What is it about?
This paper examines the impact of major social security reform on mental health claimants by analysing the transition to Personal Independence Payment in the UK. Personal Independence Payment was introduced in April 2013, replacing Disability Living Allowance as the main non-means tested disability benefit intended to assist with the additional costs associated with disability or long-term health conditions. It is important to gain a better understanding of how people with mental health problems have experienced this reform. Twelve service users were interviewed for this qualitative research. Analysis identified three main themes: problems with the Personal Independence Payment claims process; problems conveying mental health problems during the assessment process; and positive experiences associated with the transition to Personal Independence Payment. This research demonstrates that major changes in benefit policy are challenging for people with mental health problems, particularly when delivered in a climate of austerity.
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Why is it important?
The UK Government has changed the main disability benefit for disabled adults. From April 2013, Disability Living Allowance (DLA) has been phased out and replaced by Personal Independence Payment (PIP). This research found that this significant change caused difficulties for people with mental health problems. Everyone who took part reported increased anxiety, problems with claiming PIP, communicating with benefit officials and the medical assessment. It is important to learn from these problems so that future benefit changes, both in the UK and in other countries, can be developed and rolled-out in ways which are more appropriate for people with mental health problems.
Perspectives
There are important lessons for the UK, and internationally, about the ways in which mental health is affected by welfare policy which seeks to reduce expenditure and numbers of benefit recipients. When pursuing significant changes to the benefit system, countries should avoid a ‘test and learn’ approach which creates significant uncertainties for claimants with mental health problems. Instead, a careful stress testing of policy should be adopted with meaningful and timely equality impact assessments to ascertain how policy affects key claimant groups.
Richard Machin
Nottingham Trent University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The impact of the transition to Personal Independence Payment on claimants with mental health problems, Disability & Society, September 2021, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/09687599.2021.1972409.
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