The Health and Disability White Paper Our response to the proposals

The MND Association is one of the charities invited to help shape the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) plans for future legislation around employment support for people with disabilities and health conditions.

The DWP has published its Health and Disability White Paper, setting out proposals. And, as one of the charities and organisations on the Engagement Board, the MND Association is now reviewing the information and providing input into the next stages.

The paper sets out a series of proposals which aim to ensure people can access the right support, and have a better experience when applying for and receiving health and disability benefits.

We welcome some of the proposals, including plans to remove the existing Work Capability Assessment for Universal Credit. This would mean there was just one health and functional assessment

– the Personal Independent Payment assessment.

There is also a suggestion to test a Severe Disability Group for those with the most severe health conditions. These changes could reduce the administrative burden on people with MND by streamlining the assessment process. While we welcome streamlined access to disability benefits, we believe too much focus has been placed within the White Paper on enabling disabled people to return to work. Given the progressive nature of the condition, it’s unlikely a person with MND will return to work once they’ve left. We are calling for more focus on ensuring those who leave the workforce indefinitely don’t face financial hardship because of their condition. We know many people living with MND will, at some point, need to access disability-related benefits and support provided by DWP. Our research has found that people with MND spend, on average, £14,500 a year to meet the costs of living with and managing the disease. Entitlements provided by DWP can be a vital source of financial support.

The proposed changes in the White Paper would require legislative change. That is not expected to be completed in this parliament and could take up to three years to be rolled out.

As members of the Engagement Board we will ensure the experiences of people affected by MND are fully represented, and help to identify potential challenges