Pathways to Work: What the Government's social security reforms could mean for you

The Government is planning big changes to the social security system over the next few years. If you’re living with a mental illness, it’s understandable to feel unsure or even anxious about what these changes might mean.

We’ve taken a close look at the Government’s Pathways to Work Green Paper. Here’s what we know, what’s still unclear, and what we’re doing to make sure your voice is heard.

From 2025/26 — You’ll have a ‘Right to Try’ work

The government plans to introduce a new law as soon as possible to guarantee that trying work won’t lead to a Work Capability Assessments (WCAs) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP) reassessment or reward review.

From 2026/27 — Changes to PIP and Universal Credit

Tighter rules for who can claim PIP

• From 2026/27, only people who score at least 4 points in one daily living activity will qualify for the daily living component of PIP.
• This will affect new claims, and existing claimants could be affected at their next review.
• The mobility component will not change.

We’re concerned that this could leave some people with mental illness without the support they need. We’ll be pressing the government to show how they’ll protect people at risk of losing out.

Changes to UC Basic Allowance and the Health Element (currently LCWRA)

UC Basic Allowance

• The UC basic allowance for new and existing claimants will increase. Meaning, a single person aged 25+ will have their UC basic allowance increase by £7. For example, it is £91 per week in 2024/25, and it will be £98 per week in 2026/27.

UC Health Element

• If you already get the health element (LCWRA), your payment will stay at £97/week, but it will be frozen until 2029/30.
• If you get it after 2026/27, your payment could be reduced to £50/week.
• If you get it after April 2026 and live with the most severe, lifelong conditions, you may be eligible for a new top-up premium and be exempt from future reassessments. This is still being considered by government.

Between 2025 and 2028/29 — WCA reassessments will restart

During the pandemic, regular WCAs were mostly paused. Now, the Government says they’ll switch them back on before the WCA is fully scrapped.

• At first, reassessments will focus on people whose health may have changed — like those recovering from cancer or pregnancy complications.
• Later, more people could be called back for reassessment.

From 2028/29 — The WCA will be scrapped

By 2028/29, the WCA will be removed altogether if the law gets passed in parliament. Instead:

• Your PIP award will determine whether you can get the UC health element (extra support in Universal Credit) – making the PIP assessment the only assessment for adult disability benefits.
• The system will no longer use categories like Fit for Work, LCW, or LCWRA.
• Instead of an assessment, you’ll be invited to a “Support Conversation”. The Government says these new Support Conversations will be delivered by someone ‘appropriately trained’, focused on goals, not what you can’t do, and flexible in timing, format, and frequency, and will offer a range of support if needed.
• For most people on Universal Credit with the Health Element, there will be a new “baseline expectation” that you have at least occasional support conversations about your goals and what help is available. They say this won’t mean you’re forced to look for or take jobs.
• They are consulting on whether these meetings should be mandatory for people receiving the UC Health Element, or if they should only be expected to attend the first meeting. If made a requirement, sanctions could apply for not taking part. They are consulting on this.

As the UC Health Element will only be accessible if one also has access to PIP, and because PIP will be harder to get — we are concerned that the combination of the changes to PIP, WCA, and UC health element, could mean that many people living with mental illness might not have access to either PIP or the UC Health Element.

Other changes being explored by the Government in the consultation and beyond

• Removing more barriers to work in the social security system, without creating worry about losing benefit entitlement,
• Bringing back more face-to-face assessments (but keeping phone/video as an option for people who need it),
• How to support people who lose entitlement to PIP once the changes come into effect,
• Recording all PIP and WCA assessments by default,
• Improving how medical evidence is used in decisions and digitising the process so that it is transferred from the NHS to DWP,
• Reducing initial PIP assessments for people with very severe conditions,
• Improving communications with those receiving an ongoing PIP award and the information given to claimants,
• Reforming the DWP’s Access to Work scheme and workplace adjustments,
• Creating a new contribution-based benefit called Unemployment Insurance,
• Raising the age to claim PIP from 16 to 18,
• Delaying UC health element access until someone turns 22,
• Developing a new DWP-wide safeguarding approach to protect vulnerable claimants, and we expect to find out more in Autumn 2025.
• Conducting a review of the PIP assessment look at claimants’ experiences, and we expect to find out more in Autumn 2025.

What you can do now

We know these changes could have a real impact on your life. Rethink Mental Illness believes your voice should be part of shaping what happens next. There’s a lot of detail to analyse, but amid the uncertainty of what is to come, one thing is for sure: we will always fight for the rights of people severely affected by mental illness.

• Join our upcoming webinar to ask questions and learn more.
• Submit your views to the DWP consultation — tell them what matters to you.
• Register for DWP public consultation events when dates are announced.

This article was written by Julia Aggio, Senior Policy Officer for Rethink Mental Illness and Mental Health UK

For more information about Rethink’s policy and influencing work please visit their website: https://www.rethink.org/campaigns-and-policy/policy-and-influencing/