Last week the UK Government announced their biggest planned changes for disability benefits in a decade. National charity the MS Society has looked at the potential impacts on people with MS.
On a positive note, the UK Government will start testing the use of specialist assessors for specific health conditions. This means people with MS might no longer have to explain the basics of MS to their assessors. The Government will also test automatically sharing assessment reports with claimants before a decision has been made. The Energy Price Guarantee has also been extended until June, something which many charities had been campaigning for.
Less positively, more people could face work-related requirements. This means more people with MS could be made to carry out inappropriate work-related activityor face the threat of losing their financial support. Also there has been no commitment to increase benefit rates at a time when many people with MS on benefits are struggling with the cost of living.
The MS Society also has concerns about changes to Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payments (PIP) assessments.
You can read the full article and about ongoing associated campaigns on the MS Society website