PIP. Personal Independence Payment Claimant Research – Final Report Summary: Damming.

37% of people who do not appeal the decision made in their PIP appeal during mandatory reconsideration (MR) do not do so because the process would be too stressful.

While 83% of people in the survey knew what the first step in claiming PIP was, 46% said they knew nothing of the process, while 36% said they had no idea why people would claim PIP.

The report notes that the main reasons for appealing is that 42% do not receive their award, 26% find that the DWP did not take their evidence into account, and that 25% found the face-to-face assessment unfair. They also found that claimants feared the DWP would treat them unfairly during their appeal, saying: “The qualitative research revealed that claimants were sometimes reluctant to contact the DWP for advice or further information after receiving their decision letter, due to concerns that it would not be impartial.”

31% of claimants found that there was evidence they wanted to submit as part of their appeal, noting that they believed the DWP would contact their doctors to find out more about them. “There was a widespread misconception (shown in the survey and the qualitative research) that DWP would gather medical evidence as part of the assessment process, partly because claimants were asked to provide contact details for their doctor on the ‘How your disability affects you’ questionnaire.”

The full report. Here.

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