The way millions of claimants are assessed for Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefits is set to change in just a matter of days, as the government takes a new approach to its outsourced assessment system. These changes to how Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Work Capability Assessments (WCA) are conducted will take effect from September.
Three separate private firms currently carry out these assessments, with Atos and Capita holding DWP contracts to conduct PIP assessments. WCAs, which calculate entitlement for work-related disability benefits, are carried out by a third company called Maximus
The Benefits and Work forum has revealed that, during last year’s contract bidding for regional assessments, the DWP confirmed that these contracts would be active from 2024 to 2029. However, the government is set to take a new approach, with a single assessment for all benefits.
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Contracts for Functional Assessment Services are slated to replace both PIP contracts and contracts for conducting WCAs for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Universal Credit. This means that the same company will conduct both types of assessment in any given regional area, reports the Daily Record.
This is part of the Health Transformation programme which proposes having a single assessment approach for all benefits that use a functional health assessment. From September, this means that all PIP and WCA assessments will be conducted by one company, Maximus.
Last year, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) disclosed plans to upgrade to a new telephony system in 2024 and improvise on the Video Assessment application, aiming to facilitate the recording of all disability health benefit consultations. However, this proposed change has not been implemented thus far.
Those with an upcoming Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment can request audio recording, but they need to inform the DWP before the consultation date.
A new Freedom of Information (FOI) request found that between the start of this year and the end of June, some 1,192 (1.4%) of PIP assessments were audio-recorded by Capita.
Similarly, the DWP confirmed that 366 (0.17%) PIP assessments were audio-recorded by IAS over the same period.
However, DWP clarified that the data provided is from management information produced by the assessment providers. It added: “This information is collected for internal use only and therefore has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.”
Number of PIP assessments audio-recorded between January and June, 2024:
Capita
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January 2024 – 298 (1.20%)
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February 2024 – 322 (1.37%)
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March 2024 – 323 (1.40%)
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April 2024 – 358 (1.57%)
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May 2024 – 318 (1.42%)
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June 2024 – 293 (1.46%)
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Total – 1,912 (1.4%average)
IAS
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January 2024 – 48 (0.12%)
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February 2024 – 47 (0.13%)
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March 2024 – 41 (0.11%)
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April 2024 – 51 (0.14%)
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May 2024 – 99 (0.27%)
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June 2024 – 80 (0.22%)
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Total – 366 (0.17% average)
Last month, the DWP confirmed that 500 PIP ‘light touch’ reviews conducted since August 2023 did not require an assessment by a health professional.
DWP confirmed that 508 PIP light touch reviews out of 521 were completed without an assessment, equivalent to 97 per cent. It’s also worth noting that only three reviews led to a reduction in PIP entitlement – two were reduced and one was disallowed.
The information supports an announcement made by the DWP earlier this year that in “most cases” people coming to the end of their 10-year award for PIP will not be required to attend a face-to-face assessment.
This follows on from the introduction of a new, shorter PIP review form that is now being sent out to those with a ‘light-touch’ award, which is typically for between five and 10 years.