History
Income supplement for UK citizens suffering from long-term disability was introduced in 1971 under the title of Invalidity Benefit; payments increased substantially in the 1980s, and this was widely believed to have been the result of a deliberate attempt to encourage take-up by the Thatcher government, elected on the slogan "Labour Isn't Working" but now anxious at a steepening rise in unemployment.
In 1995 Incapacity Benefit replaced Invalidity Benefit and Sickness Benefit and in 2008 was in its turn replaced by Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). Some individuals who were already receiving Incapacity Benefit before the introduction of ESA have continued to do so provided they have remained eligible. They have been subject to a periodic "personal capability assessment" to establish that they remained incapable of work.
When ESA was introduced the intention was to transfer some of the Incapacity Benefit claimants to ESA on a rolling basis between 2010 and 2014 using the ESA "Work Capability Assessment" (WCA). Claimants deemed to have a limited capability for work were to be transferred to the new benefit.
Read more about this topic: Incapacity Benefit
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