The DWP document ‘Equality Analysis PIP assessment criteria’ lists over 20 conditions most likely to lead to claimants being eligible for an award of PIP arrears. It gives an insight into who the DWP is likely to be looking at when considering arrears under the LEAP review.
The original estimate by the DWP that 160,000 claimants would be entitled to arrears was based on claimants who scored four points for mobility descriptor 1b - Needs prompting to be able to undertake any journey to avoid overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant - before the MH judgement and who also had one of the conditions listed below:
- Agoraphobia
- Alcohol misuse
- Anxiety and depressive disorders (mixed)
- Anxiety disorders
- Autism
- Bipolar affective disorder (Hypomania / Mania)
- Cognitive disorders
- Dementia
- Depressive disorder
- Drug misuse
- Learning disability
- Mood disorders
- Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD
- Panic disorder
- Personality disorder
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Psychotic disorders
- Schizoaffective disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Stress reaction disorders
It should be stressed that this was just the DWP’s prediction of who is most likely to be eligible. Just because your condition is not listed here, that does not mean that you are not entitled to a back payment.
Nor, if your condition is listed here does it mean that you are going to get an award. It is clear that the DWP has chosen to make very few awards indeed. At the moment, rather than the over 160,000 awards originally estimated, the DWP is on course to make around 7,000.
However, Benefits and Work is currently looking into ways the LEAP review results can be challenged and we hope to have more information for readers in the coming weeks.
You can download a copy of ‘Equality Analysis PIP Assessment Criteria’
