Disabled people facing unnecessary Pip reassessments

[s1962a]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/15/d...

We all want a cut to waste spending on benefits, but reading through some of the scenarios where people with disabilities that are never going to get better (cerebal palsy, missing limbs etc), it seems like the private companies that are doing the assessments are just grifting at this point, no doubt collecting outrageous fees. If someone is permanently disabled or is unlikely to get better, whats the point of reassessing them every 3 years, which takes a year itself? Total waste of money. Have they run out of "I don't feel like working, I have ADHD" type applicants?

article said:

Steve, formerly an NHS technician, had to give up work after sustaining a brain injury in a car accident in 2019. Since then, he has relied on disability benefits to get by. Backlogs meant the 46-year-old from south London only started receiving Pip in 2021, but it was reassessed just two years later. Upon review, he had his award reduced by £120 a month, despite his disability remaining the same.

With his Pip cut and universal credit his only other income, Steve struggled to pay his rent. He appealed, but navigating the system was arduous. “My brain injury makes paperwork much more difficult, particularly as the benefit forms are written in a way that’s hard to understand. It leaves me fatigued and anxious.”

In January 2026, the decision was overturned and Steve’s payments were increased to the original rate as well as backdated. In total, it took two-and-a-half years to get back to where he started. He is already worried about when he will next be reassessed.

“Even though I won, it felt hollow because I know I’ll have to go through it again in 18 to 20 months,” he said. “Each time I have less fight left. They take lumps out of you.”