The DWP has admitted to tampering with nearly 7,000 health assessments which were changed or binned over two years.
Last month, our sister paper the Daily Record revealed how one of two firms working for welfare chiefs had “audited” the paperwork after they were submitted by a health professional.
Now it's been proven two private contractors marked down or rejected 6,850 reports without the guaranteed follow-up meetings with the claimant or assessor.
This has lead to one MP blasting the DWP saying their whole system is 'rigged against people with disabilities'.
The Scottish National Party has demanded the auditing practice is stopped and a full investigated is launched immediately.
But a spokesperson at the DWP has insisted the system is there to ensure “quality”.
Marion Fellows, the SNP’s disabilities spokeswoman at Westminster, obtained the new figures after the UK Government gave a partial response in January with a much lower total.
“This blindfolded decision-making undermines the whole process and will impact heavily on peoples’ lives,” she said.
“From out-sourcing to private companies chasing targets to DWP auditors themselves, the whole system is rigged against people with disabilities trying to access vital support.
“I had to chase the DWP to provide the actual numbers despite the purpose of my question being clear. This may be yet another attempt by the DWP to prevent information about the impact of their policies getting out.”
The scandal was first exposed when a man with MS and mental health problems was sent before-and-after copies of his assessment for a Personal Independence Payment claim.
Originally a nurse had submitted a report after an assessment. It was then plucked from the files by a private firm and systematically marked down, leaving him without any support.
Disturbingly, the auditor was routinely disregarding professional opinion on the claimant’s health.
In 2018, the IAS contractor marked down or scrapped 2,240 files, followed by 2,300 in the following year.
A second contractor, Capita marked down or rejected 1,120 assessments followed by another 1,190.
Files are graded acceptable, unacceptable, acceptable with amendment or acceptable with feedback.
Each company dipped into about 1,500 a month between them.
The DWP said: “We are absolutely committed to ensuring people receive the support they are entitled to.
“That is why assessments are carried out by qualified health professionals and we continue to work with them to ensure quality is continuously improving.
“Sometimes assessment reports are returned to providers to ensure we have as much information as possible to reach an accurate decision.”
