Disability benefit claimants whose conditions have worsened could have welfare reassessments fast-tracked to allow them to claim more money more quickly.
Some people on Personal Independence Payments (PIP) can be afraid to report a deterioration in their health in case a reassessment leads to a loss in their claim rather than extra payments, a senior government official said.
But the Department for Work and Pensions is trying to address this issue by speeding up claims for reassessment and also offering more personalised support to increase trust, the official said.
Sir Peter Schofield, the official in charge of the government department, told MPs on Wednesday he was aware there was a reputational issue with the DWP which has left people with little trust their claims will be dealt with fairly.
‘Priority to give more money to those entitled to it’
He said ongoing work to improve the service would take place alongside the review into PIP assessment and criteria, led by Disability and Social Security Minister Sir Stephen Timms.
The “Timms review” is looking at how the benefit – which is designed to help people living with conditions or disabilities cover extra costs caused by their condition – could be reformed to become more sustainable and efficient.
It was launched after the government was forced to shelve plans to significantly tighten eligibility for the benefit after increases in claims led to spending on PIP rising from £11 billion in 2019 to a predicted £30 billion, or more, by 2030.
But Sir Peter said that ensuring people with serious conditions get more money, if they are entitled to, is one of his priorities.
“I care as much about the underpayments as I do tackling the overpayments,” he said told the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee.
“The biggest area of unfulfilled eligibility […] is around disability benefits, particularly PIP,” he said. “These relate to a situation where someone is on PIP but, sadly, their health condition has deteriorated, so they would be entitled to a higher premium.”
He went on: “How do we encourage people to come forward and let us know about a worsening in their health condition? One of the things we do is we prioritize those requests when they come in to make sure that they get access to a health assessment quickly so we can put that right quickly, so they’re towards the top of the queue in those health assessments in that process for PIP.”
Officials also provide at-home visits to help people make a change in their claim “in person,” he said.
‘Lack of trust’ in DWP
Sir Peter acknowledged there is sometimes a lack of trust in the assessment process which is something he promised to tackle by offering a more personalised service and ensuring claimants have decisions explained in detail.
“I have sat with customers in the past who lost their PIP who were very upset because they’ve gone forward for a reassessment and lost that PIP rather than, what the thought they would get, a higher award,” he said.
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“People do worry about the system, and so that is at the heart of the other point I was going to make on this point about trust in the DWP because we want to be an organisation where people feel when they come forward, they will be fairly treated.
“We are hoping this also creates more trust that people when they need to come forward because of a worsening in their health condition, they believe they’re going to be treated fairly.
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