Have your say on disability benefits

3 mins read

Thursday 30 September 2021

Tags: dla, consultation, DWP, PIP

The government is asking for your views on how the benefits system can better meet the needs of disabled people.

The consultation called Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper sets out a number of ideas and options which could change how disabled people receive support to help them live independently, to work and to more easily access benefits.

There are a number of places left to join an online consultation event to share your views with the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) on Monday 4th October from 12.30pm-2pm.  If you would like to take part please email una.summerson@contact.org.uk

What topics is the consultation covering?

The consultation is asking for views on:

How do I respond to the consultation?

You can respond to the consultation here:  Shaping future support: The Health and Disability Green Paper – Department for Work and Pensions – Citizen Space (dwp.gov.uk)

You don’t have to answer all the questions.

The closing date is Monday 11 October at 11.45pm

What does Contact think?

We think the government should raise the transition age that Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is paid from 16 to 18 years.

Parents with disabled children regularly ask us why the current age for transition from DLA to PIP is 16 and not 18. We know that parents with disabled young people find the transition from DLA to PIP at 16 a difficult process, many worry about their child having to go through a face to face assessment, or not being entitled to PIP because there are different eligibility criteria.

Contact surveyed more than 4000 parents with disabled children in June 2021 and we found that most (94%) think DLA should be paid up to 18. There would be some disabled young people that could be better off under PIP rather than under DLA so this group should still be able to opt to move onto PIP before age 18 if they prefer. 

In Scotland, young people who get DLA can now continue getting DLA until they turn 18. A young person in Scotland can still opt to move onto PIP before age 18 if they want.