Our policy work on welfare reform
What we believe
We believe that people with Parkinson's should receive financial help with the costs of their condition, including mobility costs, through the benefits system.
Benefits are an essential source of income for many people with
Parkinson's.
Our members'
survey showed that:
We believe that people with Parkinson's should receive financial
help with the costs of their condition, including mobility costs,
through the benefits system.
If people with Parkinson's are unable to work because of their
condition, they should receive an income replacement benefit paid
at a level that enables independence and social participation.
We are working to influence the benefits system to ensure that
it takes into account the needs of people with a long term,
fluctuating condition such as Parkinson's.
Read our policy statement on working age
income replacement benefits such as Employment and Support
Allowance (ESA).
We're currently developing a further policy statement on
benefits such as Disability Living Allowance (DLA).
Current consultations, submissions and reports
We respond to government and other consultations likely to
affect people with Parkinson's.
Read some of our responses below. These include the important
proposals for Disability Living Allowance, and reviews of the
appropriateness of the new 'fitness to work' tests for Employment
and Support Allowance.
We are a member of the Disability
Benefits Consortium, a coalition bringing together interested
organisations which campaigns on welfare benefits as they relate to
people with disabilities. We actively contribute to the joint
lobbying and briefings undertaken by the consortium.
Welfare reform general
The welfare system is subject to constant reform. The Welfare
Reform Act will simplify the benefits system, particularly for
people of working age.
Universal credit will be introduced, as well as changes to
Disability Living Allowance and Employment and Support
Allowance.
We campaigned hard during the passage of the Bill before it
became an Act. Read some of the
Disability Benefits Consortium briefings for MPs and Lords.
The Government did make some concessions during these debates.
This included abandoning a proposal to remove mobility Disability
Living Allowance payments from people in residential care.
Disability Living Allowance
The green light for reform of Disability Living Allowance
(DLA) was given when the Welfare Reform Bill became an Act on 8
March 2012.
DLA for people of working age will be replaced by a new benefit
called Personal Independence Payment - or PIP - from 2013.
We have many concerns about the proposals to reassess people
with Parkinson's of working age on DLA for PIP. Although the
Government has said for most people this will now not start until
October 2015.
The
Government published its final proposals for PIP on 13 December
2012. Many of the proposals are in the form of regulations and are
now final.
Responding to detailed design of PIP
Employment and Support Allowance
Many people, including those with Parkinson's, say the Work Capability Assessment doesn't fully recognise the impact of their condition or disability.
Applications for Employment and Support Allowance
(ESA) involve the person being assessed for eligibility.
Many people, including those with Parkinson's, say the
assessment - called the Work Capability Assessment - doesn't fully
recognise the impact of their condition or disability and they are
wrongly told they are ineligible and 'fit to work'.
We published a report Of little benefit and not
working (PDF, 85KB) in October 2009, on people's early
experiences of this new assessment.
Since then there have been two
independent reviews of the assessment and incremental
changes have been made to the process.
The latest review has finished its call for
evidence. Read our response:
As part of the ongoing review, Parkinson's UK and 5
other charities were asked to provide advice on how fluctuating
conditions could be better reflected in the assessment. We are
working with government to test these ideas against the current
assessment.
Read our ideas in the report Making it work for
fluctuating conditions (PDF, 605KB), published in April
2011.
Advice, information and support
For information about benefits and other support available, we
have a range of free publications about
rights and benefits.
Our online discussion forum includes a
forum on employment and benefits. You can share your views and
experiences about employment benefits issues with other people with
Parkinson's.
- email
-
Share