PIP DELAYS
The latest figures for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) have been released. They’re still suggesting people are waiting months to receive vital support, and it’s not improving fast enough.
The backlog for new cases was 330,000 in April, somewhat lower than last quarter.
However, the backlog is still 55% higher than April 2019.
If this continues, it won’t reach that level again until summer 2024.
What is the current wait time?
The average waiting times is now 20 weeks - 5 months. This means someone applying at the beginning of this week can expect to receive financial support before the winter/energy price cap rises. Up to half could be waiting longer.
PIP helps with the additional costs of being disabled, including heating bills. In May 2022, Citizen’s Advice helped with over 1160 PIP problems a day. The effect of long waits can be Critical. Some are turning to ‘Buy Now Pay Later Purchases’ which is causing issues of its own.
How many are claims currently being submitted?
February-April 2022’ also saw 200,000 new registrations - the highest since PIP began.
Some of this is a temporary effect of people delaying applying during the pandemic. But there is no reason to think it all is Today’s job stats show an increase in people out of work due to ill health, and cost of living challenges may be leading more people to seek support
All the statistics above are for new claims or transfers from DLA. But the DWP is continuing reviews - which contributes to the pressure on the system. New claims are being prioritised - but this can leave people waiting months to find out if their benefit will be withdrawn
Overall, this shows a system struggling to adapt to a, likely long term, increase in demand. It’s good that we’ve seen some progress - but at this rate we’re not going to be able to get cash to people quickly this winter, and possibly next.
What must be change?
Solving this is going to take concerted action to reduce the number of assessments that need to be carried out. The department should consider how to stop unnecessary reviews and increase the number of claims that can be made on paper, without an assessment.
What can Citizens Advice do to help?
As part of our work at Citizens Advice, we submit evidence to big organisations – from companies right up to the government on how they can make things better for people. With the right evidence, we can hopefully empower change.
If you have experienced issues with your PIP and you’re seeking help on how to proceed, please contact us on 01634 383 760 or use our below Contact Form
