ESA And PIP Could Be Merged Suggests IDS
With many thanks to Benefits And Work.
The Guardian has reported that Iain Duncan Smith is considering merging personal independence payment (PIP) and employment and support allowance (ESA) into a single benefit or, alternatively, merging the two tests.
In an interview on 2 October, IDS told the Guardian:
“It is early days in the reform process, but Duncan Smith says that he has already started to ease the system through the “fit for work” programme, which makes an assessment of the needs of a claimant who falls ill, rather than “parking them on statutory sick pay”. He is also looking at the idea of merging ESA (paid to those out of work) with disability living allowance (DLA – paid to fund the costs of disabled people who are both in work and out of work) under universal credit. Alternatively, he might just merge the two tests for the benefits.
“Duncan Smith has a more favourable view of the DLA test. “My sense was if you just looked at disability living allowance, that doesn’t reach the same absolute. The test is not about ‘can you work or can’t you work’, it is looking at your condition.”
Many claimants may find it worrying that IDS has apparently not spotted that DLA has been replaced by PIP for working age claimants.
That aside, it is clear that the tests for PIP and ESA, both of which rely on a points system and an army of hastily trained ‘health professionals’ to administer them, could conceivably be merged into a single assessment.
The attraction for the DWP in terms of reduced costs would be considerable.
The downside from their point of view, however, would be that an application for ESA would be likely to end up being an application for PIP as well, meaning a potential increased take-up of that benefit.
Same Difference 
he could merge them to save money as it could all be then classed as taxable income or has he forgot that part that pip is tax free ?
by merging both you would find that you would get less then you do at present
at the moment the maximum you get is up £125 a week ESA support group tax payable and £100 per week PIP tax free
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Reblogged this on perfectlyfadeddelusions.
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Does this mean because he cannot see mental health issues that we will be put into JSA.
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He could just eat some cyanide and leave disabled people alone, wishful thinking, I know!
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IDS is very extreme with his thoughts on welfare which in itself is the most complicated of any part of government
What IDS fails to realize is that a lot can go wrong on policies that are very deep so deep that the DWP staff and agencies can’t keep up to a level that is safe for the policy’s to be executed in a safe manor
As we have all seen so far over the past 5 years that many sick and disabled have died and with complete disregard by the Conservative government as if no deaths had happened at all
And there lies the danger with IDS plans in going forward in that they are very risky in getting it right at best most sick and disabled will be out of pocket with tax implications on the pip side of things and at worse losing their benefit completely and death that will invariably follow by mental illness and suicide as is so often the case
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What is the next move, it’s your fault you can’t work so curl up and die so we don’t have to lose any more sleep wondering how not to allow you to stay alive. to replace all payments to non hard working people.
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Reblogged this on lawrencerowntree.
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