Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a benefit for people aged over 16 and under State Pension age with a disability, long-term illness or mental health condition who need help completing daily tasks inside their home or getting around.
The latest statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) shows there are now more than three million people in the UK, including some 322,387 living in Scotland, receiving financial support of between £24.45 and £156.90 each week through PIP - the benefit is paid every four weeks so this amounts to between £97.80 and £627.60 every payment period.
Making an application for PIP starts with a phone call to DWP who will check initial eligibility and then send out a claim form to be filled in. The claimant then completes the ‘PIP 2 evidence form’ and returns it along with any supporting documents, however, that could all be changing and moving online to offer a complete ‘end-to-end digital PIP service’.
Independent MP, Dr Rupa Huq, recently asked the DWP what assessments are being made of the potential merits of reviewing the PIP application process.
In a written response on Wednesday, DWP Minister, Tom Pursglove, explained that the PIP application process is kept under “continual review to ensure it meets the needs of claimants and helps the department reach an accurate assessment of an individual’s entitlement”.
He continued: “Since PIP was introduced, we have introduced a range of accessibility improvements, such as the Video Relay Service and Relay UK, improved the clarity of the PIP2 questionnaire to make it easier to complete, expanded the assessment methods to include video and telephone, and introduced recording by request for telephone and face-to-face appointments.
“Claimants are also kept informed and updated at each stage of the application process, including through our improved text message service.”
He added that the Health Transformation Programme is “further transforming the PIP service”.
Mr Pursglove explained: “The programme is introducing a digital end-to-end PIP service, with the initial offering being an online application, which eventually will be available as self-service from gov.uk.”
He said that “small-scale testing of the online apply service began in January 2022” and that the DWP will “gradually expand and improve” its approach.
He added: “We published Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper last year. This asked for views on ways we can improve people’s experience of the health and disability benefits system and set out ways we could make our services easier to access, make our processes simpler and help build people’s trust.
“We received over 4,500 responses to the Health and Disability Green Paper consultation and will respond with a White Paper in the coming months.”
You can view the Green Paper online at GOV.UK here.
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