MPs have warned that too many delays for disability benefit claims to be processed is putting people at risk of debt and poverty as many waits for more than a year.
A report by the cross-party Public Accounts Committee (PAC) highlighted that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is falling short of its own targets for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims.
The department aims to process 75% of new claims within 75 working days, but only 51% met this target in the last financial year. The average time for a claim to be decided at the end of October was 16 weeks.
PIP provides financial support to people with long-term physical or mental health conditions to help with living costs. Around 3.7 million people currently receive the benefit in England and Wales.
The PAC described current processing times as “unacceptably poor,” with some claimants waiting over a year for decisions. Committee chairman Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown criticised the DWP for delays, saying, “We were reassured three years ago that improvements would be made, yet we are now told they are another three years away. This is simply not good enough for constituents at risk of poverty.”
The DWP is piloting an online application system in select postcodes, which has cut processing times by about 20 days. While the department previously said 20% of claims would be online by 2026, it now projects reaching that target by 2029.
The report also warned that shortening the first Universal Credit work coach meeting from 50 to 30 minutes could leave claimants with complex needs unsupported.
A DWP spokesperson said the department is modernising its systems and redeploying around 1,000 work coaches to better support sick and disabled claimants, alongside a £647m programme to improve service efficiency and fairness.
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