Battling benefit cuts

The Welfare Reform Act became law on 8 March 2012, bringing a number of big changes to the benefits system that will have a significant impact on people with MS, their carers and families.

We’re working hard to make sure that these changes are as fair as possible for people with MS and have had some great successes so far. 

Here are some of our concerns:

Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

A new benefit, called Personal Independence Payment (PIP), will replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for working age adults aged 16-65 from 2013. The changes are designed to save £1 billion by the next elections, and an estimated 500,000 people are expected to lose access to the benefit. We’re worried that many people with MS will lose out on vital support.

Re-assessments will take place between 2013-16. The government are currently consulting on the draft assessment criteria for the benefit, and are developing how the application and reassessment process will work.

We’re fighting for

• Any new test to be fair and clear, and to take into account the full range of barriers and costs that people with MS face.
• No unnecessary face-to-face assessments.
• Longer-term awards, and lighter touch, less frequent reassessments for people with long-term, degenerative conditions.

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) replaced Incapacity Benefit in 2008 and is the benefit for those who cannot work due to disability or illness. The Welfare Reform Act places a one year time limit on contributory ESA for some people, even though they may still need support looking for work. We are fundamentally opposed to this arbitrary and unfair policy. We estimate that this will affect around 8000 people with MS, and we are extremely concerned about the impact that this measure will have on them.

We’re fighting for

• A review of the impact of the one year time limit, with a view to extending the time limit to at least two years.
• Improvements to the ESA assessment process (see our campaign to make ESA work)

What we’re doing

• Supporting the Hardest Hit campaign across the UK.
• Working as part of a coalition of charities – called the Disability Benefits Consortium – to lobby MPs and Ministers.
• Meeting regularly with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to express your concerns and shape their policies.
• Gathering evidence on how these changes are impacting on people with MS.

Take action 

Tell us your story: Have you recently applied for ESA and want to tell us about the application or assessment process? Do you receive DLA and want to tell us how important it is to you and what you think of the changes? Your stories will help to shape our campaigns and convince policy makers to support us.