[joss]

Open consultation Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper
Published 18 March 2025

The Link below is for the published government”Green Paper” which is a “consultation document” It makes interesting reading. The Term “Consultation”is used very misleading to say the least. Read on…

What are the main changes in the Green Paper?
Personal independence payment
From November 2026, claimants will need to score at least 4 points from a single daily living activity to qualify for the daily living component of PIP, as well as scoring a total of at least 8 points.

So, if you are assessed as meeting 4 descriptors scoring two points each, that will be 8 points, but it will not qualify for an award of the standard rate of the daily living component of PIP.

But if you select one descriptor scoring 4 points and two descriptors scoring 2 points each, that will be 8 points and you will qualify for an award.

In the same way, six two point descriptors will currently qualify for the enhanced rate of PIP daily living, but under the new scoring system it will not qualify for any award of the daily living component

The changes will apply both to new claimants and to existing claimants when their award is reviewed from November 2026 onwards.

The mobility component will not be affected.

These changes are not being consulted on.

The DWP is consulting on how to support existing PIP claimants who lose their entitlement on review from November 2026.  The possibility of transitional protection is mentioned briefly in the Green Paper as well as ways to ensure that claimants who lose their PIP daily living component have their health and care needs met.

Assessments
There will be a greater proportion of face-to-face assessments for PIP, UC and ESA.

Reassessments for UC and ESA will be restarted prior to abolishing the WCA (see WCA above).

People with the most severe disabilities or with health conditions that will never improve will never be reassessed.

Assessments will be recorded by default.

There will be a review of the PIP assessment “involving experts, stakeholders and disabled people to consider how it needs to adapt for the future.”

How long will the changes take?
The consultation ends on 30 June 2025.

However, because the DWP has chosen not to consult on most of the major issues, including the changes to PIP scoring and the freezing of the health element of UC, it does not have to wait until the consultation ends before bringing forward new legislation for these changes.  The DWP have said they want to introduce legislation in this session of parliament, which ends on 21 July.

So it is possible legislation to enact some of the changes, especially to PIP scoring, could be introduced as early as May to try to prevent opposition to the cuts building.

The change to PIP scoring would still not take effect until November 2026, but the law enabling it could be firmly in place very much sooner.

For the limited range of proposals which are being consulted on, a White Paper will be published later this year with legislation to follow.  In addition, details of the scrapping of the WCA and the use of the PIP assessment to assess entitlement for the UC health element will be set out in the White Paper, although they will not have been consulted on.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pathways-to-work-reforming-benefits-and-support-to-get-britain-working-green-paper/pathways-to-work-reforming-benefits-and-support-to-get-britain-working-green-paper

Joss
Current car: BMW X2 sDrive 20i M Sport 5dr Step Auto In metallic Portimão Blue. 04:10:2025
Previous car:Peugeot 308 GT Premium 1.2 Pure tech Petrol.

Topic

[ajn]

Thanks Joss I’ll be passing info and link on to others..

The current state of affairs seem to be getting escalated by the press, with some guess work, causing stress to many..

[DumfriesDik]

This country seems to like to race to the bottom.

As I’ve got older, I have felt more vulnerable than maybe I should. Society looking after the most vulnerable seems to be a legacy thing nowadays, it’s more dog-eat-dog now.

I think the government, any government, likes to put people into boxes. If you append the descriptor word with disability or health, then it’s PIP (ADP), regardless. The box is now too small as they have rammed every kind of disability or health issue into it.

Skoda Enyaq Race Blue

[UncJ]

Their “claimed” consultation is an absolute farce. The questions are loaded, it lacks questions about the key issues because they have been already decided and are not part of the “NOT a green paper” consultation to begin with.

I filled it in last week but tbh it’s utterly pointless in my opinion due to the above. They’ve already decided. There’s nowhere on the form that deals with the key issues and problems. It’s just a red herring Trojan horse. 😞

 

[MickC]

“People with the most severe disabilities or with health conditions that will never improve will never be reassessed”.

 

Pensioners that went onto the Amber Rudd PIP light touch 10 year plan,which was brought in because it was not expected that pensioners are ever going to get better.

 

Now i have not seen any mention of pensioners and the above in this green paper.

[UncJ]

MickC wrote:

“People with the most severe disabilities or with health conditions that will never improve will never be reassessed”. Pensioners that went onto the Amber Rudd PIP light touch 10 year plan,which was brought in because it was not expected that pensioners are ever going to get better. Now i have not seen any mention of pensioners and the above in this green paper.

Great point Mick, not seeing any mention about the 10 year light touch anywhere at all. You don’t have to be a pensioner either to be on the 10 year light assessment path. Mind you, I’ve always had doubts as to how light the assessment would actually be, as we know moving the goalposts seems to be a regular thing with DWP & government. I thought I had DLA for life, how wrong that proved to be! 😳🙄

[DumfriesDik]

UncJ wrote:

I thought I had DLA for life, how wrong that proved to be! 😳🙄

You’re not alone!

It’s like a threat hanging over you.

Skoda Enyaq Race Blue

[joss]

And come 2028 I will face the new regime of Rach from hell. If I make to then that is. See there is always a plus side to this. It;s called Death.

Joss
Current car: BMW X2 sDrive 20i M Sport 5dr Step Auto In metallic Portimão Blue. 04:10:2025
Previous car:Peugeot 308 GT Premium 1.2 Pure tech Petrol.

[kezo]

UncJ wrote:

I filled it in last week but tbh it’s utterly pointless in my opinion due to the above. They’ve already decided. There’s nowhere on the form that deals with the key issues and problems. It’s just a red herring Trojan horse.

I based my oppinion around, The policy want won’t cure, prevent prople from being disabled or seriously ill, or will it see these people working. Surely, this measure will only serve to remove vital money and care from from the loss of unpaid carers allowance, which will indoubtedly put more strain on Local Authorities to provide this care, at a much higher cost than that paid by carers allowance.

[Author]

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