Who will be protected from benefits reassessment under the government's welfare bill?

Yahoo

23-06-2025

More than 200,000 people with severe, lifelong conditions will have their benefits protected and will not be reassessed, the government has announced as part of its new welfare bill.
"Robust protections will be put in place" so that those who are classified as severely disabled will be exempt from any future benefit assessments, and instead will be given the highest universal credit health top-up available, the government said.
These protections will come into effect when the government freezes and halves the universal health credit top-up in April 2026.
The rule is laid out in the government's welfare bill, which will see the government save at least £5bn by freezing and cutting the top-up as well as limiting who is eligible for disability benefit PIP.
Around 2.6 million people in the UK claim the universal credit health top-up, according to the latest figures, and 2.25 million of those people are set to be affected by the government's new rules.
While the exemption for those with the most severe conditions has been welcomed, there has been some confusion over who will be protected.
Yahoo News contacted the DWP but did not get a response at the time of publication.
Here's what we know about so far about who could be protected under the welfare bill.
The universal credit health-top up payment is provided in addition to a person's universal credit standard allowance.
It is designed to support those who have a health condition or disability that limits their ability to work, and for those over 18 and under state pension age.
Most people must undergo a work capability assessment to determine if they are eligible for it.
If you have a terminal illness and are expected to live for 12 months or less, you automatically qualify for the health top-up.
The government's own wording states more than 200,000 individuals who meet the severe conditions criteria (SCC) or are covered by the special rules for end of life (SREL) will be protected from future reassessment for universal credit entitlement.
"For those receiving the new reduced UC health element after April 2026, we are proposing that those with the most severe, life-long health conditions, who have no prospect of improvement and will never be able to work, will see their incomes protected through an additional premium," it said.
"We will also guarantee that for both new and existing claims, those in this group will not need to be reassessed in future."
The SREL rules identify and support anyone who is terminally ill, so it is highly likely that this group of claimants will be protected.
The SCC criteria is used to identify people with the most severe, lifelong, and permanently disabling health conditions or disabilities.
These people are classified as having severe, progressive, or irreversible physical or mental health conditions whose health is unlikely to improve.
It's worth bearing in mind that while 200,000 people will be protected, that covers just under 8% of people claiming the top-up.
We know that those who are classified as having limited capability for work will not be included in the 200,000.
Anyone whose condition has scope for improvement, such as some mental health conditions, will likely not be included.
We also know that from April 2022, anyone under the age of 22 will no longer be eligible for the universal credit health top-up.
The government said by removing the payment for this age group and reinvesting the money into work and training opportunities for younger people, it will incentivise people from this age group to get back into work.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has spoken out against this decision.
Iain Porter, the charity's senior policy adviser, said: "Slashing support for young disabled people is a cruel move that will push more families into hardship and poverty.'
While many disability and poverty campaigners have welcomed some protections, they have all been clear that they do not think they go far enough.
Disability equality Scope said while "it's right that people with the most severe conditions are protected, this is little comfort to the hundreds of thousands that will lose out."
"The vast majority of disabled people will not be covered by these protections and will face significant cuts to their support," James Taylor, the executive director of strategy at the charity said.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has warned that the changes to the welfare system will still push many families into hardship.
'Protecting 200,000 people is not enough when millions with significant health conditions will lose out. These changes will push more families into hardship and poverty," the charity said.