430,000 disabled people awaiting PIP review, says charity network

Citizens Advice have today shared that disabled people in England and Wales are missing out on approximately £24m per month as a record number are still awaiting Personal Independent Payment (PIP) reviews, some facing delays of over two years. This comes following a six-month period in which the number of people seeking support from the aforementioned charity rose by 19% in comparison with the same period in 2022.

Delays to these payments due to prolonged review wait times are preventing claimants from accessing up to £172 a week, causing ‘widespread hardship and issues’, and can also affect access to related benefits such as the ‘warm home discount’ or a Blue Badge.

Matthew Upton, of Citizens Advice, said: “Pip can act as a lifeline for so many people with extra living costs linked to their health condition. But right now, hundreds of thousands are being left in limbo while they wait for a health assessment with little clarity as to when their claim will be reviewed.

“At a time when rising prices are putting immense pressure on disabled people’s budgets, we need a system that efficiently and effectively helps people with extra living costs – not one that causes more harm.”

Just last year, campaigners accused the Government of severe failings as it was suggested by figures that the majority of successful disability benefit appeals were because of errors by the Department of Work and Pensions. It indicated that tribunals (which uphold around 70% of PIP appeals) concluded that the DWP had made wrong decisions based on information that they already had prior.

Sources:

https://amp.theguardian.com/society/2022/oct/01/unforgivable-uk-government-errors-denied-thousands-disability-benefits

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/aug/15/pip-benefit-backlog-costing-disabled-people-24m-a-month-says-citizens-advice