The UK government is set to overhaul eligibility criteria for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), disbursed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on disability grounds, that could potentially reduce upcoming claimants.
At present, payments range from a weekly standard rate of £72.65 to an enhanced rate of £108.55, gauging the severity of impairment, along with possible additionals—either £28.70 or £75.75 for mobility needs at varying levels.
Claimants are systematically assessed on their capacity to carry out daily activities, including feeding and personal hygiene, earning points based on their condition's impact on these tasks.
Currently, eligibility for PIP can be acquired even with a low degree of impairment across several tasks. However, the new regulations will necessitate claimants to show more substantial handicaps in one task with a minimum of four points required on any single assessment.
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Introduced ten years ago, the government contends that PIP requires updating. Over 3 million beneficiaries in the UK now receive PIP, costing a sizeable £21.8 billion, reports North Wales Live.
According to projections reported by Wales Online, without intervention, number amplification would reach 4.2 million within four years, and costs might escalate to £34.1 billion, hence becoming "unsustainable" amid static disability prevalence.
The report highlights: "It is over a decade since PIP was introduced, during which time there have been significant shifts in the nature of long-term conditions and disability, as well as changes in wider society and the workplace. People reporting mental health or neurodiverse conditions as their primary condition have increased more rapidly than those reporting other conditions, and increases in disability have been more marked among younger adults than older people, although older working-age people are still more likely to be disabled."
To be eligible for a PIP payment in the future, individuals will need to show a higher level of impairment in at least one category, which means scoring at least four points.
Here's a breakdown of what could qualify you for the personal independent payments (PIP) by category:.
Preparing food
If you're unable to prepare a meal using an oven but can use a microwave, you'll score two points, which will no longer suffice to qualify for a PIP payment on its own. Instead, applicants will need to prove they "need supervision or assistance to either prepare or cook a simple meal".
Eating and drinking
Under the new rules, needs such as requiring supervision, needing help to cut up food, or having to use an aid to take in nutrition will no longer score highly enough to qualify for PIP. Instead, an individual would have to show they "need prompting to be able to take nutrition" or, in a more severe case, be unable to "convey food or drink to their mouth".
Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition
In terms of managing therapy or monitoring a health condition, to secure four points, an individual must demonstrate that they "require supervision, prompting, or assistance to manage therapy that takes more than three and a half hours a week but no more than seven hours a week."
Washing and bathing
When it comes to washing and bathing, only two points are awarded for needing supervision to wash or bathe on a PIP test, as is the case for needing help to wash hair or body below the waist. Assistance to get in or out of a bath or shower also only earns three points.
To earn four points, an individual must prove that they "need assistance to wash their body between the shoulders and waist."
Managing toilet needs or incontinence
For managing toilet needs or incontinence, needing supervision to use the toilet, which earns two points, will no longer qualify a person for PIP on its own. Instead, they must demonstrate that they require assistance (four points).
Dressing and undressing
Regarding dressing and undressing, a person who needs to be reminded to dress or needs help putting on trousers or a skirt (two points) will no longer qualify. Instead, a person must demonstrate that they need help dressing or undressing their upper body.
Communicating verbally
In terms of using a hearing aid, an individual will only earn two points under the new guidelines. To achieve four points, however, they must show that they "require communication support to express or understand complex verbal information."
Reading
Regarding reading abilities, individuals can earn four points if they demonstrate the need for prompting to decipher basic written materials or are completely unable to read or comprehend signage.
For engaging with others face to face, a person requiring prompting scores just two points. In contrast, to obtain four points, evidence is needed to show they "need social support to be able to engage with other people".
Making budgeting decisions
As for making budgeting decisions, those needing assistance with intricate budget calculations score two points; but now, to hit four points, proof is necessary that they need "prompting or assistance to be able to make simple budgeting decisions".
Should individuals discover they are ineligible for PIP under these updated qualifications, the Government is contemplating alternative support methods.
According to the benefits green paper, "We want to ensure that anyone in receipt of PIP now who would lose entitlement when they are reassessed under the new eligibility criteria, has their health and eligible care needs met". It further pledges comprehensive healthcare coverage through the NHS as the reasoning behind a substantial £26 billion investment to overhaul the health and care system.
Additionally, there is an allocation of a further £889 million towards General Practice by the year 2025/26, aiming to rejuvenate the concept of the family doctor and strengthen the NHS's frontline services.
"DWP will work with DHSC to ensure that existing people who claim PIP who may no longer be entitled to the benefit following an award review under new eligibility rules have their health and eligible care needs met, in addition to being able to access our support conversation and employment support if they want to."
