UK: Disability benefits (ESA and PIP) - news and updates 2021 - 2022

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JemPD said:
So eg if your award ends in September 2022 & your review hasn't been looked at & decided on yet (regardless of when it started) then they will automatically extend the award for 12 mnths.
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Oh, that's helpful, thank you. I haven't even started on mine yet in case the delays are still ongoing by next year. This is entirely possible, given that some people whose reviews are/were due this summer may be postponed until then!
 
wastwater said:
Mine does end in sept 2022,hopefully I will get 12 month extension then as I haven’t heard anything
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Seeing as we're nearly halfway through the month already, it might be worth contacting them to check? Normally you'd have heard something well in advance of the end of the award, even if it was only that they'd reviewed it on paper and didn't need you to do anything. That may have changed during the pandemic, though.

The chances are that there's a delayed letter on the way saying that it's being extended, but it's possible they've sent you a renewal form or other correspondence and it's got lost in the post. It'd be awful if they stopped your award the end of the month because they'd asked you to do something, and you hadn't responded because you didn't even know about it. :nailbiting:
 
I thought I'd posted this article from Benefits & Work about ESA compensation payments—I can't find it, though, so I obviously dreamt it.

It's about an issue specifically affecting people who were transferred to ESA from the old Incapacity Benefit, from 2011 onwards.

Some of these claimants were placed on contributions-based benefit (which is not means tested), without being told that they were also entitled to claim income-related benefit (which is means tested, and entitles them to other support). People who had no other income, didn't live with a partner or in a family member's household, and didn't have capital over £16k, are likely to have been eligible for income-related ESA.

Claimants were later paid the arrears, but were not compensated for the additional support they'd missed out on—free prescriptions, reduced dental costs, NHS vouchers towards glasses or contact lenses, cold weather payments, the warm home discount, etc. Over several years, this could have added up to a lot of money. A successful compensation claim for this missed support has now been made, and Benefits & Work have drafted a simple template letter for other affected people who want to claim compensation.

The issue only affects a minority of claimants and perhaps almost no-one here, but since a sizeable sum could be at stake I thought it was worth posting anyway. DWP are not contacting any of the people who might be eligible, so (as usual) it's up to them to do the hard work themselves.

I've no further information, but there is an article about it here:

https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/n...nefits+and+Work&utm_content=14+Sept+2022+news
 
Volumes of completed initial and repeat Work Capability Assessments
Most individuals who make a claim for ESA will have a Work Capability Assessment (WCA). The WCA determines whether a person has limited capability for work and therefore eligibility for the benefit. Both new (initial) and existing (repeat) ESA claimants have these assessments. To find out more visit the GOV.UK website.

  • Initial assessments refer to the first assessment of the ESA claim

  • Repeat assessments refer to subsequent assessments after the prognosis period of first/previous assessment of the ESA claim expires
In the quarter to March 2022 the number of initial assessments were 22,000 and the number of repeat assessments was 7,800.

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It looks like very few reassessments are being carried out for existing ESA claimants.
 
See a1so -

https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/n...wca-success-rates-–-the-secret-is-finally-out

For years the DWP has been refusing to publish statistics on how many universal credit (UC) claimants are found fit for work and how many have limited capability for work (LCW) or limited capability for work-related activity (LCWRA).

However, the secret is finally out following a parliamentary question which actually got a response.

In January 2022 there were 51,600 UC decisions and 6,985 ESA decisions:

62% had LCWRA for UC and 66% for ESA

20% had LCW for UC and 14% for ESA.

18% were FFW for UC and 20% for ESA.

In February 2022 there were 55,600 UC decisions and 7,008 ESA decisions:

61% had LCWRA for UC and 65% for ESA

17% had LCW for UC and 14% for ESA.

22% were FFW for UC and 21% for ESA.

In March 2022 there were 66,200 UC decisions and 7,745 ESA decisions:

59% had LCWRA for UC and 66% for ESA

17% had LCW for UC and 13% for ESA.

24% were FFW for UC and 21% for ESA.


So, the percentage of claimants found fit for work over the three month period was very similar, with 21.3% of UC claimants found fit and 20.6% of ESA claimants.

The percentage of claimants placed in the limited capability for work category was 18% for UC and 13.6% for ESA. These claimants have some work-related conditions attached to receiving benefit.

But over the whole quarter, on average only 60.6% of UC claimants were placed in the limited capability for work-related activity as opposed to 65.6% of ESA claimants. Claimants in this group are eligible for a higher rate of benefits without any work conditionality attached

If UC LCWRA rates had been the same as ESA rates then over 8,500 additional claimants would have been found to have LCWRA over this quarter.

In the course of a year that’s over 34,000 claimants who are missing out on being found to have LCWRA.

Of equal concern is the fact that 1.2 million ESA claimants are waiting to be forcibly transferred from ESA to UC. There will be no WCA imposed at the point at which claimants are transferred, but they are likely to face a further assessment at some point in the future.

And whilst the WCA for both benefits is virtually identical, it seems clear that there is a difference in the way the tests are applied.
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John Mac said:
It looks like very few reassessments are being carried out for existing ESA claimants.
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Probably tempting fate, but I've yet to have one. I've been on it since 2014.

I'm hoping I might be in one of the last tranches to get UC'd, as I'm not all that far from pension age. In fact, going to the bother of transferring people who'll qualify for the state pension a few weeks after the end of the migration period seems to me a complete waste of time and money, but I suppose common sense is rarely deployed in policies like this. Best I can hope for is spending as little time on UC as possible.
 
Merged thread

25 fold increase in PIP Long Covid awards, one in five getting maximum amount

There has been a 25 fold increase in awards of personal independence payment (PIP) for Long Covid in just one year, DWP statistics have revealed. Over one in five successful claimants is receiving the enhanced rates of both components, totalling £156.90 a week

In July 2021 there were just 108 PIP awards for Long Covid, but by July 2022 – the most recent month for which figures are available – that number had leapt to 2,794.

The success rate for claims based on Long Covid is 47%.

Of those who get an award, 1,233 are receiving the enhanced rate of the mobility component and 722 are getting the enhanced rate of the daily living component.

633 (23%) are getting the enhanced rate for both components.

Yet the level of awards is still tiny compared to the number of people likely to be eligible.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) 1.1 million people have had self-reported Long Covid for at least one year and 514,000 for at least two years.

Long Covid symptoms adversely affect the day-to-day activities of 1.6 million people, with 342,000 reporting that their ability to undertake day-to-day activities had been “limited a lot”.

It is very likely that many of these people would be eligible for an award of PIP.

Fatigue is the most common symptom reported in connection with Long Covid (69%), followed by difficulty concentrating (45%), shortness of breath (42%) and muscle ache (40%).

All of these symptoms would be highly relevant to a PIP claim and would be likely to lead to points being scored for in relation to activities such as:

  • Preparing food
  • Managing therapy and monitoring a health condition
  • Washing and bathing
  • Dressing and undressing
  • Engaging with others face-to-face
  • Planning and following a journey
  • Moving around
It is more than a little surprising then, that in spite of the large increase in the number of awards, there are still so few people claiming PIP for Long Covid

You can read more about PIP for Long Covid and the fact that many thousands of people are likely to be missing out on an award.

Benefits and Work members can download a 7-page, Long Covid PIP supplement, to be used in conjunction with our Guide to PIP Claims and Reviews.

Benefits and Work have also published a short, introductory video on the subject.

https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/n...id-awards,-one-in-five-getting-maximum-amount
 
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I was surprised by how low the number of Long Covid applicants is, given the total number of people with the condition.

It will be interesting to see what effect this ultimately has on overall claims for PIP here in the UK, bearing in mind that many will still be resisting the idea that they are long term disabled, rather still looking to recover from what they believe to be a temporary illness.

Also there is enough uncertainty about prognosis for those with what is likely to be long term ME/CFS to be currently misdirected by misguided medical positivity, and effectively directed away from benefits like PIP.
 
Not even 60k have received a diagnosis of long covid so it's not a surprise to find few in pip. As a community long haulers are being told they will recover so technically PIP requires the expectation of long term illness so many won't be applying as a result. These figures in general show how many long haulers are being failed by medicine both in diagnosis, prognosis and then social support apart from a lack of any treatment options or research.
 
I wonder how many Americans are getting SSDI for LC. It's probably also a small number, as the US has similar rules about duration: Your illness must be expected to last at least 12 months (or result in death in that timeframe). You also need "objective medical evidence" to back up any diagnosis. OTOH, I think it's slighly easier to get SSDI than PIP, as the main criterion is inability to work full-time, rather than having difficulty caring for yourself.
 
John Mac said:
There has been a 25 fold increase in awards of personal independence payment (PIP) for Long Covid in just one year, DWP statistics have revealed. Over one in five successful claimants is receiving the enhanced rates of both components, totalling £156.90 a week

In July 2021 there were just 108 PIP awards for Long Covid, but by July 2022 – the most recent month for which figures are available – that number had leapt to 2,794.

The success rate for claims based on Long Covid is 47%.

Of those who get an award, 1,233 are receiving the enhanced rate of the mobility component and 722 are getting the enhanced rate of the daily living component.

633 (23%) are getting the enhanced rate for both components.

Yet the level of awards is still tiny compared to the number of people likely to be eligible.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) 1.1 million people have had self-reported Long Covid for at least one year and 514,000 for at least two years.

Long Covid symptoms adversely affect the day-to-day activities of 1.6 million people, with 342,000 reporting that their ability to undertake day-to-day activities had been “limited a lot”.

It is very likely that many of these people would be eligible for an award of PIP.

Fatigue is the most common symptom reported in connection with Long Covid (69%), followed by difficulty concentrating (45%), shortness of breath (42%) and muscle ache (40%).

All of these symptoms would be highly relevant to a PIP claim and would be likely to lead to points being scored for in relation to activities such as:

  • Preparing food
  • Managing therapy and monitoring a health condition
  • Washing and bathing
  • Dressing and undressing
  • Engaging with others face-to-face
  • Planning and following a journey
  • Moving around
It is more than a little surprising then, that in spite of the large increase in the number of awards, there are still so few people claiming PIP for Long Covid

You can read more about PIP for Long Covid and the fact that many thousands of people are likely to be missing out on an award.

Benefits and Work members can download a 7-page, Long Covid PIP supplement, to be used in conjunction with our Guide to PIP Claims and Reviews.

Benefits and Work have also published a short, introductory video on the subject.

https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/n...id-awards,-one-in-five-getting-maximum-amount
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It’s a bit stating the obvious based on you couldn’t have caught covid before March 2020 and I don’t know how long you’d need to have it before you apply but doesn’t the process itself take a year (and sometimes more)?
 
Merged thread
Article: I've proved I'm disabled - why do I have to do it again to get the benefits I need?

I used to be a person who sorted out household letters as soon as they arrived.

Then I had the anxiety of dealing with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and now I face my letterbox with trepidation, if at all.

I’m scared of receiving post that says my payments will be cut off and this fear makes me go days without opening my mail.
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I only started claiming PIP in 2020, despite living with severe endometriosis for 20 years, and a chronic hip issue that impacts my mobility. Both issues cause me intense pain and affect both my ability to care for myself and to do things independently.

PIP has allowed me to pay for things like physiotherapy, chiropractor appointments and talking therapy. When I have had to pay a consult fee, I’ve used my PIP. It’s also covered all the little things that have needed replacing – like my shower stool, electric heat pads and hip pain cushions.

But despite endometriosis being classed as one of the top 20 most painful conditions by the NHS, I was informed by DWP in February this year that they wanted to reassess my right to claim. This is because my PIP allowance has a review date and, as I called six months before mine lapsed, a reassessment was triggered.

Why? What do they expect has changed?
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I've proved I'm disabled - why do I have to do it again to get the benefits I need? (msn.com)
 
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