The Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) told the MP's cross-party panel that a newclaim for the Independent Living Security for Persons with Disabilities(PIP) has arrived. "Record" level and "not so high". However, the knock-on effect of this increased demand for disability benefits is the backlog of more than 300,000 people awaiting health care.
Decisions regarding the level of awards that someone may be eligible to receive are primarily determined by assessments from independent health evaluators. Between January and April 2022, approximately 236,180PIP ratingswere conducted remotely by phone or video call, 53,330 were paper-based and 14,720 were face-to-face.
At a Labor Pension Commission hearing on June 29, Labor lawmaker Steve McCabe challenged Dr. Therese Coffey about the number of people awaiting an assessment. He asked: "Are you worried about the recentPIP ratingbacklog? I collect that it has tripled."
I answered like this. It wasn't so expensive.
Then he pushed the numbers in the backlog against her, pointing out that the numbers had increased over the past five years.
The DWP boss explains: We were starting to get to the point where we were processing more than the incoming claims. It's happening again now. It's a challenge. I haven't denied it.
McCabe asked when the numbers would start to fall again.
DWP Secretary of State Peter Schofield replied that it was a "good challenge."
He explained: Demand may have peaked and receded. In that case, you can see the backlog more quickly, but if the demand remains high, you need to find a way to manage it. Part of that is absolutely that health evaluators are doing more and they agree with a recovery plan.
"Part of that is finding ways to specifically help those who are nearing the end of the award, so that new billing times are nearly stable in about 20 weeks. That's the way it's been for quite some time. The number has decreased. "
But he also said that DWP is all health related Revealed that they are considering how to create a single rating service for their benefit.
Schofield said: This is an approach to actually consider how to provide these benefits.
"The contract with the current assessor will end next year. How we consider both work capacity assessment and Universal Credit and how we have a single assessment service. We are considering whether we can summarize it in. By providing a health assessment with PIP, we can not only provide better service to customers who go through that process, but also make the best use of our resources.
According to a new study by Citizens Advice, claimants with disabilities are waiting for nearly £ 300 million in support due to delays.
Charities have described PIP as the "lifeline" of millions of people, but from February to April this year, the waiting list for evaluation was 327,000.
It predicts that the £ 294m payment that will be awarded will be withheld and that people will be forced into "impossible choices" when trying to get it done financially. ..
The charity said more than any other issue is seeking help with civic advice at PIP, with about 150 people contacting advisors an hour.
Chief Executive Officer Dame Clare Morialty said:
"But there's still more they can do to put money in the pockets of those desperately in need of money in the crisis of living expenses.
" Keep track of the backlog of PIP ratings. Doing must be a priority of the British Government. Delays in getting money from those who are eligible to receive it can ruin your life. "
Labor Party The shadow labor pip minister, Jonathan Ashworth, said the wait was "unacceptable."
He states: The minister must urgently grasp before more people with disabilities are driven into poverty and hardship under the Tory's "Backlog Britain."
DWP said successful PIP claimants will receive past payments.
A spokesman for the British government said: ..
"If people can't work, our priority is for people with disabilities to benefit from their qualifications as quickly as possible.
" Old DLA systems Introduced PIP to replace it. PIP is a fairer benefit of exploring more extensively how an individual's health and disability affects on a daily basis.
"PIP" So, 35% of claimants get the best possible support, but only 15% in DLA. "
Save Money Join the conversation with the Scottish Facebook groupTips for saving energy and money, news of the latest benefits, help for consumers , Advice on dealing with the cost of living crisis.
Sign up for the Record Money newsletter and send your top stories to your inbox every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday-sign up forhere
The latest DWP figures show that as of the end of April 2022, 3 million people across the UK are claiming PIP support.
Currently, 313,620 people in Scotland receive £ 24.45 to £ 156.90 of financial support each week and benefits are paid every four weeks, which is £ 97.80 to £ 627.60 per week. Will be. Repayment period.
The latest data also show that the number of people claimingmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorders, mood disorders, and learning disabilities, has increased significantly. .. The number of claimants for these types of conditions will increase by 36,980 to 1,082,483.
Subscribe to our newsletter, published three times a week, to keep your most read money stories up to date-sign up Here
