‘I represent PIP claimants – the broken system is out to get vulnerable people’

A man who represents people who have been rejected for personal independent payment (PIP) has said he believes the system is fundamentally flawed and “prejudiced” against claimants.

Dylan Thomas, 48, who has a background in law and IT and is now a pastor, gives up his time voluntarily to support people in PIP appeals and tribunals who feel too intimidated by the system to pursue beyond the first rejection.

Mr Thomas told i he is angered by the huge amount of money wasted arguing over often small amounts, putting people who are already struggling with deteriorating illnesses under undue stress.

He said the new government will urgently need to overhaul the system and condemn the narrative that those on benefits are “spongers”.

Mr Thomas, who lives in Somerset, said one of the biggest problems with the PIP assessment system is that assessors only ever get to see claimants on their very best days – prejudicing assessors towards rejecting their claim.

“I often attend the primary assessment with claimants,” he said. “They might be a young person who desperately wants to co-operate.

“It might be one day in 100 where they were able to get out of bed and dress themselves. They might have got themselves to the assessment with a lot of assistance and support and a family member may have taken the day off work to support them.

“What the PIP assessor sees is someone on an optimal day and they have no idea how much they have endured to get there.

“The 15-minute journey to get to the assessment might have taken them four or five hours and they might have spent a long time sitting in their car recovering and taking medication and painkillers to get to the assessment.

“The assessor sees them on their very best day with more support than any normal day, and often the claimant tries their best to put the assessor at ease as they are used to their condition embarrassing people.

“Most people being assessed are made to feel as comfortable as possible. But the problem with this is it produces a response where they put on a brave face. It minimises their struggles and doesn’t tell the assessor what a bad day is like.”

Dylan Thomas believes the PIP benefits system is broken and needs an urgent overhaul (Photo: supplied)

Mr Thomas, who is married with a young son, told i he understands what it is like for your health to affect your ability to work.

When he was in his late twenties, he took the opportunity to take voluntary redundancy and was not expecting to stay out of work for any length of time. However, he was suddenly diagnosed with late-stage renal failure.

“Although from a physical point of view this was bad news, practically – because I had been working in the insurance industry – I was insured to the hilt. It meant that I got a payout and had no mortgage or bills to pay,” he said.

Mr Thomas, who has since had a kidney transplant donated by his mother, became involved with social and school programmes with the church community.

He is now the pastor and helps people struggling with employment or benefits issues, such as supporting those going through the PIP tribunal process.

He told i this has given him an insight into the failings of the system.

“To most people, the idea that they have the right to appeal to a tribunal is completely intimidating and prevents them from pursuing their claim,” he said.

“Mandatory reconsideration is just a pen and paper tick-box exercise. It is not designed to address errors of fact or law in the initial assessor’s report. Those who produce the findings are no better trained or qualified than the initial assessors.”

Mr Thomas said many claimants are terrified at the thought of a tribunal as they know it is part of the court system. “The court system is designed to intimidate, it is not designed to help people,” he added.

“For somebody who has a deteriorating condition and already feels like the system has failed them and who are embarrassed by the fact they feel they are not contributing to society, they are likely to underestimate their own illness.

“The whole narrative around disability benefits is that you are a sponger who doesn’t contribute – and this stigma is very wrong.”

Mr Thomas added that the process is confrontational and damaging, with claimants expected to prove the severity of their complex needs.

“On more than one occasion, I have witnessed assessors presenting the claimants with the possibility that their diagnoses might actually be incorrect,” he told i.

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“It can sometimes take weeks to make sure that the claimant continues to trust their doctors and consultants when this has happened, especially where a mental health diagnosis is challenged in this way. The potential for harm in these circumstances is appalling.”

After the upcoming general election on Thursday, Mr Thomas wants to see an overhaul of the PIP system.

“Whoever comes into power, the biggest thing they need to do is get rid of the bureaucracy and be more compassionate and condemn outright the narrative that people who are on benefits are spongers,” he said.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said assessment providers have consistently exceeded the claimant satisfaction target of 90 per cent for PIP.

They added that all health professionals undertaking assessments on behalf of the DWP must be registered practitioners who have also met requirements around training and competence.

Health professionals are trained to treat claimants fairly and with respect, the DWP added.