PIP Replacing DLA To Save Money ? Interestingly ... No , Apparently!

**Disability benefit spending surges despite government pledge PIP would significantly reduce expenditure

Transition to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) has increased spending by 15 to 20 per cent since 2013 – despite claims the controversial reform would reduce expenditure by a fifth.**

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**_Government spending on disability benefits has surged by around 15 to 20 per cent despite promises that controversial changes to the system would significantly reduce expenditure, new figures show.

Analysis by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) shows that the transition to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) had costed taxpayers considerably more since its introduction in 2013 – despite claims it would reduce spending by a fifth.

PIP was originally intended to save money relative to Disability Living Allowance (DLA). Ministers said it would be save £1.4bn a year by 2015-16, but spending on disability benefits exceeded forecasts, often by large amounts.
The OBR said it tested PIP against three simple scenarios if DLA had remained in place and found that it appears to have cost around £1.5bn to £2bn a year more than the previous benefit would have.

“Far from significantly reducing spending as planned, the introduction of PIP appears to have raised it,” the OBR said. “Indeed, PIP appears to cost more than a continuation of DLA would have done.”

The new disability benefit has been riddled with criticism from the outset, with concerns that the assessment process for PIP claims was contributing to a “pervasive lack of trust” in the system, and figures showing that refusals were being overturned at appeal at a rate of 68 per cent.

The Independent revealed this week that more than 17,000 people have died while waiting to hear whether their PIP claims were successful since 2013.

This prompted accusations that the government was “failing people at the most vulnerable point in their lives”.

Waiting times for PIP claims have meanwhile risen over the last year, with the latest figures published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) showing that the average waiting time for new claims is 14 weeks – a rise of a month since March 2018.

A government spokesperson said: “Our priority has always been to ensure disabled people get the support they’re entitled to. PIP is designed to focus support on people with the greatest needs and that’s happening, with 31 per cent of people getting the highest level of support, compared to 15 per cent under DLA.

“As with any major new benefit we have been flexible and adapted our approach, and we continue to make improvements to ensure PIP is working in the best way possible.”_** >


Just how much misery has this " Project " caused …for the sake of trying to save monies ???

I’m sorry Chris, I missed your thread.
This money is paid to ATOS and Capita and the Tribunals for reassessment and appeals of which 70% are successful. Which means the original assessments were wrong.

70% shows how rubbish the assessments are. So by trying to cut people out of PIP to save money is actually costing a lot more.

So if we wound the clock back on all welfare cuts it would be costing a lot less than it is now. Yeah that’s really smart.

No problem.

Always better twice than not at all ???

Quite a bit on the use of " Private sector " assessors in the press / on this forum over the past couple of years.

Targets agreed so that XX percentage automatically fail ?

Depends what you read … and where you read it ?

I agree with all of that Chris.
I too wonder whether or rather by how much are the assessors incentivised to fail claimants? targets etc by the mere fact they are massive commercial companies with vast profits.
But I am also certain that some of the assessors are driven by their own personal ignorance and bigotry as was proven in a certain Panorama investigation.
Certain careers do attract a certain type of abusive mind to vent their feelings. That is about as PC as I can say it. :wink:

The MSM news media are not our friends, although the Daily Mirror is making an effort to stand up for ESA claimants.
The news media is far too politically owned by a close knit set of individuals and corporations.
I get a lot of unfiltered news from DPAC which I am a member of. They are a politically active side of defending the sick and disabled. DPAC were instrumental in obtaining the UN investigation into the way disabled people are treated by the government. This was before the recent UN investigation into welfare cuts and poverty.
Both are damning reports which the government has totally ignored. Thus proving that the UN is too weak to take action against the British government despite the two UN reports. The only civilized country to be investigated by the UN in this manner and totally condemning the British government in its inhumane treatment of the sick and disabled.

We aren’t allowed to mention the death rate. But until people start talking about it, it will continue unabated.

Death rate ?

Now out in the open :

https://www.carersuk.org/forum/support-and-advice/carer-disability-benefits/waiting-for-benefit-decisions-payments-the-death-toll-is-grim-36113

Universal Credit … only one tenth rolled out and , already , the queues at the foodbanks are at record levels.

That main thread takes some reading … most of Colin’s observations are in there , and explained in greater detail.