A written parliamentary answer has revealed the astonishing number of claimants who go from no PIP award to enhanced awards for both the mobility and the daily living component after lodging an appeal. The figures throw even more doubt on the quality of PIP assessments and the standard of decision making.
Labour MP Kim Johnson asked “what proportion of people whose personal independence payment appeals resulted in the decision being (a) lapsed and (b) overturned at tribunal hearing had their decision changed from no award to an award of both the daily living and mobility components at the enhanced rate”
The response from disability minister Stephen Timms revealed the following:
| Financial Year | Total Appeals Lapsed | Total Appeals Overturned | Appeals Lapsed (Nil award to enhanced-enhanced) | Appeals Overturned (Nil award to enhanced-enhanced) |
| 2019-20 | 27,100 | 53,700 | 2,900 (11%) | 5,100 (9%) |
| 2020-21 | 26,300 | 37,000 | 3,300 (12%) | 4,000 (11%) |
| 2021-22 | 17,100 | 20,500 | 1,900 (11%) | 2,200 (11%) |
| 2022-23 | 19,000 | 30,500 | 1,900 (10%) | 3,800 (12%) |
| 2023-24 | 25,600 | 34,400 | 2,100 (8%) | 4,900 (14%) |
The data shows that in the year to April 2024, for example, an extraordinary 7,000 claimants who had been assessed as having no eligibility for PIP at all, went on to get the enhanced award of both components.
2,100 of these did not even have to go to a tribunal, the DWP changed the award before the appeal was even heard.
The figures also show that almost one in seven claimants who won their appeal in that 12 month period, went into the hearing with nothing and came out with double enhanced.
Initial decisions by the DWP almost always accept what the private sector assessor has concluded about the descriptors that apply.
So, the initial problem is unquestionably the standard of the assessments being carried out.
But this is compounded by the fact that in at least these 7,000 cases, the DWP failed to realise how badly they had got it wrong even at mandatory reconsideration stage.
It wasn’t until the claimant lodged an appeal that, in over 2,000 cases, the DWP actually took a proper look at the evidence and dramatically altered their decision.
And in almost 5,000 cases it was left to the tribunal to put matters right.
Sadly, there is no doubt that many, many thousands of other claimants with a nil award will have given up as soon as they got the decision or when their mandatory reconsideration failed.
So, the lesson is clear: just because you got no award at all on first application, that doesn’t mean you aren’t entitled to the very highest award of PIP.
