The following details have been supplied by PCS DWP Group
Background
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) replaces Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for people aged 16 to 64. It forms a major part of the government’s attack on welfare provision. The government expects the introduction of PIP will save 20% of the current expenditure on DLA.
Roll-out schedule
PIP go live will have various stages:
It will start with a controlled go live for new claims from a restricted number of postcodes including Cheshire, Cumbria, Merseyside, North East England and North West England. These new claims will be handled by Bootle Benefits Centre from April 2013.
In June 2013 the other regional benefit centres will go live to take new claims to PIP for the remaining parts of Great Britain. From then there will be no new claims to DLA for people aged 16 to 64. Telford and Marton Mere contact centres will handle new claims calls from go- live, with Bangor contact centre supporting new claims from Welsh speakers.
Natural Reassessment of DLA claims will commence in October 2013. This is reassessment to PIP for fixed period DLA awards coming up for renewal, young people turning 16 or where DLA claimants report a change in their condition.
The final stage is managed reassessment. DWP will begin selecting existing DLA claimants and tell them what they need to do to claim PIP. In order that the lessons from the introduction of PIP are fully learned before starting the large scale reassessment of the DLA case load, the start of the managed reassessment of the DLA caseload has now been put back. It will not now begin until October 2015.
Staffing 2013
Initial staffing projections for PIP indicate fluctuating requirements during the first year as DLA new claims run down faster than new PIP claims ramp up. Release 2 of the PIP IT system in October 2013 is also expected to impact on staffing levels. However, there are a number of unknown factors particularly the functionality of the IT in live running, document scanning and the telephony arrangements.
Longer term staffing
In the longer term management do not anticipate any large scale reductions in the AO and EO grades. AA grades are anticipated to be affected by the increased introduction of electronic document scanning and distribution. The other main area of potential concern is the future of the staff at Warbreck House after the reassessment of DLA claims is completed. However this will not be completed until the end of 2017 and it is very difficult to anticipate what DWP’s staffing requirements will be at that stage.
Job design
Jobs in PIP will be broadly the same as in DLA. There will be operational posts at AA, AO and EO grades. The PIP programme has confirmed that the key decision making grade will remain as an EO function. The job roles have been subject to the appropriate grading guidance.
Assessment Providers
The PIP medical assessment contracts have been contracted to two companies – Atos Healthcare and Capita Business Services on a geographical split. PCS has registered our deep concern that Atos Healthcare has again been awarded a major health assessment contract despite the company’s exceptionally poor performance in assessing Incapacity Benefit/ESA claims. Atos and Capita are not being asked to provide an identical service. Atos will conduct the assessments primarily through local hospitals and GP surgeries while Capita will offer more assessments at the claimant’s home. Management say that they have learned the lessons from the problems with IB/ESA reassessment though inevitable the performance of both companies will be under very close public scrutiny.
Media
The introduction of PIP has created considerable media interest particularly as a result of lobbying from disabled groups. The 20% cut will mean that many current DLA recipients will lose their entitlement completely or have it reduced. It is difficult to see how this savage cut can be justified or applied equitably to some of the most disadvantaged sections of society.
Conclusion
Although consultation between the trade unions and the programme have been good it cannot disguise the reality that PIP is a coalition government cut designed to reduce benefit costs rather than improve welfare provision. PCS has campaigned hard with other interested parties against the cuts associated with PIP. It also remains to be seen if the PIP IT and other operational changes, such as scanning, actually work or deliver the efficiencies expected by the department.
