Ministers Announce an Overhaul of Sickness Benefits Assessment

Government plans to revamp sickness benefits to help more people return to work, marking the first update to the system since 2011.

A person wearing a protective face mask walks past a Job Centre Plus office, amidst the outbreak of the CCP virus disease (COVID-19) in London, on Aug. 11, 2020. Toby Melville/Reuters

The government has announced plans to overhaul sickness benefits as part of its mission to support more people into work.

In its first update since 2011, the new system is meant to encourage people, who had previously been deemed too sick to work, to find fitting jobs.