The latest statistics from the Tribunals Service reveal that almost two thirds of personal independence payment (PIP) appeals are successful.{jcomments on}
The success rate for PIP appeals in the last quarter of 2015-16 stands at 63%. This is up from 53% in the same quarter last year. Appeals success rates for PIP claimant have gone up every quarter since they first began.
The number of appeals that were heard has also risen in the last year from 3,826 to 15,971.
It will be a source of huge embarrassment to the DWP that even after the introduction of mandatory reconsideration before appeal, the majority of claimant who go to tribunal win their case.
Employment and support allowance (ESA) appeal success rates also remain high. There were 14,691 ESA appeals in the last quarter of 2015/16 with a success rate of 58%. This compares with 11,202 in the last quarter of 2014/15, when the success rate was 59%.
As you would expect with the introduction of PIP, the number of disability living allowance (DLA) appeals is now much lower than at its height in 2012, when there were over 22,000 appeals in a single quarter. There were 1,720 DLA appeals in the last quarter of 2015/16 compared with 1,577 in the last quarter of 2014/15.
However, the success rate is now at an all-time high of 58% compared with 52% a year ago.
The total number of social security appeals is also on the increase. There were 131,315 for the year 2015/16, compared with 124,602 in 2014/15.
However, they are still very far below the peak of 453,555 in 2013/14.
You can download the Tribunals Service statistics from this link.
