Q&A for Helpline/Digital/Supporter engagement teams
APPG Employment Review: Call for Evidence for individuals with MS
This Q&A answers questions that people completing the survey may contact the MS Society to ask or comment on.
What is the context for this Review?
Questions about the Review
What is the Employment Review about?
What is the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for MS?
Why is the MS Society working with the APPG on MS?
Why doesn’t the Review focus on benefits?
Why doesn’t the Review covering volunteering or caring work?
How can Simon Hoare chair this review in the interests of people with MS when he recently voted to cut disability benefits?
Questions/comments about the survey
The survey doesn’t take adequate account of those of us who can’t work
What counts as being on a DMT?
What is Access to Work?
What is Fit for Work?
I don’t understand the question on higher rate mobility
What are reasonable adjustments?
My employer refuses to make any reasonable adjustments
My employer has discriminated against me
I didn’t know they’re cutting ESA. Will I be affected?
What’s Motability and how do I access it?
The question about work being good for my health question is inappropriate
What is the context for this Review?
We know that employment is an important issue to people with MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed during their working lives, and are working at the time of diagnosis. Last year, our MS: Enough research survey told us that many people with MS who felt they may be able toreturn to work had received no support to do so. Even where support was received, it was often inadequate. We also heard from many people with MS who hadn’t been appropriately supported at work or had faced discrimination in the workplace.
Welfare policy is also increasingly concerned with improving employment rates and helping people back into work. There is particular concern around the number of people with disabilities and health conditions who are not in employment. Both Government and opposition parties are keen to support more disabled people to work. The incumbent Government made a manifesto commitment to halve the disability employment gap.It is currently looking at how to achieve this target. We expect that the White Paper that they have said that they will publish later this year will outline changes to existing employment support provision.
Questions about the Review
What is the Employment Review about?
The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for MS Review is seeking to understand the barriers to employment faced by people living with MS, and the employment-related support currently provided to people living MS. It is also looking at what support people with MS need to gain and retain employment. The Group will make recommendations in a report, to be published in the autumn 2016, on where improvement is needed, and what changes could be made. It is hoped that the Review will positively influence design of employment support services to better meet the needs of people with MS.
What is the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for MS?
All Party Parliamentary Groups are a way for members of both the House of Commons and House of Lords to join together to pursue a particular topic or interest.APPGs are not party political which means anyone from any party can join.As a cross-party group, they canprovide an important non-partisan platform for discussion of issues that are relevant for people with MS. The MS Society provides secretariat support for the Group.
Why is the MS Society working with the APPG on MS?
APPGs provide a valuable opportunity for organisations and parliamentarians who share an interest in the subject matter of anAPPG to engage with one other. As the secretariat of the Group, we work with members to highlight issues amongst their colleagues, answer queries, and help carry out pieces of work related to ongoing parliamentary conversations such as those around work and social security.
Why doesn’t the Review focus on benefits?
As secretariat, the MS Society works collaboratively with the officers of the APPG to decide what topics the APPG will focus on. Taking into account both the MS Society’s work on the MS: Enough campaign (which looks at ensuring financial security for people with MS) and the work Government is currently carrying out around halving the disability employment gap, the decision was made to hold a review focusing on employment support.
The MS Society recommended that the Review focus on employment as part of the MS:Enough campaign, which focuses on ensuring that people with MS are financially secure. We continue to lobby for out of work benefits to make sense for people with MS, engaging with Government and benefit assessment providers on this issue on a regular basis.
While the Review focuses on employment support, it touches on out of work benefitswhere provision may impact on people’s ability to get into work. For example, some employment support is conditional on receipt of out of work benefits. The Review does not cover in-work benefits, as this constitutes a substantial stand-alone topic, and one that continues to be of the utmost importance within MS: Enough.
Why doesn’t the Review covering volunteering or caring work?
The MS Society works collaboratively with the officers of the APPG to decide what topics the APPG will focus on. Taking into account both the MS Society’s work on the MS: Enough campaign (which looks at ensuring financial security for people with MS) and the work Government is currently carrying out around halving the disability employment gap, the decision was made to hold a review focusing on employment support.
We know that caring and volunteering are very important to many people with MS, and we have a number of other work streams that look more specifically into these areas.
How can Simon Hoare chair this review in the interests of people with MS when he recently voted to cut disability benefits?
The current APPG for MS is independent of the MS Society, although we provide the secretariat for it to help it run smoothly. The APPG needs to be a broad church to be effective, involving Parliamentarians from all parties in robust debate about issues relevant to people affected by MS - indeed, this is its strength. However, by its nature this means that members of this group will not always share the MS Society’s stance, particularly when we oppose Government policies such as the recent changes to ESA proposed under the Welfare Reform & Work Bill.
Questions/comments about the survey
The survey doesn’t take adequate account of those of us who can’t work
The MS Society is focusing on employment as part of our MS: Enough campaign, to ensurefinancialsecurity for people with MS.We understand that for some peoplework may have become too difficult or impossible. So we continue to campaign for benefits that make sense for people with MS.
We also know that employment is an important issue to some people with MS. Most people with MS are working at the time of diagnosis. Last year, our MS: Enough research survey told us that many people with MS who felt they may be able toreturn to work had received no support to do so. Even where support was received, it was often inadequate. We also heard from many people with MS who hadn’t been appropriately supported at work or had faced discrimination in the workplace.
The Government is currently considering how people with health conditions can be better supported into work. We want to influence them to make sure that people with MS who want to work are adequately supported to do so, while also ensuring that people who don’t feel able to work are supported appropriately.
What counts as being on a DMT?
There is a question on ‘Do you take a DMT for your MS’. Respondents might have questions aboutwhether they should tick yes or no.
If a respondent has previously been on a DMT that is taken daily, but is no longer taking it, they should tick ‘no’.
There are a couple of DMTs that are only taken over a short period, but which have lasting effects (Alemtuzumab [Lemtrada] and Natalizumab [Tysabri]). If somebody has taken these DMTs, and they are still having an effect, or they’re probably still having an effect, they should tick ‘yes’. If they had either of these DMTs a number of years ago, and they’re no longer having an effect, they should tick ‘no’.
What is Access to Work?
An Access to Work grant can pay for practical support if you have a disability, health or mental health condition which affects your ability to do your job, or means you have to pay work-related costs, e.g. special computer equipment or travel costs. The grant is to help you start working, stay in work, or move into self-employment or start a business.
How much you get depends on your circumstances, and how big your company is. The money doesn’t have to be paid back and will not affect your other benefits.
How to access Access to Work: see here.
What is Fit for Work?
Fit for Work is a Government-funded initiative designed to support people who are working with health conditions, and to help with sickness absence. It offers work-related health advice via a website and telephone line, as well as referral to an occupational health professional for employees who have been, or who are likely to be, off sick for four weeks or more.Referrals to the service can be made by GPsand employers.Employees need to consent to be referred to Fit for Work, and for a Return to Work Plan to be shared with their GP and employer. Fit for Work is designed to work alongside, not replace, existing occupational health services.
For more information on Fit for Work, see here.
I don’t understand the question on higher rate mobility
There is a question in the survey which asks
“Have you lost access to the higher rate of payment for mobility as a result of being reassessed from DLA (Disability Living Allowance) to PIP (Personal Independence Payment)?”.
Respondents should only answer ‘yes’ if:
-they used to be on DLA and get the higher rate mobility component
-they have already been reassessed for PIP
-they didn’t get the higher rate mobility component of PIP (they either got lower rate, or did not qualify for mobility).
Everyone else should answer no/not applicable (doesn’t really matter, as we’re only interested in the ‘yes’ answers.
If anybody isn’t sure if this question applies to them, for example if they used to be on DLA and get higher rate mobility, and they’ve had a PIP reassessment but haven’t yet heard the outcome, they should still tick no or not applicable.
What are reasonable adjustments?
A reasonable adjustment is a change, perhaps to your job or your working environment, that your employer has to make to avoid you being put at a disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person.Your right to ask for reasonable adjustments is part of the Equality Act and the Disability Discrimination Act. There’s no limit to the number of reasonable adjustments you can ask for, nor to the number of times you can ask for them. Your employer can’t ask you to pay for any reasonable adjustments.
Adjustments only have to be made if it’s reasonable to do so. What's a reasonable thing to ask for depends on things like:
- your disability
- how practicable the changes are
- if the change you ask for would overcome the disadvantage you and other disabled people experience
- the size of the organisation
- how much money and resources are available
- the cost of making the changes
- if any changes have already been made.
There are three different things people or organisations may have to do make it easier for you to access or do something. These are: changing the way things are done, changing a physical feature, and providing extra aids or services.
For more information, refer the caller to our information on reasonable adjustments:
Workplace reasonable adjustment agreement document
My employer refuses to make any reasonable adjustments
See above for a definition of what constitutes ‘reasonable’. Employers are within their rights to refuse any changes which fall outside this definition (though who’s right about what constitutes reasonable is a matter for a court/employment tribunal).
Refer to the information on our web page on what to do if you’re not being treated fairly. Consider referring to the Disability Law Service.
My employer has discriminated against me
Refer to the information on our web page on what to do if you’re not being treated fairly. Consider referring to the Disability Law Service.
I didn’t know they’re cutting ESA. Will I be affected?
From April 2017, new ESA claimants who are placed in the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) will get less money in benefit than those who are currently in the WRAG.However payment rates for existing claimants will remain unchanged.
At present, ESA claimants receive a basic weekly benefit of £73.10, plus £29.05 if placed in the WRAG. Under the changes, they will no longer receive the £29.05 WRAG supplement. This means that from April 2017, new ESA WRAG claimants will receive the same amount of benefit as Jobseekers Allowance claimants.
The limited capability for work element in Universal Credit is also being changed in parallel, such that from April 2017 claimants will also receive £73.10 a week.
What’s Motability and how do I access it?
The Motability Scheme enables disabled people to lease either a car, a scooter or a powered wheelchair, using their Government funded mobility allowance. People on the Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance (£57.45 per week), or the Enhanced Rate of the Mobility Component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) (£57.45 per week) may be eligible to join the Motability Scheme. Servicing, maintenance and insurance are all covered as part of the scheme.
For more information about Motability, see their website.
The question about work being good for my health question is inappropriate
We understand that for some peoplework may have become too difficult or impossible. However, we would ask that even if they’re not working respondents fill this out. We need to gather as much evidence as we can to be able to influence Government to provide adequate support both for people with MS who can work, and those who cannot. If respondents are not working because they can’t because of MS, then they can disagree with the statement.
Contact
Katharine McIntosh, Policy Officer (Welfare)
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