31.10.16
Overhauling welfare: what to expect from a new WCA
The much-criticised process for assessing whether disabled people are eligible for benefits could be overhauled, the government has promised.
The Department for Work and Pensions is due to announce later today a new consultation on reforming the work capability assessment (WCA), which decides whether people are eligible for the employment support allowance (ESA).
Earlier this year, the Public Accounts Committee warned that the assessment process, which is contracted out to private companies, suffers from “serious failings” and has led to claimants missing out on money they needed for support.
In an interview on the Radio 4 Today programme this morning, Damian Green, the new work and pensions secretary, said the system would change so it was “no longer just a binary assessment” and “more personalised”.
He also said that he wanted to avoid “leaving people on benefits for a lifetime” because it was “expensive and bad for the individual”.
Disability assessments are just one of many areas of the government’s welfare policy which have attracted criticism.
If it can take on board the criticism and produce a system that is seen as fair, that would be a positive step forward, but it is unlikely to end the controversy over the government’s financially strict approach to welfare.
Have you got a story to tell? Would you like to become a PSE columnist? If so, click here.