Are the government about to remove Severe Disability Premium transitional protection?

MrHeisenberg

I can't believe my eyes. Looking at the bottom of page 119, the government seem about to remove Severe Disability Premium transitional protection, as if things weren't bad enough in terms of that slowly reducing with time:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67225b9b3ce5634f5f6ef579/Autumn_Budget_2024__print_ready_.pdf

Is that correct?

Yamor

No, they are amending the regs to ensure the transitional SDP element does not get eroded when a claimant moves into regular rented accomodation from supported or temporary accommodation.
At the moment, the addition of a housing element to the UC award (which is what happens in these circumstances), reduces the transitional SDP element.

HillStreetBlues

It would be unlawful to remove it so the Government have no option but to retain it.

MrHeisenberg

HillStreetBlues said:

It would be unlawful to remove it so the Government have no option but to retain it.

Well, Severe Disability Premium transitional protection currently erodes over time under the current legislation e.g. when your rent goes up or there is an annual increase in the rates for Universal Credit (inevitable events). This is just not right in my opinion, because, in effect, that makes the Severe Disability Premium transitional protection short-term only.

MrHeisenberg

Yamor said:

No, they are amending the regs to ensure the transitional SDP element does not get eroded when a claimant moves into regular rented accomodation from supported or temporary accommodation.
At the moment, the addition of a housing element to the UC award (which is what happens in these circumstances), reduces the transitional SDP element.

But the government is nonetheless continuing to erode the transitional SDP element when the claimant's (private) rent inevitably increases? 

huckster

But if you get LCWRA under UC, that pays a higher amount than the support element under ESA.  

What is being discussed is transitional protection which will be eroded, so claimants migrating from ESA do not end up better off than those who have just been on UC.

If anyone believes that Government have not protected those migrating to UC, then that is something to take up with your local MP by writing to them.