PIP success rates decline under tougher assessments, Digi Mart USA News (United Kingdom): Securing disability benefits is getting harder for new applicants as assessors take a tougher approach, according to The i Paper. The proportion of successful new claims for personal independence payments, known as PIP, has been steadily declining since April 2024, based on analysis of official government figures.
Experts and insiders told The i Paper that the downward trend is due to “harsher” assessments and that decisions are increasingly going against applicants. The UK’s budget watchdog has revised down forecast spending on working-age disability benefits by £1bn for 2030-31, although the wider welfare bill will still grow overall.
The Office for Budget Responsibility said in its October forecast that “a much lower proportion of these [PIP] claims are being awarded after assessment compared to previous years.” Benefit advisers and experts claim assessors face pressure from managers to review and potentially reduce the points awarded to applicants, which determine eligibility. They also say disabled people are often awarded fewer points if they are able to work.
Latest Department for Work and Pensions figures show the proportion of new PIP claims resulting in an award after assessment fell from 48 per cent to 42 per cent compared with last year. The i Paper’s analysis shows a steady decline since April 2024, when 54 per cent of new claims were granted.
James Merrell, a former PIP assessor who worked for a contracted assessment company from 2023 to 2024, said: “It’s definitely getting more difficult to make a successful claim.” He now advises claimants going through tribunal appeals and said the assessment process “seems to set people up to fail.”
About 4.1 million people currently receive PIP, worth up to around £800 a month to support daily living needs and mobility. Assessors ask about how well someone can function with tasks such as washing, dressing and preparing food.
Eight points qualify for the basic rate, while 12 points qualify for the higher rate.
Merrell said managers at contracted firms are asking assessors to review their points recommendations more often. He added that assessors have become less flexible when judging fluctuating conditions such as multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia.
Dylan Thomas, a pastor who supports claimants at appeal tribunals, said he had noticed a shift toward more difficult assessments and that in some cases having a job, even part-time, has resulted in cuts to existing awards.
Michelle Cardno, founder of Fightback4Justice, a non-profit providing advice on benefit claims and appeals, said: “We have seen a noticeable deterioration in PIP decision-making this year.” She added: “PIP is not an out-of-work benefit, and employment alone should never be grounds for refusal.”
Although the number of registered PIP claims rose 17 per cent in the past year, according to DWP figures, the proportion of successful claims has fallen. Thomas attributed the rise in claims partly to the health impact of Covid, improved diagnosis of mental health conditions, and some people claiming for the first time because of possible restrictions after the Timms Review.
Stephen Timms, the disability minister leading the review, has said PIP is “not fit for purpose” and that assessments can be “demeaning” and have not “kept pace with changing understanding of health and disability.” A DWP spokesperson said the interim review made clear that PIP “is no longer fit for purpose” and that the final report “will lay the foundation for sustainable reform.” The department said it had more than doubled face-to-face assessments for PIP and extended the award review period.
