DWP delays highlighted as 1,300 PIP applicants die before final decision

A stark warning has been issued that vulnerable benefit claimants are losing their lives while waiting for crucial payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). One man has been stuck in limbo for nearly three years, only recently securing a reassessment - but the case still awaits a resolution, as reported by the Independent.

Statistics reveal that Personal Independence Payment (PIP) applicants face an average delay of almost four months for their claims to be processed, with a staggering 1,300 passing away before receiving a final verdict, as disclosed under Freedom of Information laws. A 40 year old man from Northern Ireland, who first applied for PIP in June 2022, remains in a state of uncertainty, still waiting for the benefit.

He told the Independent: "During that time, to be honest at times I'd lost hope. I felt that my body was failing me, and I felt like I actually wasn't being believed."

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote emphasized that the union had repeatedly cautioned the DWP about a staffing crisis that would have severe consequences for both its employees delivering the benefit and those relying on it, but "they failed to take action". She said: "By targeting the most vulnerable in society with £5bn of cuts to the welfare system, ministers will be removing vital safety nets for people with disabilities and health conditions, allowing them to slip through the sort of safety net that every decent society should provide."

SNP social justice spokesperson Kirsty Blackman added: "These figures must now be the long-overdue wake-up call that the DWP needs to finally get a grip with the problem of long delays and backlogs when processing applications."

Mikey Erhardt, from Disability Rights UK, blamed poor decision-making for the backlog, reports Birmingham Live. He said: "PIP decision delays leave many thousands of disabled people waiting months for vital support. Poor decision-making then leads to even more months of delay waiting for appeals to be heard – of which around 70 per cent are successful."

He added: "The government needs to prioritise giving additional capacity to DWP, to process new claims and review existing ones, in a timely way."

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