The reassessment of DLA

New announcements have been made about the procedure for transferring people from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment. The DWP is anxious to reassure claimants that this will not be a repeat of the ESA fiasco, though the lack of detail about eligibility and assessment procedures does not inspire confidence. They are beginning in 2013 with new claims in five areas. People who are terminally ill, children under 16 and most older people over 65 will be exempt. The guidance says however that “We want to see how the assessment for the new benefit works for people of working age before deciding if Personal Independence Payment should be extended to people over 65.” As older claimants now account for fully a third of of the benefit payments, it is difficult to see how the reforms can produce the Treasury’s predicted economies unless they do.

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