Have you been refused PIP despite needing help with everyday activities? Are you worried that working, having a fluctuating condition or struggling to explain your needs could count against you?

Two recent reports have brought those concerns into sharp focus. The i Paper reported that the proportion of new PIP claims awarded after assessment has fallen from 54% in April 2024 to 42%. And Disability News Service revealed that a senior Serco executive responsible for overseeing assessments across much of southern England had previously tweeted: “Help is for weak people.”

These are different stories, but they raise a shared question: how can you make sure your real needs are properly understood in a system facing growing scrutiny?

What the figures do, and do not, tell us

The i Paper’s analysis of official figures found that the proportion of new PIP claims resulting in an award after assessment fell from 54% in April 2024 to 48% last year, and then to 42% in the latest figures it examined. It also reported that the Office for Budget Responsibility revised its forecast for working-age disability benefit spending down by £1 billion for 2030–31, citing “a much lower proportion of these [PIP] claims being awarded after assessment compared to previous years”.

The number of registered PIP claims rose by 17% over the past year, according to figures cited in the report.

Those statistics show a change in outcomes. On their own, they do not establish why fewer claims are being awarded. Claims that assessments have become harsher, or that assessors are being pressed to reduce points, come from advisers and a former assessor quoted by the i, not from evidence of a government instruction to refuse more claims.

That distinction matters. A NewsCord analysis of the i Paper story also cautioned that its “crackdown” headline could give the impression of a deliberate policy, while the article’s evidence about pressure on assessors is attributed to its interviewees.

Advisers and a former assessor raise concerns

James Merrell, a former PIP assessor who worked for a contractor from 2023 to 2024, told the i that “it’s definitely getting more difficult to make a successful claim”. He said managers were asking assessors to review their recommendations more often, and described pressure to reduce points.

Merrell also said assessors had become less flexible in considering fluctuating conditions such as multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia.

Dylan Thomas, who supports claimants at appeal tribunals, told the paper that “the system appears to be getting harsher”. He said that in some cases, having a job, even part-time work, appeared to count against people.

Assessors from contracted companies provide assessment reports, but the DWP makes the decision on entitlement. A report that does not reflect your day-to-day needs can still have a serious effect on that decision.

The Serco story raises a separate question

Disability News Service reported that Andy Bowie, Serco’s director of employment, assessments and training, oversees the company’s delivery of work capability and PIP assessments across much of southern and south-western England.

The report says that Bowie posted offensive and harmful messages on social media between 2011 and 2014, including the 2014 remark “Help is for weak people”. It also reported that he expressed support for Tommy Robinson, then leader of the English Defence League.

The posts are historic. Bowie deleted his account after Disability News Service raised the matter with Serco, and the news service says it retained images of the posts. Serco has launched an investigation, saying the posts “fundamentally go against our values” and that it is seeking to establish the full facts.

The DWP said it was for Serco to comment on its own staffing matters. A department spokesperson condemned “offensive and harmful language targeting anyone, including minority groups and vulnerable people”.

A disabled man who shared the posts with Disability News Service described feeling vulnerable after a “dreadful assessment” and said that dignity matters when someone is going through the process. That concern is understandable. But the report does not establish that Bowie’s personal views affected any individual assessment or decision.

The legitimate question is about trust and oversight: how are assessment services managed, and how can claimants be confident that their needs are treated with dignity?

Eligibility: what PIP is assessed on

PIP is for people aged 16 up to State Pension age who have difficulties with daily living, mobility, or both. In general, those difficulties must have lasted for at least three months and be expected to continue for at least nine months. Residence and immigration rules also apply.

PIP is not means-tested: your income or savings do not determine whether you qualify. Your diagnosis alone does not determine entitlement either. The key issue is how your condition affects you in practice.

The daily living component considers activities such as preparing food, washing, dressing, managing treatment, communicating and engaging with other people. The mobility component considers planning and following journeys and moving around.

For each component, 8 points qualify for the standard rate and 12 points for the enhanced rate. You may qualify for one component or both.

The rules also require activities to be considered in terms of whether you can do them safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and within a reasonable time. If pain, fatigue, distress or risk means you cannot manage an activity reliably, that detail can matter. Working does not automatically prevent entitlement: the relevant question is what you can manage, and what help you need, in the activities PIP assesses.

Make your day-to-day needs clear

When describing your circumstances, don’t feel you have to minimise your difficulties. Specific examples can help show what a task is really like, not just whether you can sometimes do it.

Consider explaining:

• What happens when you try an activity, and what help, prompting, supervision or equipment you need.
• How often the difficulty occurs, including what changes on better and worse days.
• Whether you can do the activity safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and within a reasonable time.
• What happens afterwards, for example, whether you need to rest or experience increased pain or fatigue.

Keep relevant letters, care notes or other evidence together where you can. Evidence is most useful when it connects with your actual daily needs. You do not need jargon to explain your experience clearly.

If the decision does not match your reality

A refusal is not the end of the road. You can usually ask for a mandatory reconsideration first, normally within one month of the decision. If you remain unhappy after that, you can appeal to an independent tribunal, usually within one month of the mandatory reconsideration notice.

These deadlines are important, and it can be a weight off your mind to have someone help you understand what the decision says and where it may not reflect your needs. Our PIP appeals team can help you consider a challenge and present your case clearly. We can also provide assistance with PIP claims.

The government is expected to set out plans for PIP reform this month, following the Timms Review. But while those plans are considered, people still have to navigate the system as it works today.

At Benefit Answers, we are independent of the DWP and receive no government funding. We help people present their circumstances in the best light, without jargon, and challenge decisions that do not match the evidence. Our reported 86% success rate is an overall, service-wide figure; it is not a guarantee of success for any individual claim.

Our initial advice is always free. If you then ask us to provide direct assistance with a claim, reconsideration or appeal, we work on a success fee basis. We are not part of the DWP and receive no government funding.

We handle personal information securely. You can read our privacy policy before getting in touch.

For independent help with your PIP claim or appeal, contact Benefit Answers: info@benefitanswers.co.uk or 0333 121 2128