New analysis by disability charity Scope shows that a wrong benefits decision is being overturned every minute of the working day, as thousands have to fight every month to get the main disability benefit Personal Independence Payment.
Scope has demanded urgent action from Government after publishing the analysis which shows that on average, more than 12,000 Disabled people are successfully overturning wrong Personal Independence Payment (PIP) decisions every month.
Disabled people can appeal if their PIP claim has been turned down or if they are awarded less financial support than they had expected.
Scope found that between July 2019 and June 2021, on average there have been 12,579 successful appeals (including mandatory reconsiderations and tribunals) every month – equivalent to 600 every day. Since July 2019 and June 2021, there have been a total of 301,899 successful appeals. 70% of PIP tribunals are successful.
Figures also show the Government spent £120 million fighting disability benefit claims for PIP and Employment Support Allowance (ESA) between 2017 and 2019.
DR UK has backed Scope’s new petition calling on Government to make sure Disabled people get the rights benefit decision first time. The petition calls for Disabled people to have the right to request an appropriate assessor who properly understands a claimant’s condition.