PIP claimants in 3 UK areas ‘losing £9,583’ | | European Markets

PIP claimants in three UK areas are shedding as a lot as £9,583 every per yr as a result of of an obvious postcode lottery on denied claims.

A new evaluation of Private Independence Funds claims has discovered that functions for the weekly money funds for many who need help with day by day residing or mobility are 3 times more doubtless to achieve success in some areas of the UK than others.

The evaluation, by Cool Crutches & Strolling Sticks, stated that in knowledge obtained from gov.uk, about 300,000 PIP claims have been rejected in 2024, with one three UK areas topping the listing for refusals.

Birmingham was the UK space named the least more likely to secure PIP advantages, with 8,240 rejections when taking a look at each new claims and reassessments in 2024, adopted by Manchester with 4,212 denials after which Leeds with 4,196.

For purely new claims, London was high of the rejections with 44,155, whereas the North West was second at 42,734 and the South East third with 34,408.

Incapacity advocate, and co-founder of Cool Crutches & Strolling Sticks, Amelia Peckham, is raring for PIP claims to be made simpler, as evaluation found over 300,000 claims have been rejected in 2024.

Throughout a ladies’ vacation in Scotland, Amelia was concerned in a quad bike accident at 19 years previous, the place she was thrown into the air after hitting a pothole. The ensuing spinal damage, which her physician likened to a meringue being smashed with a hammer, left her bedridden for months and completely reliant on mobility aids.

Amelia attended her reassessment alone, as a consequence of her husband wanting after their sick kids, however felt this together with utilizing a desk to stand up as an alternative of her crutch bought her marked down.

Amelia stated: “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.”

PIP is paid in two elements, a day by day residing half and a mobility half.

For day by day residing, chances are you’ll get the money for those who need help making ready food, eating and consuming, managing your medication, utilizing the toilet, undressing or dressing or a number of different everyday duties.

For the mobility half, chances are you’ll be entitled to PIP for those who need help bodily transferring round or leaving your home.

When you certified for each the day by day residing and mobility elements and have been paid the upper fee for each, £108.55 per week for residing and £75.75 for mobility, you’ll get up to £9,583 per yr.

This week, health and illness advantages have been put back into the highlight after Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall’s feedback.

She stated some people on advantages are “taking the mickey” however “there are many more people who want to work”.

Liz Kendall’s feedback come as a report from the Division of Work and Pensions (DWP) discovered 49% of health and incapacity advantages recipients reported feeling they’d by no means be capable to work or work again, of which 66% felt their health was more likely to worsen sooner or later.

Ms Kendall informed ITV: “I think what the survey shows today is that despite all the myths, a lot of people who are currently on sickness or disability benefits want to work.”

Requested if people on advantages are “pretending they can’t work” she added: “Many of them have either just lost jobs that they desperately miss, or really want to get back into to work once they’ve got their health condition under control.

“So I think that there are many more people who want to work. I have no doubt, as there always have been, there are people who shouldn’t be on those benefits who are taking the mickey and that is not good enough – we have to end that.”

The Work Aspirations of Well being and Incapacity Claimants report was based mostly on a survey of 3,401 health and incapacity benefit recipients, together with these receiving Private Independence Cost (PIP), Employment and Help Allowance (ESA), and people on the Common Credit score (UC) Well being Journey.