More than half of new claims for personal independence payment (PIP) in Scotland are refused, according to a Scottish Government report on the impact of UK Government welfare reforms on disabled people.
In a new report - The impact of welfare reforms on disabled people - the Scottish Government follows up its 2019 Annual Report on Welfare Reform, highlighting the impact that UK Government changes to welfare policies have had on disability benefit claimants.
Key findings include:
• Since the UK Government replaced DLA with PIP in 2013, 167,000 new claims in Scotland have been unsuccessful, 54% of all applications
• The share of claimants awarded PIP after a new claim has decreased since the benefit was introduced, from 74% in 2013/2014 to 56% in 2018/2019
• 39,000 people in Scotland lost their DLA entitlement when they were reassessed and then did not qualify for PIP (25% of all those reassessed).
Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP said:
"For disabled people, the stress and anxiety of the application process and face to face assessment process are already hallmarks of the UK Government’s welfare reforms.
Now this latest analysis shows that those most in need in our society are less likely to get help or have to fight through the courts to get what they are entitled to. Tens of thousands of disabled people are facing greater hardship because they have completely lost their benefits. We will do things differently as we start delivery of disability benefits over the next 18 months. Social security is an investment in the people of Scotland, and we want people to receive all the support they are entitled to. That is why we are building a new social security system from scratch - with fairness, respect and dignity at its heart."