Hundreds of thousands of benefit claimants across the UK are waiting for work capability assessment decisions, with some reporting mounting debts and worsening mental health. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says the system is under review as concerns grow over the impact of prolonged delays.
According to DWP figures reported by the BBC, 350,000 people were awaiting a work capability assessment decision in June, an increase of 23% compared with the previous year. The delays have left some claimants struggling to cover food, household bills and medical expenses while waiting for decisions about additional financial support.
Claimants Describe Debt, Anxiety and Months of Uncertainty
In Brighton, foodbank manager Laurel Nathan says delays are pushing people with disabilities and health conditions into financial hardship. She manages two foodbanks serving Whitehawk and Hollingdean, where some residents are increasingly dependent on emergency food assistance.
According to the BBC, Nathan knows more than a dozen people who are entitled to twice the standard Universal Credit payments they currently receive because of their health conditions or disabilities.
She described watching people’s mental health deteriorate as they waited for decisions, with some experiencing suicidal thoughts. Nathan said people were suffering physically and emotionally while waiting for support they were already entitled to receive.
Some, she added, were living on approximately £300 a month to cover their bills, food and medical needs. Christine, another claimant in Brighton, has spent six months waiting for a reassessment following the death of her partner, with whom she previously held a joint claim.
After purchasing products needed to manage her health conditions, she says she has just £40 remaining each month. She visits a foodbank weekly but rarely travels elsewhere because she cannot afford bus fares.
The uncertainty has also affected her mental health. Christine described having to choose between buying necessities for her health and paying for food. Another claimant, Leigh, has waited nine months for a decision after suffering a brain injury. During that period, she has accumulated utility debts and reached the credit limits on three cards.
She has also sold jewellery, clothing and furniture to meet everyday expenses. Leigh said the financial consequences would not simply disappear if her payments were eventually backdated, describing the continuing uncertainty as deeply demoralising.
Government Reviews Assessment System Amid Growing Concerns
The delays have prompted criticism from Labour MP Chris Ward, who represents Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven. According to the Birmingham Mail, Ward described the situation as unacceptable and said he intended to raise the matter when Parliament returned the following week.
He said similar cases regularly appeared at his constituency surgeries and argued that the social security system was failing to provide timely assistance to people who needed it. The concerns come as the number of Universal Credit health claimants has reached a record 3.6 million people.
The DWP has acknowledged that waiting for work capability assessments can be difficult. It says the Timms Review is examining reforms to the assessment system, which the department has committed to replacing.
The department is also increasing the proportion of face-to-face assessments and extending Personal Independence Payment (PIP) review periods to help address the backlog. It stressed that PIP can be paid independently of whether someone is awaiting a work capability assessment decision. The government has also highlighted its £1 billion Crisis Resilience Fund, which councils can use for initiatives including benefit entitlement checks.
