The review, commissioned by the government and led by
Paul Gray, was published in March 2017. Action will be
taken on the recommendations including simplifying
communications for people claiming PIP, and
exploring how to ensure evidence is collected and
reviewed as effectively as possible to support people’s
claims.
Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work,
, said:
We’re determined to make the PIP application
process as simple as possible both for the
independent assessors and the people applying for it.
That’s why we commissioned the second review on top
of the strong steps we’ve already taken, so we can
fully understand what works best, and what we need to
improve on.
Working closely with disabled people and their
representatives, we’ll continue to explore how to
help meet the needs of some of the most vulnerable
people in our society.
PIP was
introduced to replace the outdated Disability Living
Allowance (DLA) system. At
the core of PIP’s design is
the principle that awards should be made according to
someone’s overall level of need – taking into account
both physical and non-physical conditions.
Under PIP 29% of
claimants are now receiving the highest rate of
support, compared to 15% under DLA.
The first independent review was published in December
2014. Since then, significant improvements have been
made to the PIP assessment
process including:
- restructuring decision letters to make them easier
to understand
- working with the Money Advice Service
(MAS) to
ensure PIP claimants
can get bespoke budgeting advice if they need it
- introducing SMS messaging to keep a claimant
informed throughout the journey of their claim
- introducing the Video Relay Service for claimants
who use British Sign Language (BSL) so they are able to
communicate with the department more easily
- introducing the Next Generation Text
(NGT) for
deaf or hard of hearing claimants unable to
use BSL or those
unable to speak
- amending the PIP (Transitional
Provisions) Regulations 2013 by removing the
requirement for DLA claimants
to wait a minimum of 28 days when they transfer
to PIP if they
became terminally ill
Assessment providers have also introduced Mental Health
Champions, who are experienced professionals with
direct and relevant work experience of helping people
with mental health problems.
About PIP and the
independent review
PIP is
designed to help with the extra costs associated with a
disability or health condition. It is not means tested
and not linked to someone’s ability to work.
Read the government’s
response to the second independent review.
Read Paul Gray’s second
independent review.
