16hrs

Hi. Can I please quiz on the middle ground for universal credit; namely, 16hrs disabled worker element in tax credits. After the cuts to UC work allowances, what remains for disabled workers, can only amount to what would be permitted work on ESA, it’s less, but cannot be seen as a 16hr element.

So I’m left looking for something to fill the gap, a middle ground, that would otherwise be the 16hr disabled worker element in tax credits. With the reduction in WRAG, come April, it seems like it’s becoming more and more polemic, or as a DR blog post points out;

“A decade ago there was cross-party concern that people were being put into 2 totally separate groups – ‘can’ work or ‘can’t’ work. But real life isn’t like that. 2.6 million people were in the ‘can’t’ work group (on incapacity benefit) and policy makers wanted to change that – by creating a middle category, of people who might be able to work, but not immediately and only with good support. If the rate of ESA is reduced to the rate of JSA, in effect that middle category is gone – we are back to ‘can work’ and ‘can’t work’.”

I know this has been discussed before, but it seems like a real deterrent, to moving towards over 16hrs work.

Thanks

Hi David

If the person gets any rate of PIP/DLA then they can still get the LCW/LCWRA element (provided they have passed, or been treated as passing, the WCA of course) however many hours they work (see reg 41 of the UC regs) though as you point out the LCW element won’t be worth anything financially after next year. They would also get the work allowance for those with LCW/LCWRA.

But of course this is much more restrictive and less generous than the disabled worker element in tax credits where there would be no requirement to go through the WCA. Another example of disabled people being treated more unfairly by the UC system sadly.