women with visible and invisible disabilities
Five-year research by universities condemns sanctions. Report on disabled people here Research covers Jobseekers, Universal Credit (UC) recipients, disabled people, migrants, lone parents, ‘offenders’, social tenants, homeless people, and those subject to anti-social behaviour (ASB) interventions and Family Intervention Projects (FIP). More Guardian article below: “Benefit sanctions are ineffective at getting jobless people into work … Read more
Tues 1 May — legal challenge vs Universal Credit at the High Court about loss of severe disability premiums Joint vigil at 9.30am outside the High Court, Strand, London WC2A 2LL — please come and support if you can. Some people are then going in to attend the court case. The case is set to … Read more
In February, the all-party Work and Pensions Committee of MPs issued two scathing reports on the PIP and ESA assessments done by Atos, Capita and Maximus — on claimant experiences, and recommendations on the system. The MPs are awaiting the government’s response. They got nearly 4,000 submissions, mainly from claimants, who continue to have a … Read more
UPDATE and legal info: In a great start (for us) to Esther McVey’s appointment as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, she has had to concede the PIP legal challenge. As of 20 Jan 2018, the government dropped the discriminatory rules which stop claimants with mental distress from scoring full points for mobility needs, … Read more
The Work and Pensions Committee of MPs has secured a commitment from the government to stop rubber-stamping benefit refusals at the first stage (mandatory reconsideration). This is a result of the 4,000+ testimonies to the inquiry into the ESA and PIP tests, mainly from disabled claimants, about this injustice, and evidence from the DWP union PCS … Read more
RF commented: ‘This judgment is important for a community of people with mental health problems fighting for their lives against discrimination.’ Public Law Project press release: High Court finds 2017 Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Regulations unlawful The High Court has found that part of the rules governing Personal Independence Payments are unlawfully discriminatory against people with … Read more
Tues 12 December 2017 1pm – 2pm Vigil outside the High Court Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London WC2A 2LL Facebook event Jointly called by: Disabled People Against Cuts, Mental Health Resistance Network, WinVisible (women with visible & invisible disabilities) We are supporting a legal challenge by a woman with mental distress against the Personal Independence Payment … Read more
Update September 2022 — this ruling has been overturned. Read more here Previous info: We want to publicise the precedent legal case of a homeless disabled woman we helped, who won the right to housing in 2016, as we’ve heard of women in similar situations where the Council is refusing to provide accommodation. During the … Read more
The government has announced that Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimants in the Support Group, and Universal Credit claimants with limited capability for work and work-related activity (equivalent of ESA) attending a Work Capability Assessment from 29 September 2017, will no longer need to be reassessed if it finds that they: have a severe, lifelong disability, … Read more