The latest DWP statistics, released last month, show that the number of personal independence payment (PIP) claims rose to 3.6 million at the end of October, a 3% increase on the number at the end of July.
Award rates
PIP award rates have fallen slightly:
44% of new claims were successful, down from 46% in October 2023. For cases that got as far as reassessment, 52% were successful, down from 53% a year ago.
74% of DLA to PIP reassessments got an award, a decrease from 76% in October 2023. For cases that got as far as reassessment, 79% were successful, down from 80% a year ago.
Award length
The vast majority of awards for new claims continue to be short-term:
- 79% of claims awarded were short term (0 to 2 years)
- 13% were longer term (over 2 years)
- 7% were ongoing
Award level
37% of all claims with entitlement to PIP as at 31 October 2024 receive the highest level of award, with both daily living and mobility components received at the enhanced rate, the same proportion as July 2024.
The five most commonly recorded disabling conditions for claims under normal rules are:
- Psychiatric disorder (39% of claims)
- Musculoskeletal disease (general) (19% of claims)
- Neurological disease (13% of claims)
- Musculoskeletal disease (regional) (12% of claims)
- Respiratory disease (4% of claims)
Planned review outcomes
The majority of planned award reviews leave the award the same, though almost one in five lose their award entirely:
- Award Increased 19%
- Award Maintained 55%
- Award Decreased 7%
- Award Disallowed 19%
Clearance times
Clearance times for new claims are currently 14 weeks from registration to a decision, a week shorter than clearance times a year ago.
Mandatory reconsiderations
71,000 mandatory reconsiderations were registered in the quarter to October, 11% down on a year ago. 73,000 were cleared in the quarter, 6% down on a year ago. 22% of cleared MRs resulted in a change of award.
It is taking an average of 70 days to clear an MR, similar to the preceding quarter.
