A disabled woman who struggled to claim PIP disability benefit helped create an easy-to-use tool to help people through this “exhausting” process.

Jo, a 55-year-old retired counselor who lives in Somerset, has suffered hearing loss, cataracts and cognitive problems since receiving a life-saving bone marrow transplant to treat chronic myeloid leukemia .

Her “terrible” experience applying for PIP – a benefit for disabled people and those with long-term health conditions – made her want to help others put off by the process.

As a result, Jo helped anti-poverty charity Turn2Us develop the PIP Help Tool.

“A horrible and mentally exhausting process”

The tool, launched Thursday, will guide people on how much they should expect to receive, as well as how to navigate the appeal process.

Speaking to Yahoo News, Jo said she was put through a “mentally exhausting” app, which led to her having to book an assessment appointment – where a person is assessed on how well they perform her daily activities and travel – which she did not need. .

She said: “On the first appointment I had, I was told to go into town for an hour and come back because they had overbooked appointments and didn’t have enough chairs.”

“When I finally got evaluated, I received a big apology from the person who did it, because I wasn’t even supposed to be there in person because I had blood cancer. “

Jo also waited months to receive the PIP after her first application was refused because she had not “scored enough points” on the assessment to be eligible. She appealed the decision, making her one of 70% of DWP decisions exonerated at a PIP court hearing.

She added: “It’s a horrible process because it forces you to focus on what you can’t do rather than what you can’t do. No one wants to walk around all day in a pessimistic atmosphere.

“The system is really difficult to understand. It involves a lot of personal information and it’s a mentally exhausting process.”

What is the tool used for?

The tool, which was developed over two years with the help of people claiming PIP, helps people check whether they are eligible, how much money they should expect to receive, as well as the status of progress of their request. It includes:

• Eligibility Checker: quickly assesses where people are eligible for PIP, including non-UK and Irish citizens

• Probable Reward Estimator: Guides users through questions about their daily activities, providing them with an estimated reward.

• Tips for Custom Forms: Offers personalized guidance for completing the PIP form accurately, addressing common challenges

• Tracking progress: Users can save their progress, making it easy to pause and return to their app at any time, allowing them to proceed at a comfortable pace.

• Improved accessibility: The tool is designed to be accessible, with compatibility with screen readers, video subtitles, audio descriptions and support for British Sign Language (BSL).

Tackle obstacles head on

Turn2Us said Jo was not alone in her experience. Around £870 million of PIP payments go unclaimed each year, including people who start claims but don’t complete them, or who are eligible for higher payments but don’t receive them.

“Built over two years with direct input from PIP claimants, this tool tackles these barriers head on,” said Michael Clarke, Head of Information Programs at Turn2us. “Health, disability and financial security are deeply linked, and we are committed to helping people access the support they urgently need.

“Thousands of disabled people fail to claim PIP every year, while thousands more receive rates that are lower than they should be,” said Michael Paul, head of engagement at Disability Rights UK (DRUK ).

“By sharing the excellent Turn2us PIP Assistant as widely as possible, we will ensure that as many disabled people as possible can access the appropriate PIP award.”

Responding to the launch of the tool, a DWP spokesperson said: “Millions of people rely on our social care system every year and it is essential that it is accessible to everyone who needs it. »