Everything you need to know about DWP changes to PIP including axing payments

Plans to overhaul the disability benefits system have been announced
Plans to overhaul the disability benefits system have been announced -Credit:Sunday Mirror


Plans to overhaul the disability benefits system have been announced by the Government. The move is expected to impact millions of Brits across the UK.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak originally announced plans in his 'sick note generation' speech last week. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) this week published its " Modernising Support Green Paper " with further details.

A 12-week consultation which lays out the plans in full is now taking place. It is asking for feedback on how it will affect people, with the consultation closing on July 23.

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One of the major plans is to change Personal Independence Payment (PIP) so people get vouchers or one-off grants instead of regular payments, Mirror reports. About three million people claim PIP in the UK.

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It was first introduced in 2013 and is the main disability benefit for adults with long-term medical conditions and disabilities. PIP aims to support claimants with extra costs a disability can have.

How much is awarded depends on how difficult a person finds day-to-day life, with the maximum weekly payment sitting at £184.30. Plans by the Government have come under fire, with disability charity Scope branding them a 'reckless assault on disabled people'.

Here is everything you need to know about the Government's plans for PIP and the disability benefits system.

Regular payments replaced with one-off grants

The paper describes the DWP's plans to explore 'alternative approaches to support' for people claiming PIP. This includes replacing regular payments with one-off grants which will help people with 'significant costs such as home adaptations' or expensive equipment.

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It will look at sending out vouchers to help towards specific costs or reimburse claimants who provide receipts for purchases of aids, appliances or services. The DWP is considering cutting PIP payments for those who have 'lower' costs, claiming they 'may have better outcomes from improved access to treatment and support than from a cash payment'.

This would offer more 'tailored support', the DWP says. New Zealand has been cites as an example for the proposals.

There, the amount of disability allowance is based on a person’s extra costs which a health practitioner verifies. The DWP also cites policies in Norway where people have to provide a letter from a GP outlining the nature of their condition and associated extra costs to get a "Basic Benefit" payment.

But it has been pointed out that Norway's system is not too dissimilar to the current PIP assessment. Currently, PIP claimants must provide extensive medical evidence about their condition and how it impacts them.

It also requires them to undertake a points-based assessment in which the amount of points they score determines their eligibility for the benefit.

Change to PIP eligibility criteria

Eligibility for PIP is based on how your condition impacts your day-to-day life - not the condition alone. For example, a person with type 1 diabetes is not automatically eligible for PIP.

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But if the condition causes them to lose their sight and makes daily tasks more difficult, they could be eligible. The DWP is also proposing to change the criteria for the benefit.

The DWP claims 'criteria currently used in PIP assessments do not always fully reflect how a disability or health condition impacts a person’s daily life'. It says it is considering whether the thresholds for entitlement correctly reflect the need for ongoing financial support.

This includes considering if current descriptors – such as the need for aids and appliances – are good indicators of extra costs. The DWP is also looking to change the qualifying period for PIP to understand what impact an illness will have over time and consider if it should change the test used to determine if a condition is likely to continue long-term.

This could potentially remove reassessments for those who are deemed to have long-term conditions but this has not been confirmed.

PIP assessment reforms

The DWP proposes to reform the PIP assessment and remove it entirely for people who are severely ill. The consultation documents state: "PIP is over a decade old and a lot has changed since the assessment was developed.

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"We know some people continue to find PIP assessments difficult and repetitive and view the assessment as too subjective. We will consider whether some people could receive PIP without needing an assessment by basing entitlement on specific health conditions or disabilities supported by medical evidence."

This changes the current approach of "how your disability affects you" to an assessment based on your condition. This means you would only be assessed for the benefit if you have a formal diagnosis from a medical expert.

The DWP claims it will make it 'easier and quicker for people with severe or terminal conditions to get the vital support they need'. The consultation documents say: "We need to understand how we would choose the conditions that would be eligible for support, whether this approach would be fair and if it would help us ensure support goes to people with the highest needs and those who have extra costs associated with their condition."

Disability charities have called for reform on PIP assessments for several years. But it could bring the risk that some medical conditions, which may not be deemed to be long-term or severe enough, could be cut entirely from PIP - leaving some people with those conditions unable to claim any financial support.