Personal Independence Payment: Sleep Apnoea

(asked on 7th December 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with sleep apnoea applied for the Personal Independence Payment in the latest period for which data is available; and how many and what proportion of these people were successful in their applications (a) in total, (b) after a mandatory reconsideration and (c) after a tribunal appeal.


Answered by
Tom Pursglove Portrait
Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
This question was answered on 13th December 2022

This response requires analysis of data held by DWP on decision outcomes at different stages of the customer journey. This data covers cases where the initial assessment was completed between April 2013 and, June 2022, in line with published statistics. A Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants main disabling condition is recorded during their assessment and is not centrally recorded prior to this. Therefore, disabling condition information is not available for analysis of claims registered but not yet assessed.

Volume and proportion of claimants with sleep apnoea who were successful in their PIP

application at initial decision, after a mandatory reconsideration, or after a tribunal appeal:

Volume of Initial Decisions

3,220

Volume of Cases Awarded at Initial Decision

1,050

Allowance Rate at Initial Decision

33%

Volume of MRs Changed

190

MR Change Rate (% of initial decisions)

6%

Volume of Appeals Changed

190

Appeal Overturn Rate (% of initial decisions)

6%

Total number and proportion of claimants with sleep apnoea who were successful in their PIP applications throughout the entire customer journey:

Total Successful Claims After Full Customer Journey

1,430

Proportion of Successful Claims

44%

Note:

  • Appeals data is taken from the DWP computer system’s management information. Therefore, this appeal data may differ from that held by His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for various reasons such as delays in data recording and other methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics;
  • Volumes have been rounded to the nearest 10;
  • Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer system;
  • Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics;
  • A change at appeal includes those that were overturned at a tribunal hearing, and those that were lapsed prior to a hearing;
  • A lapsed appeal is where DWP changed the decision in the customer’s favour after an appeal was lodged, but before it was heard at a tribunal hearing;
  • An overturn at appeal is when it is revised in favour of the customer at Tribunal.

Reticulating Splines