Chronically Ill Will Not be Retested

People suffering from long-term sickness will no longer be retested to keep their payments.

20:42 03 October 2016

Recipients of Employment and Support Allowance with severe conditions will no longer face repeated medical assessments to keep their payments, which is worth up to £109 a week.

 

Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green said it was pointless to re-test recipients who have no prospect of getting better.

 

The move was welcomed by charities supporting those with severe illness. Michelle Mitchell, head of the MS Society, said that move is a “victory for common sense” while shadow work and pensions secretary Debbie Abrahams said it was “a welcome U-turn” by the government. However, she warned that the “devil was in the detail.” She explained: "What about mental health conditions, conditions that are fluctuating, conditions that may not necessarily have a physical manifestation?"

 

Some recipients of ESA are re-tested every three months while others up to two years following the initial work capability assessment to keep their payments. Under the new scheme, recipients who are deemed unfit for work and with conditions that will not improve will no longer face re-testing. Among those who are more likely to qualify for continuous payments without reassessment include people who suffer from severe Huntington’s, autism or a congenital heart condition.

 

Mr Green said a "key part" of making sure those who were unable to work received "full and proper support" included "sweeping away any unnecessary stress and bureaucracy".