A radical benefits crackdown could see DWP PIP claimants forced to choose items from an ‘approved list’ as the Government looks to end ‘compensation for being disabled’.
The ongoing consultation over the Department for Work and Pensions’ Personal Independence Payments scheme includes a laundry list of ideas to overhaul and potentially replace cash payments, currently worth up to £9,583 to PIP claimants.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, announcing the scheme, had said what he described as the ‘one size fits all’ current system was in need of reform.
The government says PIP spending is set to grow 63 percent to £35Bn in the next five years thanks in part to almost a quarter of the population ‘reporting a disability’ in 2024.
In its Green Paper on benefits reform, the Government says handing cash PIP payouts to people on benefits is ‘compensation for being disabled’.
It said: “We also know that some disabled people view their PIP award as compensation for being disabled rather than as an award for extra costs.”
An alternative put forward is a ‘catalogue scheme’. The government said: “Catalogue/ shop scheme: in this kind of scheme, there would be an approved list from which disabled people could choose items at reduced or no cost.
“This would likely work better for equipment and aids rather than for services.”
A consultation on the plans is open now until July and is available via gov.uk
