ESA assessments to be axed for some chronically ill claimants

Some people will be able to continue to receive ESA automatically instead of the current requirement to prove, on a regular basis, the effect an illness or disability has on their ability to work. However, the exact recipients of the policy are still to be decided.

The Rt. Hon Damian Green MP, the Work and Pensions Secretary, confirmed at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham that new criteria to address this are being developed for ESA, the out of work disability benefit.

This move forms part of the Government’s future review of ESA and follows months of talks between the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and a group of charities. The Disability Benefits Consortium, of which Crohn’s and Colitis UK is a member, pushed for the Government to end unnecessary reassessments for people with conditions which will not change or are degenerative.   

Crohn’s and Colitis UK welcome this decision and the Government’s commitment to making sure that those who are unable to work receive 'full and proper support' including 'sweeping away any unnecessary stress and bureaucracy'. However, it remains unclear how this will be implemented and if people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) will be included. We will be urging the DWP to engage with charities as well as health professionals in developing the details. 

We have long expressed concerns about the work capability assessment and its adequacy for assessing people with IBD and will be seeking to ensure that IBD is properly considered in this process. We are also very concerned about the impact of cuts to ESA which will affect new claimants from April 2017 who are judged to be too ill or disabled to work immediately, but theoretically able to do so at some point in the future.