UK: Disability benefits (UC, ESA and PIP) - news and updates 2024 and 2025

Why all this matters: from Jesse Nicholls of Matrix Barrister Chambers, who gave evidence to the Work and Pension Committee.

Warning content includes discussion about deaths and harm.

www.matrixlaw.co.uk

Work and Pensions Select Committee publishes report on Safeguarding Vulnerable Claimants - Matrix Chambers

The House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee report on Safeguarding Vulnerable Claimants has been published
www.matrixlaw.co.uk

Links to the Report and Media coverage on the day of publication 15 May 2025 are on their webpage.

Here's the BBC coverage on it https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8d1q8zl654o

ETA: forgot to add The Guardian's coverage https://www.theguardian.com/society...-protections-for-vulnerable-benefit-claimants
 
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I'd be grateful if anyone can answer my questions about UC and PIP in a thread I made:

Saz94

Thread 'Question re PIP and UC'

I have been putting off applying for benefits since my parents have been looking after me and the system seems very stressful. But know I need to get on it since my parents won't be here forever...

And now that there are these changes coming up in April to UC and possibly in November to PIP (i know this has been put on hold while the government do a review of planned changes, but dunno when the changes would come into force if the govt decides to proceed?). With the changes not affecting "existing claimants".

So it obviously seems that I should get on with my applications ASAP so that I...
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I just read this:

2028/29: Abolition of the WCA
The work capability assessment (WCA) is the current test which gives access to the limited capability for work-related activity (LCWRA) element of universal credit.

The LCWRA element of UC will be replaced for new claimants from April 2026 by the UC health element.

Then, from 2028/29, the WCA will be axed and eligibility for the UC health element will depend upon being in receipt of the daily living component of PIP.

According to the Green Paper, only 63% of people currently receiving the health element of UC or ESA are also in receipt of PIP or DLA.

There is currently no certainty about whether current LCWRA claimants who do not receive PIP daily living will be affected by the change.

2028/29: PIP/UC single assessment​

At the same time as the WCA is abolished, the new PIP assessment that is created by the Timms review will be introduced, if it has not been introduced earlier. This single assessment will give access to both PIP and the health element of UC.
Click to expand...

(From https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/p...ayment-pip/pip-uc-changes/whats-changing-when )

This is incredibly disturbing?! If i understand correctly, then from 2028/2029 whether disabled-unable-to-work people get *any benefits at all* will hinge on whether they meet requirements for the daily living element of PIP?! If you have to get PIP daily living in order to get UC health element... and if you don't get the UC health element then you wouldn't be eligible for the baseline UC either would you because you'd be considered able to work and therefore not needing UC? Which would make hundreds probably thousands of disabled people penniless?!

Someone please tell me I've misunderstood?

I suppose it does at least suggest that current (well, current in 2028) UC claimants *might* not be affected by the change.

It's also a bit unclear and I'm confused - first it says that the WCA will be abolished and eligibility for UC health will depend on pip daily living, but then later it says that at the same time as the WCA is abolished, the new Timms assessment (criteria of which currently unknown, as the Timms review hasn't started yet) will be introduced.
 
Saz94 said:
Someone please tell me I've misunderstood?
Click to expand...

Maybe? They're only talking about the health element depending on PIP.

That's bad enough, but I don't think it means people who don't receive PIP would be left without income or housing.

They may introduce some conditionality, e.g. interaction with UC work coaches, but in practical terms there might have to be some kind of middle category for people they'd consider "potentially able to work at some point".

Otherwise, they'd have to employ thousands of work coaches to chivvy all the people who don't get PIP but are currently too unwell to work into meeting the UC job-seeking conditions, completely pointlessly.
 
Saz94 said:
I just read this:



(From https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/p...ayment-pip/pip-uc-changes/whats-changing-when )

This is incredibly disturbing?! If i understand correctly, then from 2028/2029 whether disabled-unable-to-work people get *any benefits at all* will hinge on whether they meet requirements for the daily living element of PIP?! If you have to get PIP daily living in order to get UC health element... and if you don't get the UC health element then you wouldn't be eligible for the baseline UC either would you because you'd be considered able to work and therefore not needing UC? Which would make hundreds probably thousands of disabled people penniless?!

Someone please tell me I've misunderstood?

I suppose it does at least suggest that current (well, current in 2028) UC claimants *might* not be affected by the change.

It's also a bit unclear and I'm confused - first it says that the WCA will be abolished and eligibility for UC health will depend on pip daily living, but then later it says that at the same time as the WCA is abolished, the new Timms assessment (criteria of which currently unknown, as the Timms review hasn't started yet) will be introduced.
Click to expand...
It does seem that you would need to get PIP in order to be “excused” from the 35hrs per week job preparation and searching that is required to receive UC.
 
Kitty said:
Maybe? They're only talking about the health element depending on PIP.

That's bad enough, but I don't think it means people who don't receive PIP would be left without income or housing.

They may introduce some conditionality, e.g. interaction with UC work coaches, but in practical terms there might have to be some kind of middle category for people they'd consider "potentially able to work at some point".

Otherwise, they'd have to employ thousands of work coaches to chivvy all the people who don't get PIP but are currently too unwell to work into meeting the UC job-seeking conditions, completely pointlessly.
Click to expand...
Oh, i thought they may just leave people to fall into poverty, and say "well it's not our fault they're choosing not to work".

I don't know if i overestimate how awful the DWP are, or underestimate it. (I saw a UC claimant saying on twitter that DWP had asked her to tell them what she had spent 2 quid on in Tesco!)
 
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