Desperate disability benefits applicants ‘being denied extra support’, amid criticism of assessment system

Lawyers helping sick and disabled people fight benefit claims at tribunal have accused the government of creating a “hostile environment” where claimants are “just not believed.” Benefits like Employment Support Allowance and Personal Independence Payment – or PIP – help people who are deemed too ill to work. Campaigners say the assessment system isn’t working – a claim vehemently denied by the Department for Work and Pensions.