>Just 4,200 Brits have been handed welfare back payments in a massive review the Tories claimed could benefit 220,000.
>Ministers agreed in 2018 to pay vast numbers of people with mental health issues more Personal Independence Payments (PIP) after a court defeat.
>Fearing the change would cost £3.7bn over five years, ministers initially rewrote the law to avoid obeying the tribunal.
>But after an outcry, they U-turned and agreed payments for those affected.
>Estimates at the time suggested 164,000 people could benefit, and then-welfare chief Esther McVey later said “it could affect up to 220,000 people”.
>But it’s understood the initial estimate was based on a sample of just 60 people, and later estimates were of how many people “might” benefit.
>Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) officials now admit the real figure is much lower.
>Sophie Corlett of mental health charity Mind said: “Right now, many people with mental health problems in receipt of benefits are already really struggling financially, sometimes having to skimp on heating or food.
>”The courts have already said people should be in receipt of their full PIP, so people should be urgently given their backdated payments. This is even more important as the cost-of-living rate soars.
>”Thousands of people are being left without the financial support they need without reason or apology – pushing more into real hardship – it is an appalling state of affairs.”
>The decision brought the government in line with a tribunal judgement in November 2016.
>Known as the ‘MH’ case, it ruled people who suffer “overwhelming psychological distress” when travelling alone should qualify more easily for PIP.
>Almost a million cases were reviewed against the ‘MH’ tribunal as of November 1, but only 4,200 received arrears payments totalling £22m.
>A further 4,100 people received another £22m of arrears connected to a different tribunal judgement known as ‘RJ’.
>DWP is planning to write to another 180,000 claimants who fought a tribunal themselves, inviting them to have their claim reviewed.
>But these letters will only be sent in 2022 – six years after the original ruling.
>Anyone eligible for a payment receives it backdated to the original tribunal.
>A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “We have paid £22m in back payments to thousands of claimants, and made it clear our early estimates of those affected were likely to change.”
**In summary – if you had a PIP LEAP review denied due to your original PIP decision being made by a tribunal, then you have a good chance of being accepted for review this time, potentially entitling you to a back-payment from the date of the tribunal**
And she went out singing karaoke after, like she didn’t give a shit, too
Despite however many assurances that past failures will be fixed the DWP just keeps on implementing cruel measures against the disabled. We need to replace the system wholesale once the Conservatives are out of office, its not fit for purpose.
From the small image thumbnail (on my phone), I initially thought “Stewart Lee has let himself go”.
More needs to be done to help disabled people appeal any DWP rulings against them, as many are overturned when they go to trial, all thanks to the easily disprovable lies found in DWP reports. The government rely on disabled people not wanting to cause a fuss and to be quiet for fear of losing anything else. Disabled people need to believe that proper support is out there and that people want to help them fight for what they deserve.
I’m glad that the media are picking up on the dodgy going-ons at DWP. They’ve got away with it for far too long and people who should be entitled to PIP are severely struggling right now. I am currently battling the DWP where they have scored me 1 point, when I am essentially housebound, signed off work pretty much indefinately… etc. Currently battling their first decision then i’ll take it to tribunal (when) they come back with more excuses.
It’s an utterly ridiculous process with some cruel people working there for sure.
You can find that fleshy behemoth in Doom guy’s bestiary.
Increasingly people use worlds like Could Should Would etc to deceive because their meanings are both nuanced and ambiguous.
8 comments
>Just 4,200 Brits have been handed welfare back payments in a massive review the Tories claimed could benefit 220,000.
>Ministers agreed in 2018 to pay vast numbers of people with mental health issues more Personal Independence Payments (PIP) after a court defeat.
>Fearing the change would cost £3.7bn over five years, ministers initially rewrote the law to avoid obeying the tribunal.
>But after an outcry, they U-turned and agreed payments for those affected.
>Estimates at the time suggested 164,000 people could benefit, and then-welfare chief Esther McVey later said “it could affect up to 220,000 people”.
>But it’s understood the initial estimate was based on a sample of just 60 people, and later estimates were of how many people “might” benefit.
>Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) officials now admit the real figure is much lower.
>Sophie Corlett of mental health charity Mind said: “Right now, many people with mental health problems in receipt of benefits are already really struggling financially, sometimes having to skimp on heating or food.
>”The courts have already said people should be in receipt of their full PIP, so people should be urgently given their backdated payments. This is even more important as the cost-of-living rate soars.
>”Thousands of people are being left without the financial support they need without reason or apology – pushing more into real hardship – it is an appalling state of affairs.”
>The decision brought the government in line with a tribunal judgement in November 2016.
>Known as the ‘MH’ case, it ruled people who suffer “overwhelming psychological distress” when travelling alone should qualify more easily for PIP.
>Almost a million cases were reviewed against the ‘MH’ tribunal as of November 1, but only 4,200 received arrears payments totalling £22m.
>A further 4,100 people received another £22m of arrears connected to a different tribunal judgement known as ‘RJ’.
>DWP is planning to write to another 180,000 claimants who fought a tribunal themselves, inviting them to have their claim reviewed.
>But these letters will only be sent in 2022 – six years after the original ruling.
>Anyone eligible for a payment receives it backdated to the original tribunal.
>A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “We have paid £22m in back payments to thousands of claimants, and made it clear our early estimates of those affected were likely to change.”
**In summary – if you had a PIP LEAP review denied due to your original PIP decision being made by a tribunal, then you have a good chance of being accepted for review this time, potentially entitling you to a back-payment from the date of the tribunal**
And she went out singing karaoke after, like she didn’t give a shit, too
Despite however many assurances that past failures will be fixed the DWP just keeps on implementing cruel measures against the disabled. We need to replace the system wholesale once the Conservatives are out of office, its not fit for purpose.
From the small image thumbnail (on my phone), I initially thought “Stewart Lee has let himself go”.
I guess [this image](https://fournews-assets-prod-s3-ew1-nmprod.s3.amazonaws.com/media/2013/02/04_lee_w.jpg) shows why I might have thought that.
More needs to be done to help disabled people appeal any DWP rulings against them, as many are overturned when they go to trial, all thanks to the easily disprovable lies found in DWP reports. The government rely on disabled people not wanting to cause a fuss and to be quiet for fear of losing anything else. Disabled people need to believe that proper support is out there and that people want to help them fight for what they deserve.
I’m glad that the media are picking up on the dodgy going-ons at DWP. They’ve got away with it for far too long and people who should be entitled to PIP are severely struggling right now. I am currently battling the DWP where they have scored me 1 point, when I am essentially housebound, signed off work pretty much indefinately… etc. Currently battling their first decision then i’ll take it to tribunal (when) they come back with more excuses.
It’s an utterly ridiculous process with some cruel people working there for sure.
You can find that fleshy behemoth in Doom guy’s bestiary.
Increasingly people use worlds like Could Should Would etc to deceive because their meanings are both nuanced and ambiguous.