DWP PIP reviewed and 300,000 claimants could be owed £5,000

It comes following a change in the assessment rules for the Daily Living component of the benefit

Thousands of people could be owed money following a review of the Personal Independence Payments (PIP) criteria. Arrears dating back to 2016 may be payed out following a change in the assessment rules for the Daily Living component of the benefit.

The Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) has unveiled new figures showing that 325,867 reviews are still pending for claimants who may have been underpaid. In July 2019, a Supreme Court ruling followed an Upper Tribunal (UT) decision that changed how the DWP interprets the term 'social support' for Daily Living activity number nine.

The judgment, known as 'MM', relates to the definition of 'social support' when interacting with others face-to-face and when 'prompting' should be considered 'social support' in the PIP assessment, as well as how far in advance social support can be provided, The Express reports.

READ MORE: The scandalous truth about Birmingham's child poverty emergency laid bare

Around 632,286 PIP cases are expected to be reviewed throughout this year's correction exercise. As of March 31, it had already scrutinised 219,080 awards, resulting in a total of £142 million in arrears payments.

The DWP has announced it will contact 279,903 claimants who may have been affected by the assessment rule change. And anyone who believes they may have been impacted is also urged to get in touch with the DWP to request a review of their claim.

There is no set arrears amount for each claimant as every case is different depending on the support needed. Last year, it was estimated that the average payout was around £5,200. However, users of a popular online benefits advice forum have reported receiving backdated PIP payments ranging from £3,000 to nearly £11,000.

The independent Benefits and Work website has reported that members of its forum have been notified by the DWP via phone calls and letters that they are due arrears payments.

One individual who previously disclosed receiving £5,000 in early March after their review was completed and their award increased to the enhanced rate, stated they had received an additional £5,500 from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

This claimant told Benefits and Work how a DWP decision maker called them and "ran through a few questions" about their preparation for outings and support network during these activities. They revealed: "She told me there and then that she was going to back date my claim to 2016 and increase it from standard to enhanced. I have just had just under £5,000 paid into my account today."

Following this, the member posted an update stating that after the DWP disbursed the funds, they contacted HMRC to inform them of the historical oversight as they had been gainfully employed and claiming Tax Credits over that period.

Those who could be impacted include people who possibly missed out on the Daily Living part of PIP or were given the standard rate when they might qualify for the enhanced rate:

• People who have regular meetings with a mental health professional, without which they would not be able to manage face to face encounters.
• People who need the input of particular friends or relatives with experience of supporting them in social situations - rather than just any well-meaning friend or relative - to help them manage face to face encounters.

The DWP is not reviewing claims if:

• the enhanced rate of the daily living part of PIP has been awarded continuously since April 6, 2016
• a Tribunal made a decision on a claim since April 6, 2016
• a decision not to award PIP was made before April 6, 2016

How to make a claim:

Those who want to challenge a decision on the review of their PIP claim under the MM judgment can request the DWP to reconsider the decision - this is known as a Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) and must be done before an appeal is lodged with His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS).

Click here for more information.

Birmingham: A Child Poverty Emergency

Child poverty is soaring in Birmingham and without urgent change, will only get worse. Having worked with charities and community groups, BirminghamLive is campaigning for the following changes to start to turn the tide:

1. End the two-child benefit cap
2. Provide free school meals to every child in poverty
3. Create a city “aid bank” for baby and child essentials
4. Protect children’s and youth services
5. Create permanent, multi year Household Support Fund and give more Discretionary Housing grants
6. Set up child health and wellbeing hubs in our most deprived neighbourhoods
7. Appoint a Birmingham child poverty tsar
8. Provide free public travel for young people

You can see why in more detail here.

Read our full report Birmingham: A Child Poverty Emergency here.

What you can do to help.