PIP survey - intriguing!

[SurveyServus]

Hi all

I've just been sent (in the post) an invitation to take part in a survey regarding Personal Independence Payment. It's being done on behalf of the DWP. Apparently they have randomly selected over 60,000 people who claim PIP.

It's called the "Areas of Extra Costs Survey". Apparently it's to identify the sort of extra costs disabled people face to overcome barriers to participating in society. (<- my paraphrasing.)

Presumably this is part of proposals to change PIP.

It's good that they are actually asking disabled people. It's also good that they are considering what actually costs money to inform how to target funds.

But I am concerned it's going to be one of those surveys with limited response options or no questions that cover where the money is actually needed.

Sharing here as I thought it might be of interest to posters.

If I receive it, I won't be participating.

I doubt anything actually useful will come from it, but fully expect to see news rags coming out with articles on "This is what YOUR hard earned taxes are being spent on!" with some exaggerated, inflated figures

I suspect they'll use it as an excuse to reduce pip for some people

I've had one of these aswell. I'm suspicious as pp said what is their objective?

It’s a trap. I would not be taking part. I hope no one does.

Others are furious:

Why wouldn’t you just fill it out honestly? Anything that improves the allocation of benefits to those most in need must be a good thing

I don’t understand why anybody who has been complaining about the PIP cuts would choose not to fill it out to be honest. You can’t winge that “they don’t understand how important this money is” and then when you are quite literally sent an opportunity to tell them how important the money is failing to fill it out.

Because from my understanding, from what I have read, the form is tailored so questions can only be answered in a particular way. I have not seen the form, but if leading disability charities are advocating not to fill them in, then that must stand for something.

I use mine for moisturisers, cotton gloves, nitrile gloves, specific shampoo bars and washing powders, balms and OTC medications (inc vitamins and painkillers I technicallycould get on prescription but would cost the NHS a whole lot more. I also use it for meal deliveries that are tailored to my dietary needs, taxis because I can't drive. B12 injections.

Good for you… fill the form out if you get it so that this info is passed on to the people who make the decisions

Is that a leading disability charity? Or a Facebook group? Off to Google.

I would worry that we will all end up with humiliating vouchers

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-10-04/6445

scope appear to be on board

The entire point of PIP is that there is no "one size fits all" disability. Everyone experiences and manages disability differently. And if this were to be trusted (a) bring in independant researchers - nobody trusts the DWP and (b) they have already decided what they are doing, so why a consultation now?

This is like the text I received today from the DWP. It was an urgent reminder (oddly, the first one I have ever had, so not exactly a reminder) that I haven't applied for my winter fuel allowance (the one I am no longer eligible for) because the closing date is TOMORROW. Wow, so impressed that they sent a "reminder" the day before it closes. They obviously desperately wanted people who needed it to apply, since they have sent out not a single other communication about it in six months!

PIP is a non means tested benefit meant to cover the additional expenses arising from a disability. I don’t find it odd that the DWP are asking what exactly those costs are. In circumstances where there just isn’t enough money to go round, we need to target benefits where they are most needed. I have come across numerous PIP claimants who don’t actually need the money, they just claim it because they are “entitled” (I help people fill in the forms).

I don’t think it’s helpful to refuse to participate. It’s really important to have robust statistics for decision making. How is anyone supposed to plan properly in a vacuum of information?

The information can also be used to defend against budget cuts. If someone can stand up in defence of a budget and say where the money is going it’s harder to take away. If we take away x then y will suffer as unable to afford z.

You’d think it’d be obvious and common sense but apparently not as they have spent the dosh on a survey. If the response is poor I’d say cuts / changes/ vouchers are more likely as failing to show accountability to taxpayer.

Yep. I don’t want vouchers. I need the payments to fill the gap between my old income and the fact I cannot work at all now. And yes before someone leaps on me, I know it’s not meant to be used for that; I know lots of people with PIP work and I know it’s not means tested, but for many like me it’s the difference between being able to stay in my house and having to move somewhere completely different and have a completely different quality of life. (I’m on the highest rates of PIP long term / ongoing, I became disabled about ten years ago and before that was a high earner / marketing manager).

My DH has a person to cut the lawn for him once a week, front and back. We have a cleaner twice a week as he can't really do any chores as very poor mobility. That's mostly what he spends his PIP on.

Government already have access to much of this information from assessments for care from the local authority. They just conveniently don’t want to use it because, if it really addressed all the additional costs it would probably need to treble!

That assumes most people who claim PIP are within the purview of local authority care which in my experience just is not true.

Maybe not, but there is plenty of data to illustrate that PIP is not adequate to cover the additional costs for those that are!

That is a scam text , loads of people have had them but the deadline closed at the end of last year officially

This.

The advice from disabilty charities is do not fill this in.

That is not what will happen ,or the purpose of this!