| Committee Recommendations: Progress
|
| Sessions 1997-98
|
Fourth Report: Disability Living Allowance (HC 641) Published: 13th May 1998
Government Reply: (Cm 4007) Published: July 1998
|
| Recommendation | Government Response
| Committee Response/Follow up | Further Government Action
| Notes |
| That an urgent review of all aspects of DLA be carried out
| The Government has already announced its intention to review DLA.
| | The review of DLA is continuing in consultation with a small number of disability organisations.
| |
| That the Government and that Disability Benefits Forum should evaluate the role for the provision of aids and equipment in relation to DLA
| In a benefit based on the need for care and attention and limitations to mobility it must be right, when assessing entitlement, to take account of straightforward aids and adaptations which could alleviate these needs. It is also right that disabled people should be aware of and encouraged to use, aids and appliances which increase a disabled persons independence. This may have consequences for the level of DLA they need, a situation which would require sensitive handling.
| | We are considering the effect of the rules which dictate that the availability of equipment and adaptations should be taken into account when determining the level of care and mobility needs arising from a disability. This work is being carried out in consultation with members of disability organisations.
Update September 2000
Any change to the way Decision Makers take account of equipment and adaptations would require primary legislation. Although we are not able to make changes at this stage, the Activities for Managing Life initiative may provide an opportunity to change the current position in future.
| |
| That the Government should consider the respective roles of the Independent Living Fund (ILF) and community care services in discussing DLA reform
| The Government will consider the impact of any changes to DLA on the ILF and community care services. DLA provides a contribution towards the extra costs of disabled people for care and supervision. This is for local authority and social services and for the ILF. The Royal Commission on Long Term Care is looking at the funding of long term care.
| | A review of the ILFs is currently impending. The Department will ensure that this takes into account potential developments in DLA; also developments in community care, in the light of the White Paper "Modernising Social Services" (November 1998) and the Royal Commission on Long Term Care which published it's recommendations in March 1999.
| |
| That taxation of DLA be considered only in the context of a full review of the purpose and level of the benefit
| |
| | Not a recommendation. Nothing further to add.
|
| That any changes to DLA should include an assessment of the impact on Invalid Care Allowance, and that the ICA gateways should also be reviewed.
| The Government accepts this recommendation and intends to look at this aspect. The terms of reference for the Disability Benefit Forum include consideration of possible options for changes in the gateways to benefits for carers. In addition, the Government recently announced that a National Carer's Strategy (NCS) will be looked at as part of this as well. The NCS will bring together a range of new and existing initiatives designed to address carers' concerns and give them support.
| | Update 2000
The Government published the report of the National Carer's Strategy "Caring for Carers" on 8 February 1999, and agreed to keep financial support for carers under review. The review has now concluded and on 3 October 2000 the Government announced a package of measures to provide £191m extra financial help for over 300,000 carers. On 9 November the Government announced a further increase to the package of measures bringing the total financial help for carers over the next three years to over £500million.
The package of measures consists of proposals for a £10 increase to the Carer Premium, an extension of claims to ICA to carers aged 65 and over, an increase in the ICA earnings limit from £50 to the level of the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL), currently £67 and ICA will continue for up to 8 weeks after the death of the person being cared for.
| |
| That the Government should consider publishing a draft Bill, following the normal process of consultation, to allow a full public debate to take place before legislation to reform DLA is introduced into Parliament.
| The Government is committed to consultation on the reform of DLA. It has set up the Disability Benefits Forum for this purpose. This inclusive approach will clearly reap benefits in terms of clarifying what changes are needed and discussing and debating possible solutions. If complex legislation is needed to reform DLA, then the Government will consider the merits of publishing a draft Bill to aid understanding and encourage debate.
| |
| |
| That the position of groups who currently face difficulty in establishing a claim under the current rules should be considered as part of the review of DLA to ascertain if other 'gateways' would be more appropriate.
| As the Government promised in the Green Paper, the gateways to DLA are being reviewed in conjunction with the Disability Benefits Forum. One consideration will clearly be to ensure that, as far as possible, the gateways do not discriminate against particular types of disability. Additionally the government recognise the difficulties some groups, such as those with mental health problems have with the claiming process, and the Government will be seeking the views of the Disability Forum as to how best to overcome them.
| | As indicated, meetings have been held with disability organisations to help to identify the difficulties that certain people, such as those with mental heath problems, have in establishing a claim to DLA. Discussions continue on the best ways of overcoming them.We are currently trialing more personalised ways of taking claims to DLA. This involves visiting people in their own homes to assist them in completion of the claim form. These visiting officers have received specialist training in dealing with people with particular difficulties including mental health problems.
| |
| That the Government should urgently consider the extent to which indicators of severity should trigger benefit levels, or duration of awards, and undertake further research if necessary.
| The purpose of DLA is to provide assistance with the extra costs associated with disability, in particular with the costs of care and mobility. Research evidence has consistently supported the existence of extra costs associated with disability but has failed to provide a clear correlation between the type or severity of disability and the type or amount of extra costs.
| |
| |
| That the Government should consider how to ensure greater flexibility in 'passporting' arrangements, including ways in which DLA could be used to increase access to equipment and services
| The Government recognises the value of passporting in avoiding the need to make repeated assessments of broadly similar circumstances, both for the convenience of claimants and the efficiency of administration. However, the different purposes and entitlement conditions for benefits and other help limits the scope for flexibility. DLA passports recipients to various other forms of help such as disability premiums paid with Income Support, and the highest rate of the care component (amongst other criteria) gives access to the Independent Living 1993) Fund. Passporting has to work both ways - if a benefit which passports a claimant to other help is withdrawn, that other help may well also have to be taken away. This is the case with the passport to the Motability Scheme via the highest rate mobility component of DLA.
| |
| |
| That the Government with the Disability Benefits Forum, should review the relative merits of adapting the All Work Test, the activities of daily living used by the insurance industry and other functional assessments that a disabled person may undergo in this context. The Government should examine the scope for a single benefit for disability costs, with different rates, rather than separate components for care and mobility.
| The Government agrees that it is proper to consider the merits of more fundamental structural changes to DLA and already plans to discuss options such as functional assessment schemes based on activities of daily living with the Disability Benefits Forum. It will be important in so doing to avoid sacrificing the many beneficial features of the benefit as it now is.
| | Official Report, 30 June 1999, col 205
"In line with recommendations from the Social Security Committee, we have discussed with the Disability Benefits Forum the possibility of developing alternatives to the current tests for entitlement to Disability Living Allowance, and it was agreed that further work should be undertaken".
The Government is looking at the possibility of using a set of activities undertaken by disabled people in managing their lives as a better means of assessing need. For example in communicating, managing money, feeding and eating, and the level of assistance required carrying out these tasks.
Research is being undertaken which will help to establish whether this sort of approach would be fairer and easier for people to understand, and could be administered with greater consistency. We would not wish to make major changes to the conditions of entitlement without clear evidence that it would lead to a better system and until their impact on disabled people had been thoroughly tested and discussed with organisations of and for disabled people.
| |
| That the Government should convene a cross-departmental working group, separate from the Disability Benefits Forum, which should include interested parties outside government, to examine the many interactions between assessments and service provision for disabled people across health, community care, Independent Living Fund and local authority direct payments, access to goods, services and employment, and the role of disability benefits and the Social Fund in promoting independent living.
| The Government is keen to encourage closer working between Departments, Agencies and others to try to give a more coherent service to disabled people. The Active modern Service initiative is involved in taking forward better co-operation across central and local government. Additionally, the Department of Social Security and the Department of Education and Employment are working with the Department of Health and the Scottish and Welsh Offices in developing proposals under the New Deal for Disabled People. There are regular cross departmental meetings of ministers on disability issues, involving all the major departments including the Treasury.
| | The New Deal for Disabled People is a joint initiative between the Department of Social Security and Department for Education and Employment, working closely with the Benefits Agency and the Employment Service. We are also working with colleagues in other Departments and with the voluntary sector to ensure that all our policies work in tandem to help disabled people to remain in work. The New Deal for Disabled People project has established a close working relationship with the Department of Health with a view to taking forward further initiatives in the retention and rehabilitation field.
Update 2000
The Government is keen to encourage closer working between Departments, service providers and voluntary organisations to ensure more coherent services for disabled people. The Department attaches great importance to joined up working across Government. The Department of Social Security and the Department of Education and Employment, for example, are working with the Department of Health, the Scotland office and the Welsh Office in developing proposals under the New Deal for Disabled People. Budget 2000 announced plans for job retention and rehabilitation pilots. These pilots, beginning from 2001, will test the effectiveness of early work focused help, involving health, employment and other services. In addition, Joint Investment Plans will consider how to deliver better services, including those to disabled people of working age within existing resources. Under Joint Investment Plans, Local Authorities are working in partnership with other agencies, including Health Authorities, the Benefits Agency and the Employment Service, to assess the service needs of disabled people. There are regular cross-departmental meetings of ministers on disability issues, involving all the major departments.
Another example of interagency working is the Welfare to Work Joint Investment Plans that Local Authorities and Health Authorities have been asked to develop. These Welfare to Work JIPs will bring together in partnership the range of statutory agencies providing services to support people with disabilities who are already in work, who wish to move into employment or who wish to move closer to the world of work. Other agencies involved include the Employment Service and the Benefits Agency and the Careers Service. Relevant voluntary sector organisations and disabled people themselves will also be involved. These partnerships will map the whole range of support services that they provide between them locally for disabled people in relation to employment. They will also assess disabled people's need for these types of services and then prioritise or reprioritise existing investment so that services are provided in a way that best suits local need. Interagency partnership and a focus on the needs of users are at the centre of the Joint Investment Plan Process. The Welfare to Work Joint Investment Plans are intended to be three year rolling plans with the initial version in place by April 2001.
| |
| That the Department should re-examine the role of self-assessment and the appropriate balance of corroborative evidence, including medical opinion.
| The assessment of DLA is based on a combination of self-reporting (not self- assessment) and corroborative evidence…The aim of the process is to ensure that adjudication Officers have a proper balance of evidence from different sources on which to base their decisions. However, the Government recognises that in practice this balance has not always been achieved. Action has already been taken to address this issue, for instance the recent issue of the updated Disability Handbook produced by the Department's Medical Policy Group in conjunction with the Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board. This provided clearer and more specific guidance on when and from whom to obtain further medical evidence. A range of organisations of and for disabled people were invited to comment on a draft of the updated Disability Handbook. Administrative action has also been taken to address specific concerns about evidence in the case of higher rate mobility component cases; the Department now aims to gather further evidence in all such cases before a decision is made.
| | Update 2000
These matters covered separately in Report on Medical Services HC183
| |
| That the design of the form should be kept under regular review and that the claim pack should be formatted to meet the needs of people with sensory disabilities.
| The Benefits Agency already keeps the format of the DLA claim under review. the form used by the Benefit Integrity Project to collect information from customers (the DLA 250) was revised to reflect the new improved claim pack and was introduced from 15 June 1998 following further consultation with representatives of disabled people. Appointment letters for people with hearing impairments explain that sign language interpreters will be available if required to attend the visit. The Benefits Agency will visit visually impaired people who need help with the completion of forms sent and to be returned by post.
| | Update 2000
The claim packs continue to be regularly reviewed, with a number of minor amendments due to be made at the next re-print
| |
| That the Government should consider piloting a new multi-disciplinary approach, perhaps using one of the health action zones or linking to an employment zone
| The Department is in discussion with the Department of Health on Health Action Zones as part of the New Deal for disabled people and it will see what lessons can be learned from this.
| | The New Deal for Disabled People is a joint initiative between the Department of Social Security and Department for Education and Employment, working closely with the Benefits Agency and the Employment Service. We are also working with colleagues in other Departments and with the voluntary sector to ensure that all our policies work in tandem to help disabled people to remain in work. The New Deal for Disabled People project has established a close working relationship with the Department of Health with a view to taking forward further initiatives in the retention and rehabilitation field.
| |
| That the Government should undertake an urgent review of how changes or circumstances should be identified and acted upon. The Government should work with the Disability Benefits Forum on the format of statements to be issued to DLA recipients at regular intervals about the basis upon which benefit has been awarded and inviting reporting of changes.
| The review of the benefit will need to reflect the following factors: accuracy, which requires a regular review of entitlement; customer service, which requires continuing contact with claimants; the needs of claimants for security about the amount and duration of DLA awards; the intrusive nature of review for a benefit like DLA and the need to match the type and frequency of review to the propensity for error; and the costs of reviewing the caseload.
The Government proposes to discuss with the Forum how to develop sensitive, effective process which provides assurance about the accuracy of DLA awards.
| | Changes to the decision-making and appeal process resulting from the Social Security Act 1998 took effect in DLA and AA in October 1999. More detailed information about the basis on which an award has been made will be provided and claimants will be able to ask for explanations of their decisions. The opportunity was taken in the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 to amend the term "life award" to help reduce the confusion caused by it's use. The wording of the claimant notifications was developed in consultation with disability groups and they aim to be simple and easy to understand. By providing better information and having more contact with claimants, both face-to-face and by telephone, it should help them understand which changes of circumstances should be reported.
| |
| That the Government should devise a formula for the duration of benefit based on a prognosis of the likely effects of the impairment
| Changes to legislation and clearer advice to Adjudication Officers about how the duration of an award is determined will be considered as one of the measures to improve DLA administration. The Disability Benefits Forum will discuss possible measures at their meeting on 21 July 1998, and will be invited to work with the Government on developing improvements.
| | The BA is continuing to discuss with representatives of disability organisations, administrative improvements that will help to ensure that benefit awards are right at the outset and remain right over time. Changes are also being made to the terminology in the legislation to reduce confusion (see above).
| |
| That the Permanent Secretary, in conjunction with her opposite numbers in other departments, should review the rules of conduct and good practice for General Elections to minimise the risk of such errors of judgement occurring in the future
| The Cabinet Office, in advance of a future general election, will review the Central Guidance as part of normal practice. They will consider whether the existing guidance on new initiatives needs any simplification, for example by drawing attention to the fact there is not always a clear boundary between "new initiatives" and the continuation of existing policies. The Permanent Secretary will let other Departments know of the outcome of her inquiries on what happened in the BIP case and the action she proposes in her Department
| | On 5 August 1998, the Permanent Secretary wrote to other Departments to inform them of the outcome of her enquiries and to make them aware of changes she proposed to election guidance issued within her Department.
| |
| That no benefit should be withdrawn without the recipient being informed in writing in advance
| It has always been the intention that the claimant is notified in advance of any change being made to their benefit award. It came to the attention of the BA some months ago that, in a small number of cases, this had not happened. Urgent investigation showed that this delay in notification was due to the use of Second Class post to notify the claimant. This was wholly unacceptable. The Government regrets this unfortunate occurrence and apologises for the error. As soon as the problem was identified action was taken to resolve the problem; all notifications of this type are now issued by First Class post.
| |
| |
| That all those individuals who have had their benefit reduced or withdrawn under the BIP procedures in operation before 23 March 1998 should be contacted and offered fresh assessment under the new procedures.
| The Government announced on 17 June 198 its intention to look again at certain BIP cases that were decided before 9 February 1998. These are cases where benefit has been reduced or removed solely on evidence provided by the claimant and where no review or appeal of that decision had been requested by the claimant
| | The exercise to revisit certain BIP cases decided before 9 February 1998 was completed and, from a total of 935 claimants affected, 309 applied for a review of the decision made by the Benefit Integrity Project. Of those where a further change was determined by the provision of additional evidence, 160 claimants had their awards of DLA increased and 23 had their awards further reduced or withdrawn altogether.
| |
| That risk analysis should be undertaken of the sort of cases most likely to be incorrect, paying particular attention to life awards and those made in the first two years after DLA's implementation; and that in future BIP should concentrate on areas identified by the risk analysis
| The government agrees with the importance of risk analysis. A s shown by the improvements that have been made during the lifetime of the BIP, the Project is subject to continuous review. The Government has already acted to identify groups of disabled people that need not form part of the action of BIP. The groups identified were those where it was considered that there was unlikely to be any significant change in the person's need for help with personal care and mobility.
| | The Benefit Integrity Project was cancelled from 31 March 1999. A new, fairer process of checking ongoing entitlement has been introduced. It incorporates lessons learned from BIP and builds on consultation with disability organisations. Evaluation of the process is planned after six months of operation and the data gathered will be used to help make the process sensitive to the needs of the individuals contacted. The evaluation will include ongoing risk analysis to help determine which cases are most likely to be incorrect and the frequency with which cases should be checked in future.
Update 2000
The 6 month evaluation of the new process contained insufficient volumes of changed cases to enable us to determine which cases are most likely to be incorrect.
The 12 month evaluation of the process will conclude in November 2000 and should help to identify the characteristics of the cases most likely to be incorrect.
| |
| That BIP should be restructured to give as much emphasis to restoring integrity to DLA where awards are underestimating the true nature of disability and consequent needs, in order to ensure that those on the lower levels do not miss out on the possible advantages from scrutiny of their cases
| The Government is seeking to involve the Disability Benefits Forum in a discussion of the lessons that can be learnt from the BIP, more particularly how the introduction of a regular review activity in DLA might replace the actions of BIP altogether. A regular review of all awards could have significant benefit expenditure implications, therefore, consideration of this type of change will be best dealt with as part of the overall reform of DLA.
| | As part of a programme of administrative improvements designed to ensure that benefit awards are right at the outset and remain right over time, the BA introduced a new periodic enquiry process following the ending of the Benefit Integrity Project on 31 March 1999. The new process applies to all categories of DLA award and incorporates lessons learned from BIP. Case selection is untargeted and proportional across all rates of award, the only exceptions being any case examined by the BIP, the categories of cases exempt from the BIP, cases being paid under the special rules that apply to certain terminally ill people and anyone with an award due to expire within three years. The aim is to ensure that people continue to receive the correct rate of DLA in line with their entitlement. This will include increased awards where appropriate.
Update 2000
The new process started on 14 June 99.
25% of the 18,489 cases completed by 30 June 00 have been changed.
Of the 18,489 cases completed, there are 13,912 cases unchanged. There were 3,434 cases increased and 1,143 cases decreased.
| |
| That an extra tier of scrutiny and checking should be carried out within the Benefits Agency where DLA is proposed to be withdrawn altogether from a claimant
| This recommendation has already been acted upon within the BIP. All DLA decisions are routinely monitored for quality by the Disability Benefits Directorate Adjudication Checking and Advice Team
| | The new process of making periodic enquiries into the current circumstances of DLA recipients has incorporated this important element of checking. Currently, there is a 100 per cent check made by experienced adjudication staff, of all cases where an award is to be changed - upwards or downwards. The checking regime will be evaluated as part of the overall process after 6 months of operation.
Update 2000
The 6 month evaluation concluded that the amount of checking was beneficial and that more cases were correct as a consequence.
| |
| That an expedited appeal hearing procedure should be introduced for all cases where DLA is reduced or withdrawn; those losing existing benefit should be heard earlier and more speedily than those who have yet to be awarded a benefit; and the queuing system for appeals should be amended in this case
| Whilst the Government is keen for people to have access to a speedy appeal process an will continue to work with ITS to that end, it is fully aware that any fast-tracking of one type of appeal can only delay action on others. ITS have special arrangement for appellants who request an expedited hearing on hardship grounds and these can be invoked by the appellant. ITS have indicated that such requests from people affected by the BIP will be treated sympathetically. Officials will continue to liaise closely with ITS and monitor the situation, keeping the Disability Forum informed as necessary
| | The Independent Tribunal Service (ITS) has taken action already to shorten the waiting times for appeals and is now making significant inroads into it's backlog of cases. A dual strategy of systematically tackling the backlog and at the same time reducing waiting times for current cases has been put into place. The dual strategy has already paid dividends in terms of performance in the last few months. At the end of February, ITS figures showed the backlog as 70,348 cases, representing almost 50% of the caseload. By the end of May, the backlog had been reduced to 34,194 cases. During April and May, a total of 64,647 cases were cleared. The decision making and appeals changes that were introduced from April have meant that the intake of appeals for April and May has reduced. The ITS has taken full advantage of this opportunity and the cumulative effect of the record clearances and lower intake has been that, by the end of May, the outstanding caseload has fallen to 99,410. The measures ITS are taking will benefit all appellants, including people affected by the BIP.
| |
| That the DSS, in conjunction with appropriate disability organisations, should review urgently the operation of BIP including the procedures for home visiting, the information given to claimants at all stages of BIP, the rights to appeal and the level of training for BIP staff and should report back on this review and on any action proposed by the end of July1998
| The Government has made significant progress in reviewing the operation of the BIP in consultation with disability organisations.
The Government's Reply included a substantial section which formed "the body of the report requested by the Committee".
| |
| |
| That a dedicated team of officials should be made responsible for ensuring that the exemption procedures are correctly followed and that those exempt are not subject to BIP.
| BA staff working on the BIP are already responsible for ensuring that exemption procedures are correctly followed. However, when deciding which cases to contact and which cases are in a group not to be contacted, the Benefits Agency has to rely on the data it has. The Agency carries out careful checks of both its computerised and paper records, but where there is no evidence that the person concerned is in s category which is exempt, action under the BIP goes ahead. Obviously, as with any system, this is not foolproof. Sometimes the data held is incomplete, or out of date and so inevitably some cases will be contacted in error.
However, the BA is keen to do all it can to minimise these errors and from 15 June, as part of improvements agreed with disability organisations, customers are able to query their inclusion before enquiries begin.
| | The new process of periodic enquiry has incorporated the exemptions agreed during the BIP. The special action, which allows claimants to query their inclusion before enquiries begin, has been carried forward and incorporated for the relevant groups.
| |
| That the Department should undertake an analysis of BIP cases to throw fresh light on quality of decision making and corroborative evidence.
| A lot has been learnt about DLA since its introduction in 1992. The information provided by the BIP about the accuracy of awards of DLA over time and the importance of good quality evidence is valuable in the Government's considerations of reform in this benefit area. It will be used to further inform discussions with the Disability Benefits Forum and other, and act as a benchmark for the future
| | As part of the formal closure of the BIP, a detailed evaluation is taking place to ensure that as much as possible can be learned to inform the future arrangements for evidence gathering and decision making. This work will complement other work under way to improve the administration of DLA.
| |
| That DLAAB should establish closer links with the SSAC
| The Government fully accepts the recommendation. Indeed, Professor Grahame (Chairman of DLAAB) joined the Committee's discussions on Disability and Carer Benefits on two occasions in 1997, during the preparation of the SSAC's report "Social Security Provision for Disability a Case for Change", and arrangements have been made for DLAAB to be included on SSAC's consultation list for all future formal referred regulations so they can consider any disability related aspects. DLAAB is an independent statutory body but the Government understand that the Board will set up meetings at least annually and otherwise as required, between members of DLAAB and SSAC to discuss issues of joint concern.
| | The Chairman of DLAAB and the Chairman of SSAC had an informal meeting in January 1999. Arrangements were set in place for the Chairman of SSAC to attend Full Board meetings of the Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board and the Board and Committee secretariats exchange information on a regular basis.
| |
| That DLAAB should give a higher priority to contacts with the voluntary disability organisations in order to gain their confidence and to benefit from their insights on behalf of the DLA customers. We also recommend that DLAAB should be involved in the new Disability Benefits Forum. We recommend that the Secretary of State should consult members of the new Disability Benefits Forum before making appointments in the future to DLAAB
| The Government agrees this recommendation. The Board has assured the Department that it is committed to meeting organisations of and for disabled people. Indeed, since 1993 six representations have been given to the Board, and arrangements are in hand for the Royal National Institute for Deaf People to make a presentation at the next Full Board meeting on 28 July. A series of other meetings in the near future between members of DLAAB and various organisations of and for disabled people is also being considered.
| | Over the last year DLAAB has met representatives of Sense and the National Autistic Society. The Royal National Institute for Deaf People and the Motor Neurone Disease Association have made presentations to the Full Board.
The Chairman of DLAAB was a member of the Disability Benefits Forum and contributed to it's work. Another member of the DBF is also now a member of the DLAAB.
The Board remains committed to open and fair recruitment for selection of Board members, as recommended in guidance from the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Vacancies for Board members continue to be advertised in appropriate publications and brought to the attention of a wide range of suitable candidates.
| |
| That the Government should consider how DLAAB could be re-structured to make the best use of its expertise
| The Government is keen to ensure that best use should be made of the Board's expertise and will discuss with the Chairman whether members' skills and experience could be better utilised. Over the past three years DLAAB has become increasingly involved in advising on specific initiatives, such as research into policy options for changes to DLA and AA
| |
| |
| That in reviewing DLA THE Government should consider the following issues: what the purpose of DLA should be and how this should be communicated to claimants; how DLA can be made more simple to understand and administer; the role of self-assessment and greater balance of medical or other expert opinion and functional tests in the assessment process; how changes of circumstances can be identified and acted upon, looking particularly at the role of life awards; at what level of severity of disability a DLA award should be triggered; whether the current care and mobility component proxies are well suited to assessing the needs of disabled people; how people with mental health problems and sensory disabilities can be included; and how those currently not claiming DLA can be brought into the system
| The Government has already announced its intention to review DLA.
Communicating the purpose of DLA to claimants is difficult because of the need to convey the two concepts - the purpose (extra costs) and the entitlement conditions (need for help with care and mobility). The Government believes that it will be possible to develop terminology which would be simpler for claimants and staff to understand
A successful take-up campaign is one in which there is a high proportion of successful claims in response to the campaign. A campaign which generates large numbers of unsuccessful claims creates confusion and widespread disappointment, as well as administrative disruption and cost. The priority for DLA must be to get greater clarity in the conditions of entitlement, and to understand the drivers behind the preliminary research which has suggested a low level of take-up
| | A number of these issues are covered in responses to other recommendations.
| |
