The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has unveiled a bold new proposal that could see Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants receiving vouchers instead of cash. Detailed in a new Green Paper, the plan also suggests changes to the eligibility criteria for PIP and a redesign of the assessment process to better reflect individual conditions.
From April 8, following the annual uprating, a successful PIP claim can now fetch between £28.70 and £184.30 weekly, translating to between £114.80 and £737.20 every four weeks.
However, the “Modernising support for independent living: the health and disability Green Paper” proposes shifting away from the traditional monthly cash payments to alternatives like vouchers, a receipts system, one-off grants, or purchasing products or services through a catalogue scheme, as reported by the Daily Record.
Currently, there are no specific rules on how PIP funds must be spent by recipients. Yet, the DWP notes that since its inception a decade ago, both the nature of health and disability and the “caseload and costs of the benefit have risen significantly, reflecting increasing self-reported prevalence of disability”.
DWP Mel Stride recently explained: “We believe it is the right time to look again at ensuring government support for people with ill health and disabilities is focused where it is most needed. We also believe there may be better ways of supporting people to live independent and fulfilling lives and this is the idea running through this Green Paper.”, reports the Liverpool Echo.
“This could mean financial support being better targeted at people who have specific extra costs, but it could also involve improved support of other kinds, such as physical or mental health treatment, leading to better outcomes.”
The Green Paper adds that the DWP wants to consider whether supporting people through direct, regular cash payments is still the best approach, or whether other approaches would better target their resources – delivering the right support to the people who need it most.