I didn't see a thread on this so thought I'd start one
Open consultation
Work Capability Assessment: activities and descriptors
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/work-capability-assessment-activities-and-descriptors
"The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is how we assess people’s capability to work and the support they receive. While working practices that support disabled people have changed significantly, the WCA has not. The WCA activities and descriptors were last comprehensively reviewed in 2011.
We are now seeking views on:
- amending the activities and descriptors in the Work Capability Assessment so that assessments reflect greater flexibility and availability of reasonable adjustments in work, particularly home working
- the application of Risk to Self or Others under the Universal Credit (UC) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) circumstances in which a claimant is to be treated as having limited capability for work and work related activity (LCWRA)"
Consultation closes on 30 Oct 2023, 11:59PM.
They are also doing some online, and in-person stakeholder events about this (info in the link above).
The Government's press release announcing the consultation is here: Government announces new welfare reforms to help thousands into work.
Relevant news articles
• Sickness benefits overhaul could make disabled people more ill, charity warns (ITVx)
• People urged to share views on Work Capability Assessment categories as part of new DWP reforms (Daily Record)
• DWP announces major benefit changes to get thousands of disabled people into work (Chronicle Live)
• People deemed unable to work ‘face having benefits reduced under DWP plan’ (The Guardian)
• Government’s new welfare reforms could cause ‘huge anxiety for disabled people’ (The Big Issue)
• One million people on sickness benefits could be forced to start looking for jobs including thousands with mobility and anxiety problems as the Government gets set to slash billions from its welfare budget (Daily Mail)
Jo