DWP issues PIP update to help clear huge payment review backlog

CASE workers are being urgently recruited to help clear a huge backlog of Personal Independent Payment (PIP) reviews, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has said.

The backlog of reviews means tens of thousands of individuals may be receiving lower benefit payments than they are entitled to.

PIP is a benefit for people who are under State Pension age and need day-to-day help because of a long-term illness or disability.

It is claimed by 3.5million people and requires reviews to be carried out frequently.

The maximum amount that can be awarded is £184.30 a week, which is based on two assessments – living and mobility.

As of May 31, 2024, there were 392,000 outstanding PIP award reviews in England and Wales, with the DWP citing an unprecedented surge in new claims as the primary cause.

As 73% of planned award reviews result in an increase or no change to the level of award received by claimants, many are missing out as a result of the delays.

In August 2023 Citizens Advice said some people were waiting over two years for a review.

Last month Benefit and Work reported that 120,000 reviews had been registered in the quarter to July 2024, compared to 100,000 cleared, suggesting the backlog is likely to have increased.

Benefits and Work claimed it would take almost a decade to work through the reward backlog at the current rate and estimated more than 74,000 claimants were receiving less than they were entitled to, while awaiting their review.

Sir Stephen Timms, the DWP’s Minister for Social Security and Disability, has said more case workers are being hired to tackle the backlog.

He said: “We continue to prioritise new claims to PIP to ensure claims are put into payment as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, this means many customers are waiting longer than expected for their review to be undertaken.

“We have been actively recruiting additional case managers to meet increased demand for PIP, which means we are now in a position to begin to deploy additional resource onto award reviews. This will increase the number of review cases we can complete ‘in house’.”

While Timms said recruitment was underway he explained that improvements may not be seen immediately as there is an “extensive training period” for case workers.

The number of full time case managers in August 2023 was 1,847, this had increased by 5.5% to 1,948 in August 2024, with further recruitment planned.

Labour has said that most case assessments will now be completed by telephone to increase efficiency.

Those on the highest levels of support will also now receive an ongoing PIP award which is only subject to a light touch review every 10 years.

A DWP Spokesperson said: “Championing the rights of disabled people, so that their views and voices are heard, is at the heart of this government, and we are committed to ensuring disabled people and people with health conditions can access financial support through PIP in a timely manner.”

The maximum PIP award is £184.30 a week, which works out at £9,584 a year.

To qualify for the allowance you must have found it hard to do everyday tasks, because of a mental or physical condition.

You must have experienced this for at least three months and expect it to be hard for another nine months.

According to the latest figures it takes around 15 weeks from the start of your application for a decision to be made about whether you qualify or not.

How do I apply for PIP?

You can make a new Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claim by calling the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on 0800 917 2222.

This is the Government department tasked with paying out benefits to millions every year.

There are also other ways to claim if you find it difficult to use a telephone. See Gov.UK for more information.

When you claim, you’ll need:

• Your contact details
• Date of birth
• National Insurance number
• Bank or building society account number and sort code
• Your doctor or health worker’s name, address and telephone number
• Dates and addresses for any time you’ve spent abroad, in a care home or hospital

Someone else can call on your behalf, but you’ll need to be with them when they call.

You’ll then be sent a form to fill in, after which you’ll be invited for an assessment or your health or social care worker will be asked for information.

After this, you’ll be sent a letter telling you if your claim has been successful.

You can read Citizens Advice’s help on preparing for an assessment.

How do I appeal or overturn a decision on PIP?

If your application for PIP has been turned down or you don’t think you’ve been offered enough cash you can appeal the decision.

You first need to ask for a “mandatory reconsideration notice” – this is where the DWP looks at the decision again.

If you are still unhappy with this outcome, you can then appeal to an independent tribunal.

You must send your appeal form in within one month of the date shown on the mandatory reconsideration notice.

Be warned that it usually takes up to six months for an appeal to be heard by the tribunal.

If you’re unhappy with the decision you get from the tribunal, you may be able to get the decision cancelled – known as “set aside”. You’ll be told how to do this at the time.

You may also be able to appeal to the Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber) if you think the tribunal wasn’t able to give you proper reasons for its decision, or back up the decision with facts, or if it failed to apply the law properly.

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