People are having their benefits cut if they can walk more than 20 metres – and it’s costing the taxpayer millions Our analysis shows between 2020 and 2023 around 16,000 people with MS will lose the higher rate – this is a senseless rule

Emma was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2000. The condition affects all aspects of her life. She can no longer work and her mum, who is 75, is her full-time carer because she can’t manage on her own anymore.

‘We’ve heard countless stories of how cuts have left people trapped people in their homes, made it harder for them to get to work, and even made their health worse’

Soon after being diagnosed Emma, who is 51, was given a lifetime disability award. She received the highest rates of mobility and daily living support, to help her with the extra costs she faced as a result of her MS. But when she was reassessed for the new benefit, Personal Independence Payment (PIP), in 2016, she was told she no longer qualified for these higher rates.

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Emma is one of thousands of people with MS who’ve experienced brutal cuts to their disability benefits thanks to PIP. And the impact of this loss is enormous. As the MS Society, we’ve heard countless stories of how cuts have left people trapped people in their homes, made it harder for them to get to work, and even made their health worse.

The 20-metre rule

Emma says losing the higher rates of support forced her to cut down on food, and she can’t go out to socialise anymore. She increasingly relies on her elderly mum, who has her own illness to deal with, putting phenomenal pressure on them both.

The main reason for stories like Emma’s is the PIP 20-metre rule. It says people who can walk even one step over 20m don’t need the highest rate of mobility support. This has led to one in three people with MS being stripped of vital support.

But our new research shows that not only is this rule having devastating consequences on people with MS, it’s also squandering millions of taxpayers’ pounds, with the UK Government actually expected to spend more on the knock-on effects of the cuts than it will save through the cuts themselves.

In 2013 the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) insisted its 20m rule would not have “any significant additional cost implications” for other government departments. But in a report we’ve sent to the DWP, we reveal that the reality is far different – and have detailed additional costs of millions caused by the 20m rule.

16,000 people with MS to lose out

Although fewer people with MS getting the higher mobility rate could save £83.3m over three years according to our calculations, this will be outweighed by knock-on costs to the Government of at least £92.7m.

Our analysis shows that between 2020 and 2023 (the Government’s Spending Review period), around 16,000 people with MS will lose the higher rate of mobility because of the 20m rule. When people lose support, it has serious implications in terms of their health and employment. This leads to significant extra costs to other government departments, the Treasury, and the DWP itself.

‘The true costs will be even higher due to unquantifiable costs such as increased housing benefit payments and social care use’

These hidden costs can be found in the increased use of NHS services, lost tax revenue from people with MS and their carers having to reduce working hours or even leave work, and increased claims for benefits like Employment and Support Allowance and Carer’s Allowance for people who leave work. The true costs will be even higher due to unquantifiable costs such as increased housing benefit payments and social care use.

We’re all paying for a senseless rule

The 20m rule has clearly failed people with MS, and our report shows for the first time that it’s also impacting public finances. We’re all paying for a rule that makes no sense.

This year the UK Government is reviewing their spending for the next few years. The Chancellor’s Spending Review is an opportunity to scrap the 20m rule. Getting rid of it would stop the needless waste of taxpayer money and mean more people with MS can finally get the support they need.

Having a painful and exhausting condition like MS is hard enough, it shouldn’t be made harder by a welfare system that doesn’t make sense.

Genevieve Edwards is Director of External Affairs at the MS Society