{"id":99941,"date":"2024-12-18T07:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T07:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/?p=99941"},"modified":"2024-12-18T01:05:32","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T01:05:32","slug":"dwp-confirms-rigorous-bank-checks-pip-claimants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/dwp-confirms-rigorous-bank-checks-pip-claimants\/","title":{"rendered":"DWP Confirms &#8216;Strict Bank Checks&#8217; for PIP Claimants: What You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The <strong>Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)<\/strong> has announced plans to introduce more <strong>stringent checks<\/strong> on <strong>Personal Independence Payment (PIP)<\/strong> recipients. The changes will include closer scrutiny of <strong>bank account changes<\/strong> as part of efforts to reduce fraudulent claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The announcement follows a query raised by <strong>Conservative MP Sir John Hayes<\/strong>, who questioned the steps being taken to prevent fraudulent PIP applications. In response, DWP Under-Secretary <strong>Andrew Western<\/strong> confirmed that additional measures would soon be implemented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New Measures to Tackle Fraud<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The DWP will introduce:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Enhanced identity and verification processes<\/strong> to stop fraudulent claims entering the system.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stricter checks<\/strong> when claimants update personal information, such as bank account details.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Additional training for case managers and healthcare professionals<\/strong> to identify suspicious documents and red flags.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These changes align with the upcoming <strong>Fraud, Error <\/strong>and<strong> Debt Bill<\/strong>, which will provide a legal framework for further anti-fraud measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Expected Savings of \u00a31.6 Billion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The government estimates that the new measures will save up to <strong>\u00a31.6 billion<\/strong> over the next <strong>five years<\/strong>. The DWP aims to strengthen the integrity of the benefits&#8217; system while ensuring that funds reach those who <strong>genuinely qualify<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/pip-alert-key-dates-winter-payment\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"10699\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>PIP<\/strong> is a financial support scheme<\/a> designed to assist individuals with disabilities or long-term health conditions who face difficulties with <strong>everyday tasks<\/strong> or mobility. For many claimants, these payments are vital in managing the <strong>additional costs<\/strong> associated with their health challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Balancing Fraud Prevention and Support for Pip Claimants<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While the measures are intended to reduce fraud and error, they raise concerns about the potential <strong>impact<\/strong> on legitimate claimants, particularly those who may experience <strong>payment delays<\/strong> or face prolonged verification processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The DWP has stated that the measures will be implemented with the support of <strong>fraud prevention experts<\/strong> and advanced <strong>data analysis tools<\/strong>. Full details of the legislation will be presented to <strong>Parliament<\/strong> in due course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Summary of the measures:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Measure Announced<\/th><th>Purpose<\/th><th>Estimated Savings<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Enhanced identity verification<\/td><td>Prevent fraudulent claims at application<\/td><td>\u00a31.6 billion over 5 years<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Stricter checks on bank changes<\/td><td>Stop misuse of account information<\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Increased training for professionals<\/td><td>Enable early detection of fraud<\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Fraud, Error, and Debt Bill<\/td><td>Establish a legal anti-fraud framework<\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Tightening controls is seen as necessary at a time when <strong>fraud and error<\/strong> pose significant concerns for public finances. For more information on how the department tackles fraud and error across all benefit streams can be found here:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fdwp-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024%2Fdwp-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024-html%23delivery-objective-tackle-fraud-and-drive-efficiencies&amp;data=05%7C02%7CAmy.Donnelly3%40dwp.gov.uk%7C868fa024a68346af322f08dd18516fe1%7C96f1f6e910574117ac2880cdfe86f8c3%7C0%7C0%7C638693460237417796%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=xxM6FKwy9TR74pljxiTuiwmsXoC5Zu5BQyVk%2BxxgMYE%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 (HTML) &#8211; GOV.UK<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced stricter measures for PIP claimants, targeting changes to bank account details. These new rules are part of a wider crackdown on fraud and errors within the benefits system. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":99946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-welfare","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99941"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99949,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99941\/revisions\/99949"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}