related activity - ‘as resources allow’

Work-related Activity

‘Work tasters’ eg voluntary or permitted work Condition Management Programmes eg NHS

Expert Patients programmes Improving employability eg basic skill programme,

Jobcentre Plus or external training programmes Jobsearch assistance, eg contact with NDDP,

Disability Employment Advisers Stabilising life eg cognitive behavioural therapy,

assessing childcare options

Sanctions and safeguards

50% reduction of WRA component

100% reduction after four weeks

if do not fully comply in WFIs, WRHAs or WRA and cannot show good cause

Safeguards before sanctions applied

Concerns

IS vs ESADisability premium

passporting

students

Thanks for listening