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Ministers are considering replacing Personal Independence Allowance with a new six-tier disability benefit system that would see many recipients receive less money than they currently receive.
The government’s green paper on alternatives to PIP proposes that benefits be tailored to people’s individual conditions and specific needs.
The tier system is based on a Norwegian model known as the ‘basic benefit’, which provides monthly cash payments at one of six different rates, depending on the severity of symptoms, equipment and clinical needs, and other support. will be paid.
Patients must provide a letter from their GP outlining the nature of their condition and any additional costs associated with it.
The newly announced plans are just one of several options being considered by Rishi Sunak as he reviews the benefits system, which will include people with anxiety and depression. The measure has already drawn criticism, as it could potentially reduce the amount of benefits received.
But the Chancellor insisted there was a “moral basis” for the overhaul of the benefits system, which he warned would cost taxpayers £28bn by 2028, double the amount the government paid 10 years ago. .
The DWP said the rise in benefit claims was driven in part by people receiving PIP for mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, with monthly benefit claims increasing from 2,200 to 5,300 a month since 2019. He said the number of cases has doubled.
The Prime Minister said there was a need for “objective evidence” about people’s medical or mental health conditions and that “everyday life challenges and anxieties” should not be medicalized.
Mr Sunak told ITV News the review was “more fundamental” than about saving money, adding: “This is about my belief in the value of hard work.” I think that’s completely British and work is really important to my idea of what kind of country we want to build.
“I think there’s a moral basis to what we’re doing. It’s about the value and importance that I place on the work.”
PIP is currently paid in two different parts. One is a per diem that helps with daily tasks, and the other is a mobility part that provides extra support for getting around. More than 2.6 million people of working age are currently receiving PIP.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said the “one size fits all” approach needed to be replaced by a system that was more tailored to people’s needs.
Under the Norwegian basic benefit system, people receive financial support for a variety of things, including the cost of electricity to charge their wheelchair, transportation costs, food related to special diets, and the operation of assistive technology such as clothing, bedding and shoes. You can receive it. This evidence is reviewed by a doctor contracted to the Norwegian equivalent of the Ministry of Work and Pensions, and a final determination of eligibility is made.
However, requiring GPs to not only write letters but also assess costs is likely to prove controversial as it risks adding to an already large workload.