LTIA Statistics

​​Request ​780263688

Please provide the following information in relation to Long Term Incapacity Allowance (LTIA) and Income Support:

1. The current medical assessment guidelines, policies, or internal guidance used to determine LTIA percentage awards.

2. Any internal guidance or policy documents explaining how LTIA percentage awards are used to inform reviews, work-focused activity, conditionality, or compliance expectations.

3. Whether LTIA percentage awards are used directly or indirectly to inform sanctions, warnings, reductions, or requirements to seek work or attend appointments under Income Support.

4. For claimants currently or previously in receipt of LTIA who were assessed at 40% incapacity or below, please provide:

o the number of claimants who have been subject to Income Support sanctions for: a) failing to apply for work, or 

b) dismissal from employment; 

o broken down by year for the last five years (or the longest period available).

5. Any policies or guidance setting out safeguards for claimants with autism or other neurodivergent conditions, acquired brain injury or stroke, PTSD, or complex mental health conditions.

6. Details of any training provided to decision-makers relating to trauma-informed assessment, neurodevelopmental conditions, or cognitive impairment.

7. Any internal documents, briefing notes, or timelines relating to the planned reform or overhaul of LTIA guidelines referenced publicly as due for implementation around 2027.

Response

1. The medical assessment guidelines, policies and internal guidance currently used to determine LTIA percentage awards have already been disclosed under a previous Freedom of Information request and are available in the public domain.

These documents can be accessed at the following link:

https://www.gov.je/Government/FreedomOfInformation/pages/foi.aspx?ReportID=8494

As this information is reasonably available to you by other means, it is exempt from disclosure under Article 23 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011. 

2. There is no internal guidance or policy document explaining how LTIA percentage awards are used to inform reviews, work-focused activity, conditionality, or compliance expectations. 

LTIA is an in-work benefit and, as such, LTIA percentage awards are not used to inform reviews, work-focused activity, conditionality, or compliance expectations. 

However, where individuals are in receipt of Income Support as well as LTIA, they may be required to undertake job-seeking activities or attend appointments. This requirement arises under Article 3 of the Income Support (Jersey) Law 2007 which provides that an adult who has a heath condition or disability that limits their ability to work is required to be “engaged in or actively seeking, remunerative work for such hours (if any) as the determining officer considers appropriate to their particular circumstances” 

A person’s LTIA award rate is one of a number of factors taken into account in this decision-making process.

3. LTIA percentage awards are not used directly or indirectly to inform sanctions, warnings, or benefit reductions under Income Support. 

LTIA is an in-work benefit, and the LTIA percentage award does not on its own determine whether sanctions, warnings, or reductions are applied under Income Support. 

Where individuals are in receipt of Income Support as well as LTIA, they may be required to undertake job-seeking activities or attend appointments. This requirement arises under Article 3 of the Income Support (Jersey) Law 2007 which provides that an adult who has a heath condition or disability that limits their ability to work is required to “be engaged in or available for and actively seeking, remunerative work for such hours (if any) as the determining officer considers appropriate to their particular circumstances”

A person’s LTIA award rate is one of a number of factors taken into account in this decision-making process.

Any sanctions or conditionality applied are based solely on the individual’s actions, circumstances, and applicable Income Support requirements, and not on their LTIA award percentage.

4. The requested information is not held.

Our systems do not record Income Support sanctions in a way that allows us to identify the specific reason a sanction was applied (for example, failure to apply for work or dismissal from employment). We are only able to report whether a sanction has been applied, not the underlying cause.

In addition, sanction data cannot be reliably linked to LTIA status, and we are therefore unable to distinguish between claimants who do and do not have an LTIA award, or to identify those assessed at 40% incapacity or below.

Because this information is not held in a format that would allow the requested breakdown to be provided, it is exempt under Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011. 

5. All policies and guidance which set out safeguarding arrangements for claimants, including those with autism or other neurodivergent conditions, acquired brain injury or stroke, PTSD, or complex mental health conditions, are publicly available.

General safeguarding policies and multi-agency guidance applicable to all vulnerable individuals are published by the Safeguarding Partnership Jersey and can be accessed at:

Resources | Safeguarding Partnership Jersey​

In addition, the Employment Social Security & Housing Safeguarding process, including guidance on identifying safeguarding alerts, is set out in the attached document.

6. The following training and development sessions have been available to decision-makers and other employees within the Employment Social Security and Housing department during the last 5 years. 

These sessions relate to trauma-informed practice, neurodevelopmental conditions, and cognitive impairment, and are intended to support decision-makers in recognising and responding appropriately to them when carrying out their roles.

• Trauma Informed Practice - ongoing availability

• Dementia Awareness - last available in 2023

• SPELL Training - last available in 2021

• Foundation Safeguarding Training for Adults & Children – ongoing availability

• Diversity Equity & Inclusion - ongoing availability

• ESSH Safeguarding - ongoing availability

• Hidden Disabilities Training - ongoing availability

• Accessibility Fundamentals - ongoing availability

• Mental Health Awareness - ongoing availability

• Autism Awareness - ongoing availability

• Disability Awareness and Inclusion - ongoing availability

• Unconscious Bias for Employees & Managers - ongoing availability

7. As Long-Term Disability Allowance is currently under development, any internal documents and briefing notes are “policy under formulation and development” and as such the department is applying Article 35 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011.

During the debate and approval of P.80/2025, The Minister stated that the financial modelling, assessment model and transition plan for the future Long-Term Disability Allowance was currently under development and that it would be discussed with stakeholders during 2026. This is still expected to take place, but subject to the next Social Security Minister being presented with work that is currently under policy development, which involves the development of potential options for the Minister to consider. The Minister stated that the detail of the Orders would be available in 2026 and these Orders will contain the information requested.

As this is a qualified exemption, the public interest test has been applied.

The Draft Social Security Law (LONG TERM DISABILITY ALLOWANCE) (JERSEY) AMENDMENT REGULATIONS 202- (P.80/2025) can be found here:

https://statesassembly.je/publications/propositions/2025/p-80-2025​

Articles applied

Article 3 - Meaning of “information held by a public authority”

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a) it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or

(b) it is held by another person on behalf of the authority.

Article 23 - Information accessible to applicant by other means

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this Law, whether or not free of charge.

(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information.

Article 35 - Formulation and development of policies

Information is qualified exempt information if it relates to the formulation or development of any proposed policy by a public authority.

Public Interest Test

Against disclosure

Releasing the draft policies under development would compromise free and frank discussion of the options that a future Minister might want to consider as part of the policy development process.

For disclosure

The public good of releasing the draft policies at an early stage of development, particularly as via P.80/2025, the Minister has publicly released information about the general principles of the new assessment model, the way it will be administered by ESSH and the roles of medical professionals and independent appeal tribunals in applying the new benefit assessment model.

Conclusion

The reason against disclosure outweighs the public good of disclosure. The information is therefore withheld.​