Employment and Support Allowance: Benefit reforms hit the wrong people

27 October 2009

Two thirds of people under 65 with Parkinson's who responded to a new survey by the Parkinson's Disease Society have been wrongly forced into job seeking, despite being physically unable.

The survey uncovers major problems with the medical testing process for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), which replaced Incapacity Benefit 1 year ago this week.

The ESA medical assessment

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) has a tick box style medical test to determine whether a person is capable of work. This test does not allow for fluctuating conditions like Parkinson's, in which people can be capable one minute, but incapacitated the next.

The decision is based on the opinion of the assessor, who in many cases, does not refer to a person's medical history, and is untrained in Parkinson's.

The survey showed that 2 in 3 (66%) respondents who had gone through the ESA process had been judged fit for work and either put onto Jobseeker's Allowance, forced into early retirement, or given ESA but placed in a Work Related Activity Group.

9 in 10 of these (93%) thought the decision was wrong.

However, the Government plans to move all existing Incapacity Benefit claimants onto ESA by 2013.

Our report to the Government

12,000 people with Parkinson's currently receive incapacity benefits in the UK. The Parkinson's Disease Society will submit a report to the Government about the changes that are needed for the system to be fair.

The report will recommend:

• more time given for medical assessments
• training for medical assessors on complex conditions like Parkinson's
• previous medical records to be properly taken into account

Val Buxton, our Director of Policy, Campaigns and Information, comments:

"We want the Government to give assessors training on the nature of Parkinson's, give them more time to assess people with Parkinson's, and to encourage assessors to consider previous medical history.

"We want to see these changes happen as soon as possible, to make sure that no-one with a complex condition like Parkinson's is unfairly accused of being a benefits cheat."

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