The UK’s millions of personal independence payment (Pip) claimants will soon be subject to new rules around health assessments under laws being laid by the government.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) confirmed on Monday that it is moving to set all award reviews at a minimum of three years for new claims, rising to five years at their next review if the claimant remains entitled.
In most cases, this will reduce the frequency of award reviews for Pip claimants, with the uncertainty around reassessments often cited as a key issue of the system.
The DWP notes that around 60 per cent of reviews currently result in no change of award, and still encourages claimants whose needs change to notify the department.
Currently claimed by 3.9 million people, Pip is designed to help with extra costs incurred by living with an illness or disability.
The health benefit is currently under review by disability minister Sir Stephen Timms, who aims to make it “fair and fit for the future”. The review aims to report in the autumn of this year.
The payment was at the heart of Labour’s plans to axe welfare spending last year, when proposals to tweak its assessment criteria to effectively make it harder to claim were met with fierce opposition from campaign groups and politicians.
Ministers backed down on the plans in late June after over 100 Labour MPs threatened to vote against the government on the measures. The concession – and review – was announced by Sir Stephen in the middle of the debate on the legislation.
Commenting on the new changes, Sir Stephen told The Independent: “Reforming the welfare system so that it better meets the needs of disabled people is a priority for the government.
“A major part of this is ensuring that Pip is fit and fair for the future – and we are taking an important step to improve the system through new legislation, which will reduce the frequency of reviews for many existing Pip customers.
“This will make the system more efficient by freeing up the capacity of health professionals to tackle our inherited assessment backlog, while removing unnecessary pressure from disabled claimants whose conditions rarely change at each review.
“We are also increasing face-to-face assessments for Pip from 6 per cent in 2024 to 30 per cent of all assessments. Additionally, my review is looking into how we can bolster Pip for the future, and we have opened a call for evidence for people to share their views on how Pip should be reformed.”
The plans have been welcomed by disability charities and campaigners, which have previously criticised the uncertainty that irregular reviews can cause.
Fazilet Hadi, Disability Rights UK’s head of policy, said: “Reducing the frequency of Pip reviews makes sense, both for disabled people and DWP. So often our needs remain the same, and reviews just cause anxiety.
“It is of concern that face-to-face reviews will increase, as these can be physically and emotionally challenging,” they added.
Harriet Edwards, Director of Influencing at the national disability charity Sense, added: “The process of applying for disability benefits is long, complicated, and emotionally distressing, and so we welcome these plans.”
“Sense research found over half of disabled PIP claimants with complex needs felt humiliated during their assessment; clearly this process needs to urgently change.”
“It’s vital that the Timms Review continues to work with disabled people to make the application process for PIP fairer and less distressing.
Kieran Aldred, policy manager at disability equality charity Scope, said that the announcement was “extremely welcome”, adding that the “government must go further by making assessments fairer, less punitive and more person-centred.”
The Timms Review’s call for evidence remains open until May 28, giving all people an opportunity to share their views with its steering group.
