Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a benefit for people aged over 16 and under State Pension age with a disability, long-term illness or mental health condition who need help completing daily tasks inside their home or getting around.
The latest statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show there are now more than three million people in the UK, including some 322,387 living in Scotland, receiving financial support of between £24.45 and £156.90 each week through PIP - the benefit is paid every four weeks so this amounts to between £97.80 and £627.60 every payment period.
At present, applications for the disability payment are made on paper, however, plans are underway to introduce a digital end-to-end PIP service, with the initial offering being an online application, which eventually will be available as self-service from GOV.UK.
Small-scale testing of the online application service began in January 2022 as part of the DWP’s Health Transformation Programme (HTP), which is modernising health and disability benefit services.
Minister for Disabled People, Tom Pursglove MP, recently explained that the DWP “aims to create a more efficient service and improved claimant experience, reducing journey times and improving trust in our services and decisions”.
He said: “HTP will transform all aspects of the PIP service across the full claimant journey, from finding out about benefits and eligibility, through to decision and payments.”
He added that HTP is one of the UK Government's major projects and has, therefore, been subject to appropriate scrutiny to ensure that its delivery plans are robust and that it will deliver value for money for the taxpayer.
The new PIP service will introduce an option to apply for PIP online.
Mr Pursglove said that DWP will be “developing the service carefully and incrementally, designing it around the needs of claimants”.
He added: “We understand that not everyone is comfortable or able to use online services.
“Use of the online service will be optional, and we will continue to provide alternative routes to claim for those who are unable, or prefer not to use, the online service.”
Last year, DWP published the ‘Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability’ Green Paper. This asked for views on ways DWP can improve people’s experience of the health and disability benefits system.
DWP then set out ways it could make the services easier to access, make their processes simpler and help build people’s trust.
More than 4,500 responses were received for the Health and Disability Green Paper consultation and will respond with a White Paper in the coming months.
When pressed on the publication of this document at a Work and Pensions Committee meeting earlier this week, DWP boss Mel Stride could not give a specific date, but said it would most-likely be in the early part of next year.
You can view the Green Paper online at GOV.UK here.
To keep up to date with the latest benefits news, join our Money Saving Scotland Facebook page here, or subscribe to our newsletter which goes out four times each week - sign up here.
READ NEXT
New cost of living payments worth up to £1,350 or millions of people next year
DWP £10 bonus payment for people on State Pension and certain benefits
DWP says 'no plans' to start means testing for disability benefits
State Pension and DWP benefits set to increase by 10.1% next April
People claiming PIP will never need to report any of these six changes to DWP
