A Personal Independence Payment (PIP) recipient, Georgina Colman, has raised concerns over new eligibility rules that could drastically reduce her monthly support.
Living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and ADHD, Colman worries that these changes, set to take effect soon, will affect many claimants.
According to information from DevonLive, Colman is not alone in her concerns about the future impact of these adjustments on the financial stability of disabled individuals.
New Rules May Exclude Many Claimants From Key Benefits
The upcoming changes to PIP eligibility require claimants to score at least four points in one of the daily living activities to qualify for the lower daily living portion.
For Colman, this new requirement could result in the loss of her enhanced mobility rate, currently valued at £303 per month, alongside £290.60 for the standard daily living component.
These payments are already not enough to meet her financial needs, but the new rules could make matters worse.
The Financial Burden Remains Despite Existing Support
Even with her current PIP payments, Colman finds it challenging to meet her financial needs. She explains that her monthly expenses, including costs for assistive technology, therapies, and mobility aids, already exceed the amount she receives.
Colman uses her PIP payments primarily to cover vehicle-related costs and other essential treatments like neurophysiotherapy and foot drop devices. Despite working, her additional costs still leave her with a financial shortfall.
One of her major expenses is a foot drop device, which costs around £3,500, and her previous device lasted less than three years. She also spends £15 each month on electrode pads for the foot drop device.
Additionally, she faces a £240 monthly expense for neurophysiotherapy, which is set to increase in April 2025, along with other therapies that help maintain her mobility. Furthermore, Colman deals with ongoing costs for assistive technologies and wheelchairs, which unfortunately do not last as long as she would hope.
Ms. Colman said :
My costs are much higher than the amount I receive but I work and that also goes towards my additional costs. It’s hard to know what the monthly shortfall is as I have a combination of monthly costs and then costs for assisted technologies or wheelchairs that never last as long as you would hope.
PIP Changes Set to Affect More Recipients in the Coming Years
The new rules on eligibility are set to take effect in November 2026, after the next benefits increase in April 2025, which will raise the basic daily living rate to £320 per month.
However, Colman warns that many claimants will likely experience a significant reduction in their payments, especially as these changes coincide with rising living costs.
The new rules will further impact people like Colman, who rely on the mobility allowance for vehicle-related expenses and other necessities.
Additionally, the 1.7% increase in PIP payments starting in April 2025 will adjust the basic daily living rate to £73.90 per week, which translates to approximately £320 per month or £3,842.80 annually.
While this may seem like a positive change, Colman emphasises that it won’t be enough to offset the rising costs of living and medical expenses that many disabled people face.
A Shift in Government Priorities Needed
Colman argues that the government’s approach to benefits reform should focus not only on getting disabled people into work but also on addressing systemic issues like employment barriers and the pay gap between disabled and non-disabled workers.
She also criticises the current PIP assessments, describing them as degrading and humiliating, particularly when assessors lack an understanding of the claimant’s specific health needs.
Ms Colman said :
The whole discussion is around getting disabled people into work, but PIP is not an out of work benefit, it is to pay for the extra costs of living with a disability. If the Government really wants to help more disabled people into work, then they need to address the systemic failures with employment barriers and the pay gap between disabled and non-disabled people.
A survey conducted among members of Colman’s Purpl discount site found that four out of ten users rely on their PIP payments to cover essential expenses like mobility aids, therapy costs, medications, supplements, and other disability-related products not provided by the NHS.
As the government moves forward with changes that will affect the financial well-being of many disabled individuals, it remains to be seen how these reforms will impact the PIP system and whether further adjustments will be made to ensure recipients can still meet their needs.
