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Around 200,000 people are reportedly facing rejection for their personal independence payment (PIP) after the government looked to save around £4bn by enforcing stricter rules on disability payments.
A report released earlier this week claimed that despite the cuts which have affected so many people in the UK, the government have failed to reach their projected £4bn worth of savings and, ultimately, this is having a catastrophic effect on many disabled British residents. Former work and pensions minister Angela Eagle explains how people who suffer from chronic conditions that are worsening are still being given fewer PIP points than before due to the cuts: “In the last few weeks, there’s definitely been a spike of people getting zero. The only way that this makes sense is if a whole load of people got DLA (PIP’s predecessor benefit) without deserving it, but that’s never been my experience of DLA.”
Real Concerns
Debbie Abrahams, the shadow work and pensions secretary, supported Eagles’ claims and said: “The increasing numbers of zero points assessments raise real concerns about the accuracy of the assessment process, as do the thousands upon thousands of wrong decisions that are overturned at mandatory reconsideration and in the courts.”
However, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) refuted the claims and stated that PIP is being supported better than the previous system. A spokeswoman said: “27% of claimants are now receiving the highest rate of support under PIP, compared with just 15% under the outdated DLA. Assessments are carried out by qualified health professionals and decisions are made based on information provided by the claimant and their GP.”
Assessments for PIP are carried out by private companies Capita and Atos, who have both said that the final decision to award benefits are made by the DWP.
While the jury is still out on the current state of PIP benefits, the budget cuts for disabled people from the government certainly doesn’t dispel these reports and it could have a lasting effect on a large number of people in the UK.
