Over 31,000 applications for the disability benefit Personal Independence Payment (PIP) were rejected last year – and only 90 of them were upheld, according to new data.
The new data comes to light ahead of Labour’s plans to tighten the eligibility rules for the benefit. The move was confirmed by Work and Pensions secretary Liz Kendall last week and aims for £5billion in welfare spending by the end of 2030.
The change to the eligibility rules will mean that fewer people will be able to claim PIP, which is a benefit that helps to cover the extra costs of having a disability or a medical condition. Analysis from Cool Crutches & Walking Sticks found that disabled Brits were paying £12,000 more per year to live, compared to someone without a disability.
Analysis of the Department for Work and Pension’s (DWP) PIP data from GOV.UK found that between January and September last year, of the 31,650 PIP applicants who challenged their PIP rejection, 6,070 had their award changed, 23,250 were unchanged, and 90 withdrew their initial mandatory reconsideration. A further 10,090 took these to an appeal, with only 90 of these being upheld, while 3,930 were overturned or changed in the claimant’s favour, and 50 were withdrawn or struck out.
Co-founder of Cool Crutches & Walking Sticks and disability advocate Amelia Peckham says the changes are concerning as she was told she was not disabled enough for PIP by the DWP, despite being partially paralysed from the waist down and needing to use walking aids after a quad bike accident.
Amelia attended her reassessment alone, due to her husband looking after their sick children, but felt this along with using a table to stand up instead of her crutch got her marked down.
She explained: “PIP applications are notoriously long and complicated, by the time you reach the interview stage you’ve already completed days of work to gather the information required. In my experience the interview was designed to try and trip me up, to catch me out, and intentionally question every element of my disability.
“I appealed after they rejected my PIP claim and at that point, they still said no. My only option was to then take them to tribunal but mentally I was so traumatised and tired of it by that point I couldn’t face it. The chances are I would have won if I’d done it but it would also be interesting to know how many people like me are giving up knowing the time and stress it involves.”
PIP is paid every four weeks and is made up of two components – a daily living rate and a mobility rate – and you can be entitled to both or just one of these. These components are then split again, into the standard rate and the enhanced rate.
You get the higher rate if your day to day life is impacted more by your condition or disability, and you get the lower rate if it is less impacted. Like other benefits, the rates for PIP are changing in April, Here is how PIP rates are changing from April:
Daily living
Mobility
After applying for PIP, you normally need to undertake an assessment which is used to determine what tasks you are struggling with and how your condition impacts your day-to-day life. This is completed using a points system.
You currently need between eight and 11 points to get the standard daily living or mobility part of PIP. You get the higher rate if you score 12 points or more. However, under changes, you will need a minimum of four points in at least one activity to qualify for the daily living part of PIP from November 2026.
Whilst they won’t affect those who currently have an entitlement, it will affect them when it comes to reapplying or being reassessed after the new rules come into force, as analysis shows the level of PIP reconsiderations and appeals made last year.
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The assessment for the PIP mobility component is not changing. Under the current rules, you qualify for PIP if you have lower scores across a range of tasks – but going forward, claimants would need to show greater difficulty when completing some tasks, such as washing, eating and getting dressed, to be eligible to claim the daily living part of PIP.
If you’re terminally ill, you normally get PIP automatically without having an assessment. Other changes announced include the majority of PIP assessments being done face-to-face going forward, rather than over the phone or through video. The Government said “reasonable adjustments” will still be made for people who cannot attend a face-to-face assessment.
Amelia Peckham added: “The announcement means face-to-face assessments will become the norm over remote, which until now has been the case, and all assessments will be recorded which is very positive because all too often the assessments are devastatingly negative and can and do cause long-term stress to applicants. It’ll also give more visibility and consistency into how applicants are treated and measured.
“I am pleased that those living with permanent or deteriorating health conditions who would not improve, won’t be subjected to reassessments. But the overriding pledge to reduce the benefits bill and make a £5billion saving is still a concern, PIP isn’t fraudulently claimed.
“There’s a 0% fraud rate! It’s essential to those that can receive it but four out of five disabled people in the UK don’t receive it so to reduce this further will continue to be a concern until we understand in practice how the 4/5 disabled people will receive support. It is staggering to hear how many negative experiences are happening. My personal experience was soul-destroying, it undermined my disability, and experience and genuinely compromised both my physical and mental health for years after.”
Amelia shared, “Disabled people often require additional equipment and adaptations to support their daily lives. In my experience, I suffer from a lack of circulation as a result of nerve damage and so rely on heating and hot baths to maintain comfort and functionality. This has a huge impact on bills – hot water bottles, electric blankets, heating, it all adds up.
“Similarly, a range of mobility equipment is often needed and small maintenance, replacement parts etc. need to be considered. Anything from needing two crutches on a bad day to switching between no mobility aid, a walking stick, crutches, a wheelchair, and a power chair means the amount of kit we need to ensure we can move on any given day is huge.
“All too often these costs are little but frequent and they add up. We also know disabled people earn less, struggle to find work, and often are unable to work full-time. This pushes the cost onto a lower-income household and increases the time spent at home versus an office which then costs to keep warm, comfortable, and mobile are significant when income isn’t.”
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