PIP claimants making ‘one large mistake’ on purposes, former DWP assessor says
James Merrell, who worked as a PIP assessor for the DWP, explained to the Daily Star how applicants can avoid a common mistake while filling out DWP forms and attending in-person assessments
The Government has confirmed plans to tighten up the rules of Personal Independence Payments (PIP) as part of their welfare system shake-up. It is estimated almost 400,000 people will lose out on the benefit aimed at subsidising extra costs associated with long-term mental and physical conditions.
There are 3.6million Brits claiming PIP, which is available to the unemployed and employed, and has two streams – daily living and mobility worth up to £108.55 and £75.75 respectively per week. The qualifying criteria of the daily living element is set to change from November 2026 to reduce the number of claimants.
Former PIP assessor James Merrell told the Daily Star applicants should focus on how their condition prevents them carrying out tasks rather than their diagnosis and medical history. The qualified nurse with over a decade experience said: “One of the mistakes that a lot of people make when applying for PIP is they concentrate on their medical conditions, their diagnosis and their treatment.
“They don’t really focus on their function and that is what they are being assessed on – their inability to function. A lot of people think when they are going to their PIP assessment that it is a medical assessment. It isn’t. it is a functional assessment.
“That is why the assessors are called ‘functional assessors’ because they are assessing your inability to function. It is about how you are affected because of your condition.”
He added: “So, somebody with autism for example, when they go out planning and following journeys, which is a prime activity, they may become disorientated and there may be a risk to their safety.”
James, who runs a company that helps PIP claimants through the application process, gave an example of a case he was recently working on. A parent of an autistic child told him how they need to hold their kid’s hood every time they go out because they can’t hear traffic due to their noise cancelling headphones.
He said: “They have to constantly hold them to make sure they don’t walk in front of oncoming traffic. That is a risk because of their condition that needs to be articulated.
“The DWP don’t tell you that. So the parents are automatically set up to fail before they even get into the assessment.
“If you are saying something about your condition, you need to be able to evidence it – that is absolutely key.”
Are you anxious about losing your benefits? Email: dan.grennan@reachplc.com
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