Disability Benefits - Everything You Need to Know
Applying for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) is often daunting and can cause a huge amount of admin, stress and worry. The reality is benefits are hard to find information on, apply for and secure, it was what led us to create our Ultimate Guide to Disability Benefits with the sole purpose of supporting our customers and community with tangible tools to apply and secure support they absolutely deserve when looking at claiming disability benefits.
With the press reporting on upcoming reviews on how PIP is carried out as well as the benefits available to all those living with a disability in the UK likely to change, we wanted to review the facts in claiming disability benefits and applying for PIP. In this blog we have analysed data looking at the number of claims that are denied and how this varies by postcode to highlight the reality that despite what is reported in the media rejections are rife, fraudulent claims zero and support well below where it needs to be for our community.
Almost 300,000 Personal Independent Payments (PIP) applications were denied last year despite one in three disabled Brits struggling financially. Data shows applications in Wales are 3 times more likely to be successful than those in London, and the North West.
PIP claimants are currently being issued a warning as Personal Independent Payments are set to play a crucial role in the upcoming overhaul of disability and incapacity benefits in the UK with the first stage of changes starting this year. The DWP plans to transfer PIP claims to a modern digital system, allowing individuals to submit forms and supporting medical documents online.
Our Co Founder Amelia is eager for PIP claims to be made easier for individuals seeking disability benefits, as analysis discovered over 300,000 claims were rejected in 2024.
Amelia believes, that despite the goal being to get disabled people back to work, removing benefits doesn’t do this, but instead pushes disabled people into poverty. Following her own experience, Amelia claims a better system and better accommodations are needed, to ensure everyone is supported in accordance with their needs.
In 2018, DWP stated Amelia was ‘not disabled enough’ for benefits during a reassessment, despite being partially paralysed from the waist down and needing to use crutches or a walking stick.
Image: Amelia Peckham (Cool Crutches & Walking Sticks)
Amelia attended her PIP reassessment alone, due to her husband looking after their sick children, but felt this along with using a table to stand up instead of her crutch got her marked down.
Amelia shared:
“PIP applications are notoriously long and complicated, by the time you reach the interview stage you’ve already completed days of work to gather the information required. In my experience the interview was designed to try and trip me up, to catch me out, and intentionally question every element of my disability.
“As the least fraudulently claimed benefit, with a zero percent fraud rate, it is staggering to hear how many negative experiences are happening. My personal experience was soul-destroying, it undermined my disability, and experience and genuinely compromised both my physical and mental health for years afterward.
“We need a system that is better at screening, that separates different disabilities and accommodates them. One size doesn’t fit all and it’s key the nuances in disability are accommodated with nuances in applications, interviews, and decisions.”
Data from GOV.UK of both new claims and reassessments of PIP applications shows that 299,885 were denied last year, with almost 47,000 denied in London alone. Compared to the number denied in Wales of 16484 rejections, applications are 3 times more likely to be successful there.
Analysing the data via council districts, Birmingham has been discovered as the city least likely to secure disability benefits. The city has the highest rejection rate for both new claims and reassessments with 8,240 denials made last year, followed by Manchester with 4,212 denials and Leeds with 4,196 denials.
New claims vs reassessments
Brits living in London and the North West have the lowest success rate when applying for new PIP benefit claims, with people living in Wales having the fewest denials.
Number of rejections for new claims per region:
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London - 44,155
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North West - 42,734
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South East - 34,408
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Yorkshire and the Humber - 29,273
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West Midlands - 29,252
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East of England - 25,842
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South West - 22,694
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East Midlands - 22,016
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Wales - 16,285
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North East - 15,761
The South East of England has seen the highest number of disabled people lose their PIP benefits during reassessment, with the North West also experiencing high rates of benefit removal.
Number of rejections for reassessments per region:
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South East - 3,219
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North West - 3,071
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London - 2,717
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East of England - 2,036
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South West - 1,696
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Yorkshire and the Humber - 1,631
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North East - 983
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West Midlands - 972
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East Midlands - 941
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Wales - 199
Disabled Brits are estimated to pay £1,067 more than their non disabled counterparts in expenses, every month. Last year, we analysed the additional cost of living with a disability, discovering that disabled Brits are paying £12,000 more per year to live.
Amelia continued:
“Disabled people often require additional equipment and adaptations to support their daily lives. In my experience, I suffer from a lack of circulation as a result of nerve damage and so rely on heating and hot baths to maintain comfort and functionality. This has a huge impact on bills - hot water bottles, electric blankets, heating, it all adds up.
“Similarly, a range of mobility equipment is often needed and small maintenance, replacement parts etc. need to be considered. Anything from needing two crutches on a bad day to switching between no mobility aid, a walking stick, crutches, a wheelchair, and a power chair means the amount of kit we need to ensure we can move on any given day is huge.
“All too often these costs are little but frequent and they add up. We also know disabled people earn less, struggle to find work, and often are unable to work full-time. This pushes the cost onto a lower-income household and increases the time spent at home versus an office which then costs to keep warm, comfortable, and mobile are significant when income isn’t.”
Notes:
Data was collected from GOV.UK via Stat-Xplore.
The number of clearances and registrations for both new claims and reassessments were analysed.
Full data can be found here.
Sources:
Disabled Brits struggle financially
Cost of living with a disability
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