DWP set to make change to PIP assessments that could affect waiting lists
Thousands of PIP claimants are waiting months at a time to have their needs assessed by the DWP but that could soon change
by William Morgan, Sonia Sharma · ChronicleLiveA major change is to be brought in for Personal Independence Payment assessments which could have an impact on waiting lists.
PIP can help with extra living costs if you have a long-term physical or mental health condition and you have difficulty carrying out everyday tasks because of your condition. However thousands of claimants are waiting months at a time to have their needs assessed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
But now a new change could see these waiting lists begin to fall. Instead of a review or assessment by a healthcare professional, managers in the Jobcentre are set to make more decisions on PIP claims.
With a growing caseload of reviews and evaluations, DWP officials have started hiring case managers en-masse to meet the demand, reports the Manchester Evening News. Responding to a written question, Labour Minister Sir Stephen Timms confirmed the change to PIP in response to a parliamentary question, stating that assessments will be speeded up with case managers making "decisions on reviews, avoiding the need for a functional assessment."
This change to the way that disabled claimants are assessed for PIP was revealed as the new DWP contracts for regional benefit assessments were either brought in-house, or consolidated to one private provider for each part of England to increase efficiency. However, the DWP admitted these providers may "take some time" to deliver the sheer number of assessments now required, amid a rise in long-term disability and sickness.
There are roughly 3.4 million people receiving financial help through PIP, which is paid out every month at two levels, a higher and lower rate. The basic rate is worth £290 a month to people with qualifying disabilities, while those with additional needs get £434, but many claimants are currently waiting months at a time to have their needs assessed or reviewed for the higher rate.
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In his written response, Timms, Minister for Social Security and Disability, admitted that many reviews had been delayed, saying: "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."
The DWP is hoping that handing benefits case managers the power to make more of the decisions over PIP reviews and assessments will break this backlog and speed up the process for disabled people awaiting financial help. The case managers will be able to make these decisions without the oversight of a healthcare professional.
Minister Timms said that case managers would make these calls "where sufficient evidence/information is available," which he said would mean claimants receiving "a decision faster" than they would currently. He also added that the majority of PIP assessments by professionals now take place over the phone to speed up the process.
For claimants, these changes mean "more PIP reviews but fewer assessments", according to forum Benefits and Work. But the forum also noted that a DWP trial of these changes earlier this year found that "the system worked best if consultation with a health professional took place in every case."
The new Labour DWP administration has also made it so that claimants with severe health issues and disabilities are no longer subject to needless reviews. Minister Timms added: "We’ve introduced a change for customers with the most severe conditions, on the highest level of support, who now receive an ongoing PIP award which is only subject to a light touch review every 10 years."
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