Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants have received crucial guidance following the Government’s decision to abandon significant reductions to the benefit scheme. Labour’s comprehensive welfare overhaul had included stricter eligibility requirements for PIP’s daily living component – valued at up to £108.55 weekly.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) had intended these revised regulations to take effect from November 2026 for both existing and prospective claimants. Nevertheless, concessions made to rebellious Labour backbenchers resulted in the proposed PIP modifications being postponed whilst disabilities minister Sir Stephen Timms conducts a review of the assessment process.
As a result, both applicants and recipients find themselves uncertain about what alterations – if any – will materialise. James Merrell, who assists individuals through the PIP application process via his firm CWS Limited, explained to the Daily Star how the numerous modifications have affected applicants, urging them to “keep going”.
He said: “We’ve heard from many PIP recipients who are still anxious, confused, and, in some cases, angry. This latest U-turn, while welcome, doesn’t undo the uncertainty or distress caused by months of speculation. For those already battling the system, this constant flux adds another layer of complexity to an already exhausting process.”
The former PIP assessor continued: “To those applying or worried about their claim: keep going. You have a right to support, and this delay doesn’t change the current eligibility. We’ll continue to push for a system that’s fair, accessible, and rooted in dignity.”
He added: “In my view, delaying these changes is the right thing to do. But let’s be clear, the only acceptable way forward is a system co-produced with disabled people, not imposed on them. Disabled people have lived with years of insecurity and second-guessing from a benefits system that should support them. A real review must listen, rebuild trust, and put lived experience at the heart of reform.”
This follows revelations from another former PIP assessor who exposed how seating preferences and casual conversation of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants are scrutinised “as soon as they walk in the door” during assessments, reports the Daily Star.
These “sneaky” tactics are allegedly employed by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to gauge the genuine mobility abilities of claimants, former PIP assessor and Psychotherapist Jacqueline Gozzard revealed on the Dr A Says Podcast.
Gozzard, who worked as a PIP assessor for two years, explained that a claimant who bypasses a chair with armrests in favour of one without will likely receive lower mobility scores, as they’re considered not to require help when rising from a seated position.
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