Last week, Stephen Timms, the Minister for Social Security and Disability and his steering group launched a call for evidence on Personal Independence Payment (PIP).  

Known as The Timms Review, they are looking to hear views and evidence from disabled people on their experiences of the PIP process. 

Find out more about how and why the Timms Review was created. 

What areas is the review looking into? 

The Timms Review is a review of the whole of PIP. It will look at how to make sure that PIP properly supports disabled people. And how to make PIP fairer and fit for the future. 

The Review looks at 4 key themes.  

Below is some information you may want to consider if you are responding to the call for evidence: 

•  The role and purpose of PIP 

You might want to talk about how PIP helps your independence and wellbeing. You might also want to talk about how well PIP covers the extra cost of your disability. This might also include how important PIP is to your life, wellbeing and income.  

• Whether PIP eligibility and awards are fair and equitable  

You might want to talk here about how accurately or not you feel the assessment and eligibility criteria capture the impact of your disability. You might want to talk about what assessment type you think is best – paper, telephone, face-to-face. 

• Experience of claiming PIP 

You might want to talk about if you felt the DWP and your assessor trusted your experiences. How your PIP assessment or appeal made you feel. You might also want to talk about how well you felt the DWP and your assessor understood and respected you. 

You might want to share your experience in applying for PIP and how you found the assessment process. And the appeals process if you have been through it.   

• Changes in society and their impact on PIP  

You might want to talk about employment and how this impacts your experience with PIP. If you have had a Work Capability Assessment, you might want to talk about this. 

Who can respond to the call for evidence? 

Anyone can respond to the call for evidence. The Timms Review is particularly interested in hearing disabled people and carers' experiences of applying for PIP, the assessment and the appeals process. 

Do I have to get PIP to take part? 

No, the call for evidence is open to everyone. The Review is investigating if PIP is fit for purpose.  

This includes hearing from:  

• disabled people who have faced barriers applying for PIP 
• disabled people whohave been refused PIP  
• disabled people who have not applied for PIP.  

You can also respond using your experiences of supporting people applying for PIP. Or your past experiences of claiming PIP or helping someone else claim it.  

We know that not all disabled people are able to claim or want to claim PIP. But all disabled people’s experiences are important to the Review. 

How long is the call for evidence open? 

The public call for evidence will run for 10 weeks. It opened on Thursday 19 March, and it will close on Thursday 28 May  

How can I respond? 

It’s vital that people with experience of applying for PIP share their  experiences. So that those in charge of making changes to the benefits system get it right. You can respond to the Timms Review call for evidence directly. Or through Scope.  

We have made it easy for you to respond to the most important parts of the call for evidence. 

1. Enter your details 
2. Share your experiences 
3. Send an email directly to the Timms Review team, or to Scope for us to share with them anonymously  

You can also give evidence to the Timms review directly by: 

• Completing the online form 
• Emailing your response to timmsreview.callforevidence@dwp.gov.uk 
• Posting your response to the below address: 

The Timms Review 
Disability and Health Strategy Directorate  
Department for Work and Pensions 
Floor Two  
Caxton House  
London 
SW1H 9NA 

Are accessible formats available? 

The Call for Evidence has been published in accessible formats. Including British Sign Language (BSL), Easy Read, audio, Braille, large print and Welsh translation. 

To request a Braille version or physical copies of other published versions of this Call for Evidence, you can email timmsreview.callforevidence@dwp.gov.uk. 

Scope is here to help 

To help you respond, we will be publishing an explainer video in the coming weeks and a question by question guide with some examples of what you could include. You can also respond to the call for evidence through Scope.  

If you are concerned about any of these issues, you can get in touch with Scope's helpline. We provide free, independent and impartial advice and support on issues that matter to disabled people and their families. 

If you currently need help and advice with disability benefits please do take a look at our benefits webpage  

You can also share your thoughts and talk to people in similar situations to you on our online community. 

If these changes are affecting your mental health, we encourage you to speak to your GP or reach out to support services like Mind or the Samaritans. Our website also offers practical advice on managing your mental health. Visit our mental health support page for guidance.