DWP unveils criteria to help thousands claim Universal Credit WITHOUT an interview
THOUSANDS of households eligible for Universal Credit and PIP will be able to receive payments faster under the new rules.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has unveiled draft guidance explaining exactly who is eligible for a new fast-track application process.
The Severe Disability Group (SDG) is being established to help identify applicants with the most severe and permanently disabling conditions.
If you are found to be eligible and selected for the group, you can go through an accelerated application process for Universal Credit, PIP and Employment and Support Allowances (ESA).
You will receive the highest disability benefit available to you without having to go through the usual application and assessment process.
Universal Credit is a payment to help with your living costs. Claimants will receive standard compensation worth up to £578.82 and then additional elements, for example to help with disability costs.
Households suffering from a long-term illness, disability or mental health condition can receive up to £172.75 in additional help through Personal Independence Payments (PIP).
Under the SDG process, when a doctor or nurse determines that a patient meets the criteria, they must complete a short form to confirm the patient's eligibility.
Forms must be completed and returned to pip.severedisabilitygroup@dwp.gov.uk within 15 working days.
If the form confirms that the SDG criteria have been met, the DWP can make a longer extended award for Universal Credit or PIP.
The SDG was first introduced in the 2021 Green Paper on Health and Disability.
The resulting Health and Disability White Paper published in 2023 found that design and testing of the Severe Disability Group had already begun in autumn 2022.
Now the DWP has confirmed that it is expanding the testing phase to a wider number of claimants for PIP.
It asks a select group of physicians to identify patients they believe are eligible, or contact claimants they believe are directly eligible to participate in the testing phase.
To meet the SDG criteria, claimants must:
- If you have an irreversible or progressive condition, confirmed or managed by a secondary care specialist, with no realistic prospect of improvement
- You have not had a significant response to treatment, or the treatment will not improve functioning, or no further treatment is planned
- Have severe impairment of physical or mental function (or are likely to develop within six months) such that they require assistance from another person to complete two or more activities of daily living
At this time, there are no published guidelines on how to interpret these criteria, so it is expected that physicians will be able to use them quite broadly.
While the focus of the SDG testing is on PIP for now, the DWP will roll this out to those eligible for Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowances (ESA) in the future.
What is PIP?
HOUSEHOLDS suffering from long-term illness, disability or mental illness can receive extra help through Personal Independence Payments (PIP).
The maximum you can receive from the government benefit is €172.75 per week.
PIP is for people over 16 years old and under the state pension age, currently 66.
Crucially, you also have a health condition or disability where you have had difficulties with daily living or getting around (or both) for three months, and you expect these difficulties to last for at least nine months (unless you have a terminal illness are). with less than 12 months to live).
You can also claim PIP if you are in or out of work and you already have limited options for payments for work and work-related activities (LCWRA) when you claim Universal Credit.
PIP consists of two parts and whether you receive one or both parts depends on the severity of your condition.
You can get the mobility part of PIP if you need help getting out or moving. The weekly rate for this is £26.90 or £71.
For the daily living part of PIP, the weekly rate is €68.10 or €101.75 – and you can get both elements, for a maximum of €172.75 in total.
You can apply for PIP at the same time as other benefits, except the Armed Forces Independence Benefit.
Make a claim by calling the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on 0800 917 2222.
It comes after a High Court decision in July 2019 changed the way the DWP defines 'social support' in one of the PIP categories assessed.
Dubbed the 'MM' judgment, the DWP realized that hundreds of thousands could now be entitled to additional support.
It means that people may not have received one of the two elements of PIP even though they were actually entitled to it.
Others may have received the standard rate but should have received the increased rate, which is a higher amount.
In response, the DWP launched an administrative exercise in 2021, looking at PIP claims since 6 April 2016 to determine whether claimants may be eligible for more support.
In its latest update, the DWP says it has identified around 326,000 cases requiring assessment.
To date, around 79,000 cases reflecting MM's judgment have been assessed and arrears totaling around £74 million have been paid out to 14,000 people.
The exact amount of retroactive PIP payments you might qualify for will depend on your own circumstances, but the average payout is around £5,285 per claim.
Check if you are affected.