Disability Living Allowance (DLA):
The Coalition Government has announced its intention to review those
receiving DLA. The Department of Work and Pensions has issued the following
statement:
Source: Department for Work and Pensions
Incapacity benefits - reassessing claims
From October 2010 Jobcentre Plus will start reassessing the claims of people
who are receiving Incapacity Benefit, Income Support paid on the grounds of
disability and Severe Disablement Allowance to see if they are fit for work.
People who are capable of work will move onto Jobseeker's Allowance where
they satisfy the conditions of entitlement for that benefit. People who need
more support while they prepare for work will get that help on Employment
and Support Allowance (ESA). Those people who are most disabled or
terminally ill will not be expected to look for work and will get the extra
support they need on ESA. We will trial these new processes with 1,700
customers in Burnley and Aberdeen from October 2010. We will then start to
reassess people nationally from February 2011. This process will take place
over the following three years.
The change will not affect:
claims for Attendance Allowance people who are already being paid Employment
and Support Allowance people who reach State Pension age before March 2014.
We are not reassessing claims to Disability Living Allowance (DLA) as part
of this process. However, if someone receives DLA as well as Incapacity
Benefit it is possible their DLA claim may be affected if new information
comes to light as a result of the reassessment.
Incapacity benefits - the reassessment process - explains how we will
contact customers, how we will reassess their claims and what happens
afterwards.
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/adviser/updates/ib-reassessing-claims/
Royal Mencap are conducting a survey on DLA - click
here