Statistics show that thousands of disabled people are still waiting over 16 weeks just to get an assessment
The DWP has published statistics on the coalition’s new Personal Independence Payments (PIPs). The stats show the government has failed – again – to get a grip of its new benefit, leaving thousands of disabled people without support.
PIPs were introduced from April 2013 to replace Disability Living Allowance for working age claimants. But Iain Duncan Smith soon performed his ‘reverse-Midas’.
Delays, backlogs and criticism forced the department to revise rollout plans significantly. The majority of DLA claimants were to be assessed after October 2015. The NAO still warned that DWP was not on track, disabled people were hit by the impact of delays and the OBR revised DLA/PIP forecasts six times as a result of repeated ministerial failures to get a grip.
Ministers also shifted the timetable for how long disabled people seeking PIPs can expect to wait for support. Initial plans proposed 12-15 weeks from claims to decisions by DWP. This became an expected 26 weeks just for people to get an assessment as part of the new, multi-million pound process; additional weeks of delays are experienced waiting for DWP to process applications and make decisions.
Despite the much lower number of people requiring PIP assessments and the extended waiting times, DWP still failed to clear the backlog. Last month the process was subject to significant criticism by the independent reviewer in a report published by DWP. It concluded that not enough was being done to tackle delays for disabled people.
IDS and the minister for Disabled People published ad hoc stats today in response to a debate secured by Labour last week. The stats were an attempt to demonstrate DWP is meeting the promise ministers made to deliver all assessments within 16 weeks by the end of 2014.
This promise was secured during an Opposition Day Debate called by shadow secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Rachel Reeves MP in June 2014.
But the stats show that thousands of disabled people are still waiting over 16 weeks just to get an assessment. This week the Guardian reported on one man with cancer who has waited ten months for an assessment. The fudged stats also pose more questions than ministers have been willing to answer:
Why are one in ten people still waiting more than 16 weeks for an assessment?
Why are over 180,000 people still stuck in a backlog waiting to have their claims assessed?
How many of the 64,000 claims that have been ‘disallowed’ by the department were due to disabled people being unable to supply medical information from GPs and hospital consultants within the timeframe stipulated by DWP; and how many of them will simply reapply?
How many of the 143,000 disallowed claims were due to disabled people being unable to attend assessments; and how many of them will reapply?
And how long is the average wait from claim to DWP decision for disabled people and their families across the country?
DWP has admitted it had to employ 76 additional temporary staff to try and reduce the backlog. But DWP hasn’t said how many staff in total it’s had to redeploy to cope with the delays in the benefit.
Nor do we know when DWP expects rollout of PIP to be complete; how many disabled people will not qualify for support; and how much more will it cost overall than initially projected.
Disabled people are right to feel aggrieved by the way the government has mishandled this issue, leaving thousands without help for months. Labour are committed to tackling the delays and the backlog that’s built up.
We’ll also ensure no one with cancer waits longer than 11 weeks for PIP assessments. After months of Tory welfare waste, and hardship for thousands of claimants, it’s time to get a grip.
Kate Green MP is the shadow minister for Disabled People. Follow her on Twitter
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34 Responses to “The Tories’ PIP failure has left thousands of disabled people without support”
treborc1
Well do you know for example if you get an electric wheelchair from the NHS hospital or social services you will get pips automatically and if your wrists are that bad then surely you should have a wheelchair and you cannot use a manual one.
But it has to be officially no good buying one.
treborc1
In what way did the Tories rip it up as an advisor the Tories actually help by allowing the DWP to look at any referrals to appeals, this emans they can now over rule the comapny which does the WCA or PIP’s , which is the reason why ATOS gave y up the game was over they would not be able to sent everyone to appeals..
Labour tried to end DLA Gordon brown was of the view it was a wasted benefits, when the Tories said nope sorry with 14 labour lefties, then Brown said it should be stopped for people of retirement age , then he said young people in care homes which would mean they get no benefits what so ever and some of these people will stay in these care homes for life.
The issue over pips is a simple one as was DLA it’s not the illness or disability I’ve seen people bring in sheets of papers with everything on it down to split hair end to broken finger nails to one eye looking left the other looking right.
Then I asked them simply to put down what the doctors have said and some say, I’m suffering from Chromic fatigue .
Now tell me how that effects your everyday life , they say well I’m tired all day some days I cannot get out of bed, why are you in bed because I cannot walk, so you cannot walk, how about washing no I cannot wash, dressing no god no.
You have filled in the forms and then get the evidence evidence is everything these days send it in and these people normally get the benefits maybe not at the top end they are hoping for but you can appeal that.
But we tell people ask your GP for the medical name of the condition, you have to know what is wrong with you.
For example I’ve a back condition with lots of pain, if I wrote that down it’s meaningless.
The medical term for me is Paraplegia level 3. Lesion of the spinal cord L5 with nerve damage in the spinal cord and out side of the nerve branch leading to nerve damage in my spine, I’m also chromic diabetic leading to series Nerve damage in my legs feet and toes . I also have serious heart condition, which leaves me tired all the time.
I cannot wash my self get tired walking a few steps cannot dress my self , if I go to the toilet I’ve got to use a catheter, plus have to empty my bowel by using my finger.
I’ve an implanted morphine pump delivering a dose of Morphine into my spinal cord .
The problem is of course labour are saying nothing of what they will do let me remind you of what Ms Reeves have stated if she gets in she will hammer down on us
Dar;lingw as going to flog us all if he got in, ok not flog us just kick us on the way to the Job Center to make us do more.
Both parties are not talking to use but about us, none are much interested in us and before you say I’m a Tory I spent 44 years in the labour party 45 years in the GMB Union.
treborc1
That is the issue both parties speak about hard working or working people when they them selves failed at it.
treborc1
First sending forms you must send them recorded mail, always send all mail to these companies by recorded mail.
I would always tell people go to the CAB to fill in the forms PIP’s is so dam easy to make a simple error your appealing and spending years sorting it out.
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RoyB
It’s difficult to comment without the detail, but, having spent some years as a CAB Adviser, I would strongly recommend you contact your nearest CAB for help with this, if you haven’t already done so. The same applies to Graeme, below. In my experience, what is often lacking is awareness of the way the system operates, coupled with a reluctance by claimants acting alone to make their own case with sufficient force.
From what you say, you should certainly be entitled to enhanced rate PIP/ Higher Rate DLA. And Graeme should insist on his right to be heard at appeal.