Securing disability benefits is getting harder for new applicants as assessors take a tougher approach, The i Paper can reveal.
The proportion of successful new claims for personal independence payments, known as PIP, has been steadily declining since April 2024, analysis of official Government figures shows.
Experts and insiders told The i Paper the downward trend is due to “harsher” assessments and that decisions were increasingly going against applicants.
The UK’s budget watchdog has revised down forecasted spending on working-age disability benefits by £1bn for 2030-31, although the wider welfare bill will still grow overall.
Less money than previously expected will be spent on PIP in particular, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) revealed in its October forecast.
This is because “a much lower proportion of these [PIP] claims are being awarded after assessment compared to previous years”, the OBR said.
Decline in successful PIP claims
Benefits advisers and experts claim assessors are also facing pressure from managers to review – and potentially reduce – the points awarded to PIP applicants, which determine their eligibility for the benefit. They also say disabled people are often being awarded fewer points if they are able to work.
This month, ministers will set out how the Government intends to overhaul PIP as it faces growing pressure to cut welfare spending. Stephen Timms – the disability minister leading the review – has said the benefit is “not fit for purpose”.
The proportion of successful claims for PIP has fallen, the latest figures from the Department from Work and Pensions (DWP) show.
The proportion of new PIP claims resulting in an award after an assessment has decreased from 48 per cent to 42 per cent when compared to last year.
Analysis by The i Paper shows a steady decline in success rate since April 2024, when 54 per cent of new PIP claims were granted.
“It’s definitely getting more difficult to make a successful claim” said James Merrell, a former PIP assessor who worked for a company contracted to carry out assessments from 2023 to 2024.
“The assessment process seems to set people up to fail,” added Merrell, who now advises PIP claimants going through appeals at tribunal. “The emphasis is on finding why someone doesn’t merit points [for a PIP award].”
Around 4.1 million people currently receive PIP, worth up to around £800 a month to support both their daily living needs and mobility.
Assessors ask a series of questions about how well someone can function with tasks such as washing, dressing and preparing food, aimed at working out how much help they need.
Eight points are needed to qualify for the basic rate of PIP, while 12 points qualifies them for the higher rate.
Protests were held against benefit cut last year, with plans scrapped under Keir Starmer (Photo: Lab Ky Mo/SOPAImages/LightRocket via Getty Images)Managers at firms contracted to carry out assessments are asking assessors to review their points recommendations more often, said Merrell. “The number of times it can be sent back to the assessor is becoming a problem,” he said.
“The pressure is to reduce [points]. You can see the back and forth [between manager and assessor] multiple times in a case. It’s happening more often – you can see it in tribunal cases.”
Assessors have also become less flexible when it comes to judging fluctuating conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) or the chronic pain disorder fibromyalgia, Merrell added.
PIP system ‘getting harsher’
Dylan Thomas, a pastor who supports PIP claimants at appeal tribunals, said he had noticed an under-the-radar shift toward more difficult assessments. “The system appears to be getting harsher,” he said.
In some cases, having a job, even a part-time role, is resulting in a cut to existing awards for some claimants, he said.
“Assessors seems to be saying, ‘They’re working, therefore they can’t possibly be as ill as they say’,” Thomas said.
Michelle Cardno, founder and advocate at Fightback4Justice, a non-profit organisation providing advice on benefit claims and appeals, said: “We have seen a noticeable deterioration in PIP decision-making this year.
“We are also seeing more disabled people refused PIP where their employment appears to count against them,” said Cardno. “PIP is not an out-of-work benefit, and employment alone should never be grounds for refusal.”
Pressure to cut welfare bill
Although the OBR has downgraded its forecast for spending on disability benefits by £1bn compared to its March forecast, the overall bill is still expected to increase.
Spending on disability benefits – including PIP, disability living allowance and attendance allowance – is set to rise from £50.2bn in 2026-27 to £65.9bn by 2030-31.
Disability minister Sir Stephen Timms (left) is leading the PIP review, with reforms set to be overseen by Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden (Photos: PA)Despite the fall in the proportion of successful PIP claims, the overall number seeking the disability benefit is still on the rise. The number of registered PIP claims increased 17 per in the past year, DWP figures show.
Thomas puts this increase down to the damaging health impact of Covid and improved diagnosis of mental health conditions. Some people may also be making claims for the first time because they are aware of the possibility that ministers could restrict eligibility after the Timms Review, he said..
“I think some people who are struggling [with health problems] but have been reluctant to go through an assessment are thinking that if they can’t get it now they never will,” said Thomas.
Timms, the disability minister, has acknowledged that PIP assessments can be “demeaning” and have not “kept pace with changing understanding of health and disability”.
Planned reforms could “enable PIP to do a better job” to support more people into work, he has also said. But is not yet clear how the Government might tie PIP to job searches or training for the first time.
His review is also looking at whether the system can direct people towards help “in addition to or, in some cases, perhaps instead of a cash payment”.
Andy Burnham has said Labour would cut the welfare bill “as soon as we possibly can” but he does not want “crude cuts”. Instead, he plans to reduce spending over time through better employment support.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) previously told The i Paper that a boost to work support will not make any benefit savings for up to 10 years and would be expensive in the short term.
A DWP spokesperson said the interim Timms Review had made clear that PIP “is no longer fit for purpose” and the final report “will lay the foundation for sustainable reform”. They added: “We have also more than doubled face-to-face assessments for PIP and have extended the PIP award review period while removing unnecessary pressure on disabled people.”
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