The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has quietly rolled out major changes to personal independence payments (PIP) which could see more people turned down for the vital disability benefit, charities and experts warned.
The DWP is piloting a new way of deciding on who gets PIP, which is worth up to nearly £800 a month.
Rather than being judged by health professionals, DWP case managers will now decide on the points that determine if someone gets the benefit under the trial scheme.
The move is a “recipe for disaster”, said Fazilet Hadi of the charity Disability Rights UK, warning that undermining medical expertise will mean “unfair” decisions.
The under-the-radar changes are being made before Labour minister Stephen Timms has finished his review of PIP, due this autumn, which the department said would be “co-produced” with disabled people. Here’s what to know.
Change to PIP points decision-making
The plan to change the existing points system was leaked by a DWP whistleblower to Disability Rights UK, which shared the information with The i Paper.
Under the current points-based system, healthcare professionals at private contractors – usually nurses – award points for how someone functions with mobility and daily activities.
It works out how much help someone needs: scoring between eight and 11 points means a standard rate of PIP, with 12 points or more leading to the higher rate of PIP.
Under the new pilot – known as “Transform Decision Making” – DWP case managers will instead be responsible for deciding on the points, along with the final decisions.
The trial will initially target four per cent of PIP claimants – approximately 2,800 to 3,300 people a month, the DWP confirmed. It’s not clear how claimants were picked to be part of the pilot, and the DWP did not comment.
A spokesperson for the department said it was about “empowering case managers to apply their own judgement”.
Experts warn that changes to PIP could mean fewer people get the vital benefit (Photo: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Getty)
But the whistleblower warned that “removing health professionals from the decision-making process will strip out essential medical nuance” – leading to “less fair outcomes”.
Hadi, Disability Rights UK’s head of policy, said she worries that more disabled people would be turned down for PIP under the pilot.
“I fear that DWP’s reasoning is that they think health professionals are too close to the person they’re talking to, are making too many supportive decisions, so let’s create some separation,” she said.
The DWP did not say when a decision would be made on potentially rolling it out more widely.
“Case managers already make all final PIP decisions – that has not changed,” said a spokesperson. They said the “small-scale” pilot was about “re-balancing roles so that assessors focus on what they do best” and “empowering case managers to apply their own judgement”.
More face-to-face PIP assessments
The majority of PIP assessments are currently done by video or telephone, after the claimant provides medical evidence in their initial form.
Only 6 per cent of assessments for PIP were done in person in 2024. The Government has said it wants 30 per cent of PIP assessments carried out face-to-face.
Labour Disability Minister Stephen Timms is carrying out a review of PIP, due this autumn (Photo: Stuart Wilson/Getty Images)
Charities have expressed concern that “superficial” physical characteristics, such as being well-dressed, could be used to reject PIP claims.
“It seems to be based on the assumption that disabled people aren’t telling the truth,” said Hadi on the push towards more in-person assessments.
Dylan Thomas, a pastor who supports PIP claimants at appeal tribunals, said face-to-face assessments “greatly increase the pressure and stress on claimants”.
He said people with fluctuating conditions can typically only attend face-to-face assessments if they are having a good day.
“So it forces them into a position where they present better, seem better, than is often the case when it comes to living with the condition,” Thomas said.
Claimants can keep PIP for longer
The DWP is also extending the typical time between PIP reassessments, meaning successful disabled claimants can keep their benefit for longer.
Until now, awards have been as short as nine months, forcing people to undergo repeated, stressful interviews. But the DWP said typical awards will now be four years initially, then six years after a successful review.
The department also said it will keep in place the 10-year “light touch” review awards for those with the most severe conditions.
“It’s a welcome change – it removes some of the stress for disabled people,” said Hadi. “So many conditions aren’t going to get better, and it hasn’t made sense to have re-assessments so frequently.”
However, the longer award periods won’t apply to PIP claimants aged 24 and under. The DWP has argued that young people are more likely to see improvement in their condition.
Disabled claimants still fear PIP cuts
Keir Starmer’s Government was forced to ditch previous plans to cut the welfare bill by restricting PIP eligibility following a backbench revolt last summer.
But disabled claimants have said they fear PIP cuts could still be made after the Timms review, set to conclude in the autumn.
Hadi said it was “absolutely astonishing” that “big changes to the assessment” were being made while the Timms review is still going on.
“Changes being made under the radar undermine trust in the review.”
Labour MPs recently warned that any fresh attempt to cut PIP after the Timms review would spark a fresh revolt against Starmer.
It followed a report by ex-minister Alan Milburn on young unemployment which suggested that PIP – which is not an out-of-work benefit – should be tied to job searches.
