Disability Rights - Welfare



Personal Independence Payment (PIP) was introduced in the 2012 Welfare Act. It was brought in to replace Disability Living Allowance (support with care needs) and Employment and Support Allowance (support claimants in work). It is available from the age to 16 to 64. Those over 64 are not eligible to claim the allowance, although if already on the allowance at 65 the claimant will remain eligible.

PIP has turned out to be a disaster for those moved onto it. Such are the issues around the handling of claims that it often leads to worsening health for claimants. The whole ethos of the DWP has been to deny a claim and then reward a claim later down the line under appeal. For many claimants this can leave them destitute, without mobility and often sucicidal.

When changes to DLA were first proposed back in 2010, under the coalition, serious concerns were raised about the fairness of the system. The government identified it as a cost cutting exercise, rather than a method to make the system fairer. The government announced plans to tighten eligibility for a key disability benefit, to remove entitlement from at least 360, 000 disabled people with lower support needs. . Research carried out at by Disability Alliance identified that upto 50% of DLA claimants would have to cut their work hours or even give up work under the new PIP scheme.