More than 22,700 disabled Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimants may have lost their entire benefits income after failing to respond to a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) letter instructing them to move to Universal Credit (UC). The warning comes from the Bevan Foundation, which says over 1,100 claimants in Wales are affected and may have lost access to essential social security support during the managed migration from legacy benefits to UC.
Urgent Questions for DWP
Joel Davies, Policy & Research Officer at the Bevan Foundation, has raised urgent questions for the DWP and Universal Credit. He warns: "Some may have lost access to essential income entirely during the managed migration from legacy benefits to Universal Credit, according to figures released by the DWP this month." DWP data shows that 1,127 Welsh ESA claimants are recorded as not making a claim to UC after receiving an instruction to do so between July 2022 and March 2026, resulting in their cases being closed.
Managed Migration Rollout
The managed migration rollout continues as six legacy benefits, including ESA, are being scrapped by the DWP. Claimants receive a managed migration notice explaining the change and telling them to apply for UC. They have three months from receiving the notice to apply. However, the notice has proven controversial, with some claimants not acting on it. Data shows 22,687 ESA claimants did not make a claim to UC after their migration deadline had passed, equivalent to 2.6% of the total. In Wales, the number is 1,127 or 2%.
Safeguarding Concerns
Mr Davies commented: "This has rightly been termed a safeguarding issue by disability groups." He added: "There is an understandable sense of achievement emanating from the DWP’s recent updates on the conclusion of the migration process; this has been a gargantuan task. However, if there are any sick and disabled claimants who have fallen out of the benefits system as a result of this process, no efforts should be spared to find them and get essential support to them." He concluded: "The DWP must up its candour regarding this issue to assuage fears that it is failing to safeguard vulnerable people and set out how it plans to redress the circumstances of those who may have lost out."
