UK: Disability benefits (UC, ESA and PIP) - news and updates 2024 and 2025

DWP is using AI to check applications for these benefits

DWP is using AI to check applications for these benefits

 

Any are they using A.I. to spot the inconsistencies in assessors decisions?

 

DWP to get people with 'invisible' disabilities back into work

DWP to get people with 'invisible' disabilities back into work

 

It's all very nice, but governments never take employers into account.

I worked nearly 40 years with ME/CFS and autism, but only because of the sort of work I did, the employers I had, and the timeframe my working life fell into.

I managed my own workload and schedule, and I was good enough at what I did to earn significant professional respect. But in a culture dominated by micromanagement, inflexibility, and performance appraisal that values arbitrary targets over skill, I'd be unemployable.

Same person, same skillset, different attitudes.

 

https://www.icontact-archive.com/ar...4b7e81a15d03a3040ca2700682dadb514b7c01a8d57f0

Benefits and Work Guide monthy newsletter

GREATER PROPORTION OF PIP FACE-TO-FACE ASSESSMENTS PLANNED

The proportion of PIP assessments that are face-to-face is set to rise from the Autumn of this year, DWP disability minister Stephen Timms has revealed in a written parliamentary answer.

Timms stated that, as part of the Functional Assessment Services (FAS) process, “a paper-based assessment will always be considered in the first instance, for all cases. Where a paper-based review is not possible the claimant will be invited to an assessment.”

Where claimants need a specific type of assessment, such as a telephone assessment because of difficulties with travelling, then they will be allocated that.

Other claimants will get the next available appointment, regardless of whether that is face-to-face, telephone or video. But claimants can request a change of assessment type if this would constitute a reasonable adjustment.

Timms went on to say that “The FAS suppliers are also increasing their capacity to deliver more face-to-face assessments, and the department expects the reported percentage of face-to-face assessments to increase towards Autumn 2025.”

UC SANCTIONS HIT RECORD HIGH

The number of universal credit claimants who were hit with a sanction reached a record high of 61,527 in October 2024.

The previous highest figure was in January 2024, when 57,192 claimants were sanctioned.

Failure to attend or participate in a mandatory interview accounted for over 90% of all sanctions.

Many claimants had hoped that Labour would immediately introduce a less punitive regime when they took control of the DWP. However, figures for their first few months in office suggest that nothing has changed so far.

DWP REVEALS HOW LONG CLAIMANTS DELAY UC CLAIM

The DWP revealed in oral evidence to the work and pensions committee last week how long most people delay after receiving their managed migration letter, before making a claim for universal credit.

• 25% claim as soon as they get the migration notice
• 60% to 70% claim in weeks 12 to 13.

In other words, two thirds of claimants leave it as late as possible after getting a migration notice before putting in their UC claim.

The DWP also gave more details of the “enhanced support journey” that begins if an ESA claimant hasn’t made a claim for UC by week 12 after being sent a migration notice.

This involves the DWP making three attempts to contact a claimant by phone. If these attempts fail, a home visit is arranged.

Whilst this is happening, the DWP say they do not end the legacy benefits claim.

Of 69,000 ESA claimants who have gone through the enhanced support journey so far 28,000 have been referred for a home visit, whilst the rest have been referred to Citizens Advice Help To Claim Service.

The DWP have doubled the number of visiting officers from 350 to 700.

But whether this number will be sufficient to deal with demand as migration numbers increase rapidly, remains to be seen.

A QUARTER OF MANAGED MIGRATIONS END IN NO CLAIM, ESA SUCCESS RATE HIGHER

Official figures released by the DWP show that just over a quarter of managed migrations end with UC not being claimed and legacy benefits claims closed.

But the figures for ESA migrations show a much higher success rate.

For example, 50% of working tax credit claimants have had their claims closed without claiming UC and 32% of child tax credit claimants were similarly closed.

But the figures for joint child tax credit and employment support allowance claims show that :

• 74.07% claimed UC,
• 1.69% had their legacy benefit claim closed,
• 24.26% are still in progress.

It’s very early days for ESA only results, but so far, out of 37,481 notices sent out since September 2024:

• 26.50% claimed UC,
• 0.33% had their legacy benefit claim closed,
• 73.20% are still in progress.

UC MANDATORY MIGRATION GUIDE FOR MEMBERS UPDATE

Benefits and Work has updated our members’ guide to ‘Successful ESA to UC Managed Migration’ to take account of current claimant concerns.

In general, the impression we are getting from feedback from members is that managed migration is progressing relatively smoothly, at least in terms of very few people now being asked to produce fit-notes or agree to work commitments when having been in the support group.

 

I have to do a PIP review. I was hoping I'd be able to download the AR1 form as a PDF, fill it in on computer, print off and send it, which is what I did with the initial application. But the only AR1 form I can find on gov.uk has 'sample - do not use' across all the pages. Anyone know if there's a usable version hiding somewhere?

 

The only version I've been able to find is this https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/requ...ttach/4/AR1 GB NP INTERACTIVE 2018 06.PDF.pdf

but I don't know if it's the most up-to-date version.

 

No, there's a newer version since last year. Thank you so much for looking though.

 

I printed off strips of my responces and pasted onto the form. Another time I just referenced the question and responded on a sheet of a4. My hand writing is illegible and spelling terrible so I apologised and trusted Word to sort it. DWP did not quible. You should be able to request an assessible version if they answer the phone
Best of luck of course.
We have been waiting 11 months for the outcome and they say they are 12 months behind. I got my MP to chase them as the bluebadge is about to expire soon.

 

11 months, god that's dreadful. Thanks for the advice. I'll end up cobbling something together!

 

This whole phenomenon really deserves the name "Imagine a world"-based medicine. They just imagine achieving something, then pretend like they have and all the wonders it would bring.

If you could do the thing, you would be doing the thing already. You have never done the thing, because you never bothered doing the work that would allow you to do the thing, so you don't know how to do the thing you are imagining. So they just invent this delusional fantasy in which they already can do the thing, and expect no one to bother checking anything. Because this is "Imagine a world"-based medicine. No one checks. No one cares to check, it makes people sad to find out that, no, they can't actually do the thing.

They may as well be going in the business of selling bridges, for all that this has a chance of being successful.

This all reminds me of some dude my father was, I think, playing golf with, some years ago. He had this presentation made, for a good sum, about some device that increases fuel economy in cars, and my dad asked me what I think of it. And the presentation was all the same as this: imagine a world where cars use less fuel, how great it would, how good it would be for the environment, how much money less people would spend. Nevermind that increasing fuel economy would actually lead to people using their cars more, this likely increasing total consumption.

And that's all the presentation was: imagine a world in which this device exists. It doesn't exist, but imagine it did. Then send money. Don't ask to account for it, though. Once the bridge has been sold, no backsies. You just buy the bridge, you're not supposed to expect to ever use it. There is no bridge, just the concept of imagining that you own the bridge.

 

Yes, I scanned my form in and typed my answers onto the scans. [ETA: sorry, this was in reply to @Eleanor]

I also waited months and months for the outcome, yet they wanted me to complete the form in about a bloody fortnight. Luckily I'd drafted the answers to most of the questions in advance because I knew the review was due, but I'd have struggled to manage the whole thing even with a four week extension.

I filled it in as if it were a new claim, so it was very comprehensive. Seemed to work, because when they did finally get round to reading it, they changed the award to ongoing. It'll probably be reviewed again in 10 years.

 

AR1 is not yet rolled out as an online, just the initial application form.
I have the written decision which I’m delaying opening (the answer was “you’re staying on normal rate”) can’t wait to hear how I can cook.

 

@Eleanor i do seem to remember that the AR1 was recently changed, Benefits and Work wrote a new guidance on it. I cant remember what the changes were (this is in terms of guidance in filling it in) but they seemed important, so I'd recommend checking their website

Good luck with it all

 

Will do. Thank you!

 

I hadn't been aware of this. It's still under test and only in certain locations:

 

It's the standard form that gets sent out for a PIP review. AR2 is the form the for 'light touch' review.

 

I can't find any info about 'Light Touch' PIP reviews on the government website. Is there any?

I've found this on the Salford CAB site: