Disabled people could trade Pip for specialist equipment under Gov plans

Some disabled people could receive specialist equipment or services instead of part of their Pip cash award under proposals from government advisers.

The idea is among emerging recommendations expected to form the basis of the government’s Timms review of personal independence payment, or Pip, which is due to report in the next two months.

As reported by The Guardian, cash would remain the foundation of the benefit, but some claimants could be offered the option of exchanging part of their payment for specialist equipment and aids, services, or skills and training.

Pip would remain non-means-tested under the proposal.

Current weekly payments range from £30.30 to £194.60 depending on need.

The committee does not address the cost of Pip, currently around £23bn a year, or discuss potential spending cuts, although it acknowledges that reforms would need to remain within projected spending of £41bn a year by 2029.

The committee has focused primarily on improving claimants’ experience of Pip and helping disabled and ill people participate in everyday life.

Other proposals include a faster process for new claimants with a terminal illness and fewer benefit reassessments for people with lifelong or degenerative conditions.

The committee also wants a review of strict and “unnecessarily stressful” rules that automatically suspend Pip after someone spends more than 28 consecutive days in hospital.

Another recommendation calls for assessments to better reflect fluctuating conditions, including mental illness, where their impact can vary over time.

The committee argues that Pip should continue to help meet the additional costs associated with disability while supporting people to live independently and giving them choice, dignity and control over their lives.

It also proposes tailoring Pip more closely to individual needs and offering a wider range of support for “participation and opportunity across every day life”, including work, care and volunteering.

The recommendations have been developed by a 12-member expert committee, most of whom have lived experience of disability or long-term health conditions.

The review was commissioned after planned cuts to disability benefits collapsed in 2025.

A backbench rebellion forced the government to reverse £5bn of cuts in summer 2025 amid public opposition to proposals that would have reduced household incomes and pushed hundreds of thousands of disabled people into poverty.

An interim report published in July concluded that Pip was no longer fit for purpose and too often left vulnerable claimants feeling dehumanised rather than supported.

Pip is claimed by nearly 4m people in England and Wales and is intended to help with additional costs linked to disability, including energy, transport and food.

It is not linked to employment status, and around one in six claimants are in work.

The recommendations are not final and will be tested for fairness and practicality through workshops involving thousands of disabled people across the UK over the next few weeks.

Campaigners may resist introducing non-cash elements into Pip awards.

However, recent polling of recipients by the Good Growth Foundation found that half supported swapping part of their cash payment for services such as skills and training, home adaptations or therapy.

The recommendations are also likely to be examined by a separate review of the youth jobs crisis led by former Labour MP Alan Milburn, who has said some benefit spending on young people should be redirected towards training and skills.

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “These are not the final recommendations. The review will report to the secretary of state this autumn and he will carefully consider the final proposals within it.

“The Timms review interim report, co-produced with disabled people, made clear that Pip is no longer fit for purpose.

“Our goal is to deliver a system that supports disabled people and those with long-term conditions to live independent lives, while remaining fair, sustainable and fit for the future.”