{"id":26294266,"url":"https://github.com/bbc-data-unit/dla-to-pip","last_synced_at":"2026-01-02T16:11:53.564Z","repository":{"id":282215359,"uuid":"947852646","full_name":"BBC-Data-Unit/DLA-to-PIP","owner":"BBC-Data-Unit","description":"'Worrying' number of teens lose disability 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'Worrying' number of teens lose disability benefits\n\n![](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/624/cpsprodpb/e885/live/12bbfe40-f2b4-11ef-9220-d3ef6018353e.png.webp)\n\nIn March 2025, we [uncovered](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgn1w1jvl9o) the scale of teenagers who lose their disability benefits on the cusp of adulthood.\n\nWe found teenagers with incurable conditions were among hundreds a week being stripped of disability benefits after their 16th birthday. \n\nOur analysis of DWP data revealed that nearly a third of those who received Disability Living Allowance in childhood had their initial claims for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) rejected when trying to move to the adult benefit.\n\nAmong 124,000 affected between 2013 and 2024 were young people with incurable conditions including cancer, psychosis, epilepsy, blindness and deafness.\n\nDisability charity Scope said a \"complex, adversarial and difficult to navigate system\" contributed to the rejections.\n\nThe story came as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the current welfare system \"unsustainable, indefensible and unfair\".\n\n# Methodology\n\nFor our investigation, we created tables from the Child DLA to PIP Reassessment data available at the government's Stat-Xplore data hub.\n\nOur analysis of almost 12 years of data focused on the outcomes of initial claims only, so that findings were not distorted by the outcome of any subsequent appeals.\n\nWe combined the ‘Award increased’, ‘Award unchanged’ and ‘Award decreased’ columns to get a figure for claims that were allowed and similarly combined all columns representing disallowed claims to come up with a total sum for rejected claims between April 2013 and October 2024.\n\nWe analysed the figures at a local authority level and, separately, by condition to establish the proportion of disallowed claims and the primary reasons for the claims being disallowed, i.e. failed assessments or failure to attend appointments. \n\nWe also analysed the data by condition - i.e. the “main disabling condition” the claimant had received support for under Child DLA rules - to establish which disabilities were most likely to be associated with a rejected claim.\n\nUsing Stat-Xplore, we created a month-by-month table and combined that data to allow us to analyse trends by financial year.\n\nWe obtained and analysed comparable data from Northern Ireland and - in recognition of the DWP data excluding Scotland from March 2022 due to the introduction of Child and Adult Disability Payments there - we also analysed the latest available data at an age level for Scottish benefits claimants.\n\n# Get the data\n\nWe produced [this story pack](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YHjMm4oIa70IcW-YVarhbmiqoIWgEm7xq4P1I6pKXKA/edit?tab=t.0) and [this dataset](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aTqBKh10JbSW2o2HfGyJmSwjZhgL5WXnJq6NuaasTO8/edit?gid=1421095638#gid=1421095638)\n\n# BBC and Partner Usage\n\nThe story was used across the BBC and by partner outlets including:\n\n- BBC Newsbeat\n- Radio One\n- [Access All podcast](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0kxndsy?ea)\n- BBC South East Tonight\n- BBC Sussex News\n- BBC Nottingham\n- BBC Stoke\n- BBC London\n- BBC Norfolk\n- BBC North\n- BBC Jersey\n- BBC Newcastle\n- BBC Berkshire\n\n- [Andover Advertiser](https://www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/news/24995376.quarter-test-valley-refused-pip-benefits/)\n- [AOL](https://www.aol.com/news/worrying-number-teens-lose-disability-013741215.html?guccounter=1)\n- [Basingstoke Gazette](https://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/24993543.quarter-basingstoke-children-refused-pip/)\n- [Fitzrovia News](https://fitzrovianews.com/2025/03/12/disabled-teenagers-denied-benefit-on-reaching-age-16/)\n- [Hampshire Chronicle](https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/24993570.quarter-disabled-children-lose-benefits-16/)\n- [Lincs Online](https://www.lincsonline.co.uk/lincoln/a-third-of-teenagers-lose-disability-benefits-when-they-turn-9408004/)\n- [Newark Advertiser](https://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/news/a-third-of-teenagers-lose-disability-benefits-when-they-turn-9408006/)\n- [Salisbury Journal](https://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/24993498.wiltshire-almost-third-disabled-teens-refused-benefits/)\n- [Swindon Advertiser](https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/24998817.hundreds-swindon-youngsters-lose-disability-benefits-16/)\n- [The Northern Echo](https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/24999301.ten-children-week-lose-disability-benefits-north-east/)\n- [Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/news/worrying-number-teens-lose-disability-013741472.html)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","project_url":"https://awesome.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/projects/github.com%2Fbbc-data-unit%2Fdla-to-pip","html_url":"https://awesome.ecosyste.ms/projects/github.com%2Fbbc-data-unit%2Fdla-to-pip","lists_url":"https://awesome.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/projects/github.com%2Fbbc-data-unit%2Fdla-to-pip/lists"}