“Every person receiving Personal Independence Payments (PIP) will have their claim reviewed, the Department for Work and Pensions has said. ”
I wonder if this has anything to do with the debate tomorrow?
Could this have a negative impact on those whom have managed to be ‘awarded’ (hate that term!) PIP?
It’s definitely not being explained well in the press about what is actually happening. The review seems to be because people with mental disorders were not being awarded PIP at the correct level. If the review is just to find those affected and grant them PIP, if they should have qualified, then all well and good. But the reporting that everyone’s case is to be reviewed naturally leads to concern that an award may be taken away.
Neil
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This is on the Benefits & Work site today. McVey told MPs: “Up to 220,000 people could be affected. That is why we are taking the process very seriously. We as a Department will reach out to those people, once we know exactly what we are doing.” According to McVey each affected claimant should get a letter from the DWP and receive backdated PIP: “The Department for Work and Pensions will undertake an exercise to go through all affected cases in receipt of PIP and all decisions made following the judgment in the MH case to identify anyone who might be entitled to more as a result of the judgment. We will then write to the individuals affected and all payments will be backdated to the effective date in each individual’s claim.” The task is a huge one and the DWP are “actively recruiting hundreds of staff for this at the moment”. https://benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/3710-hundreds-of-new-dwp-staff-taken-on-as-number-affected-by-pip-mobility-u-turn-rises-to-220-000
I might be wrong but reading what I can find about this, it seems as though it only affects people on PIP who’s claim is for or includes MH ?
Analysis: By Nikki Fox, disability news correspondent
"The government’s announcement to review all claims for PIP is not, as it may seem at first glance, a complete overhaul of the system.
This judgement won’t affect people with physical disabilities, but the DWP will be going through everyone currently in receipt of PIP to narrow the 1.6 million claims down to approximately 220,000 people it thinks will be affected.
The DWP has told me it will prioritise claimants who were disallowed PIP over those already in receipt of the award".
This sentence is the dodgy grey area !
“will be going through EVERYONE currently in receipt of PIP to narrow the 1.6 million claims down to approximately 220,000 people it thinks will be affected.”
Yep, that’s my understanding and the Government had to be dragged kicking and screaming through the courts first. The timing and scale surprised me a bit, but ultimately they had no choice.
This will affect activity 11… likely to affect those on 11d. My thought is award 11d may increase from 10 to 12 points. Would be a quick kill. Move them from standard to enhanced. Paul
Bit lost by this 11d thing ? Excuse my ignorance, sorry.
It’s the number of the descriptor. Just means that part of the assessment. Basically, unless you were claiming PIP for mobility on mental health grounds (or as part of your claim) and didn’t qualify for the enhanced rate, it won’t affect you.
Sue
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Some welcome clarification from MSS. What does this review mean for me? If you currently claim PIP, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) says: it will directly contact and pay back anyone who was affected by the new rules you won’t need to write to them to get the correct award you won’t have to undergo a face-to-face assessment, though the DWP may contact you or your doctor if they need more information after their initial review If you applied for PIP in the past and were rejected, they’ll also review this decision in light of the new rule. You don’t need to get in touch with them for this to happen https://www.mssociety.org.uk/ms-news/2018/01/government-review-all-pip-cases
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I will write this with a view that I am going to go anon as it might upset a few people. On a news article yesterday on this topic, there was a lady who was playing outside with her child in the garden and she was one of the people turned down for enhanced mobility. This U-turn she believes will increase her award so she will get higher rate mobility. All well and good, but her disability was that she “gets very anxious when out and about”. Those were her words. OK, award her higher rate mobility and she can have the car, not quite sure this sits well with me, surely she will still be anxious? She also stated that physically she could walk 200 meters, isn’t that the crucial bit rather than the anxious bit? WHo knows what will happen and how this will impact people, I for sure think this will just allow more people to qualify based on a measure that is less than measurable in terms of time/distance etc. I get anxious everytime I am out, will I be able to find a toilet in time?, what happens if the car breaks down? Does where I am going have a chair I will be able to sit on? Will I be able to park? and many many other questions… don’t worry, have more money and you will be fine. That is not the answer.
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I am not upset about this. Fair comments. I will try to explain.
the mobility component is split into 2. The obvious one in how far you can walk and easier to judge. The second bit is more mental health related. You may be physically ok but you may have to use taxis as fear crowds (not cheap). The assessor may look at your medication (they ask what you take). They may also look whether you have help from professionals.
the change will affect planning and following journeys.
i have looked into this as I do voluntary work for an advice centre.
i understand the DWP won’t look at location of toilets.
i hope this makes sense.
yes, of course it makes sense, just makes the whole thing a complete and utter mess.
Someone anxious about buses/crowds then fair enough take an expensive taxi.
Someone anxious about lack of public toilets, this will be ignored, nip into a cafe, buy a coffee you don’t want, use the toilet
Different rules for different examples of what is in effect the same disability, in this case, anxiousness.
There will be many more.
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*13 “I get anxious every time I am out, will I be able to find a toilet in time?, what happens if the car breaks down? Does where I am going have a chair I will be able to sit on? Will I be able to park? and many many other questions…” I think these are very valid points 100% agree with your views.
Yes, we might all agree with this point of view. But that’s not what the rules regarding PIP say. And I think we were mostly already in agreement that the PIP regulations, their activities and descriptors are meaningless and utterly arbitrary. So suggesting that while able to walk more than 20 or 50 metres should be ignored, because we might need a loo or a seat or somewhere to park nearby is irrelevant to their rules. It’s unfair, it’s different to DLA (which was itself massively criticised for being complex and convoluted), and it doesn’t make sense. But that’s the DWP for you! Sue
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You don’t have to be a political anorak to watch this debate, but it probably helps. The passion shown is clear enough though.
Laura Pidcock | Claimant Experience of PIP (Westminster Hall Debate 31/01/18)
“Today, I led a Westminster Hall debate about claimant experience of Personal Independence Payments (PIP). I’d like to say thank you to all the Labour and opposition MPs who spoke up in support of their constituents, and the activists who joined us today, in the room and online. The handful of Tories who did turn up for the debate, didn’t seem to recognise the seriousness of what we were discussing, or the suffering caused by the PIP process. I hope, if nothing else, we showed our disgust at that attitude”.
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