The DWP has issued a warning for PIP claimants, urging them to report any changes in the circumstances while it considers fresh applications.
Claims are now being processed within 15 weeks but in Scotland 277,764 people are still awaiting the transfer of their award from the DWP to the devolved Social Security Scotland.
The DWP has now clarified that any changes in circumstances before the transfers are successful should be made to the central Government body and not the devolved department.
Anybody making a fresh PIP claim will be assessed under the new Adult Disability Payment which is set to replace PIP north of the border.
Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work Tom Pursglove MP said that his priority is “reducing customer journey times for PIP claimants”.
Mr Pursglove MP’s comments were in response to Labour and Co-operative Party MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle asking what steps are being taken to slash waiting times for PIP assessments.
Mr Pursglove MP’s response read: “We are committed to ensuring people can access financial support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in a timely manner. Reducing customer journey times for PIP claimants is a priority for the department and we are working constantly to make improvements to our service.
“We always aim to make an award decision as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to review all available evidence, including that from the claimant.
“We have seen a decrease in PIP clearance times, with the latest statistics showing that the average end-to-end journey has reduced from 26 weeks in August 2021 to 15 weeks at the end of July 2023.”
Mr Pursglove MP added: “In addition, the Health Transformation Programme (HTP) is modernising health and disability benefit services to create a more efficient service, to reduce processing times and improving trust in our services and decisions.”
He continued: “As part of this, from July 2023, a limited number of claimants have been able to begin their claim for PIP entirely online, which we aim to roll out across England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the end of 2024.”
DWP statistics show that 68,460 PIP assessments were conducted by video call in the last month while just 7,290 were conducted in person.
Mr Pursglove MP says that a blend of phone, video and face-to-face assessments are designed to streamline the service for greater efficiency.
