Page 137 - Reforming Benefits Decision-Making

advice, from a disability employment advisor where a claimant indicates
they have a health condition or disability that affects their ability to work,
and/or from appropriate external specialist organisations. However, there
should not be any delay to receiving the first payment due to time that
might be spent waiting for specialist advice.
c) The mandatory easements should be expanded, for example to include
circumstances relating to homelessness and temporary childcare,
accompanied by guidance on their application. The ability to apply a
discretionary easement should remain for any other circumstances not
covered by the specific regulations (para 2.63).

Sanction decisions

14. In 2018 the Work and Pensions Select Committee recommended that the
DWP introduce regulations on what constitutes ‘good reason’ for non-
compliance with the claimant commitment. We agree with this
recommendation (para 2.67).

15. As part of their evidence gathering, work coaches should contact and take into
account information from relevant individuals, such as a claimant’s carer, who
the claimant consents for them to contact (para 2.69).

16. We agree with the Work and Pensions Select Committee and others that a
warning or ‘yellow card’ should be issued for a first failure to comply with the
claimant commitment. The warning should be clearly communicated to the
claimant via their preferred method of communication. It should be used only
in cases where the claimant would otherwise by sanctioned i.e. they do not
have a good reason for failure to comply, and not as a substitute for the proper
application of the good reason test (para 2.72).

17. A further pilot and evaluation of an ‘early warning system’ should be carried
out. This time, claimants should be provided with more than 14 days to
provide further evidence, claimants should be made aware of what a ‘good
reason’ might be and what appropriate evidence might look like, and the
DWP should ensure that communication with the claimant is appropriate for
that particular claimant in terms of language and any disability or
vulnerability (para 2.75).

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