Richmond, Kingston &
West London M.E. Group

BENEFITS UPDATE - Summer 2026

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SHOULD YOU USE ChatGPT TO HELP WITH YOUR PIP APPLICATION?

 

GPT, a narrow form of AI that specialises in language tasks and can produce human-like text, stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer. Its strength lies in generating clear and context-aware responses. It is trained on massive datasets like websites, books and articles, and generates responses based on the input it has

received. When you ask GPT a question or give it a task, it processes your input and predicts the most likely words or phrases that should come next.

 

When used to help you with your PIP form, it is a powerful tool for organising your thoughts or understanding complex questions; for structuring answers; understanding descriptors; tidying up rough notes into a logical structure and formatting them. This is especially useful for anyone who finds writing exhausting or confusing. There are specialised GPTs to help with benefits applications, eg PIP Helper

https://piphelper.uk/wp- content/uploads/2025/04/PIP-Helper-200425.pdf.

 

But you need to treat it with caution. First, the DWP are acutely aware of AI and are on the lookout for anything that sounds like a formula or an extract from a medical textbook rather than a personal account. So avoid generalities. Make sure you adapt the suggestions you find and include as much specific detail about your difficulties as possible.

 

ChatGPT can’t guess at symptoms that are particular to you or, for example, at accidents you have recently had or narrowly missed because of these symptoms. Second, ChatGPT can simply get things wrong. It may quote outdated rules or use descriptors that don’t apply to the UK’s benefits system. It may produce an answer that will score you no points. So if you choose to use it, treat it as an assistant, not a writer. Carefully review its suggestions and use your own words. It can be helpful, but it does not replace human input.

 

REDACTED TRAINING MANUALS FOR PIP ASSESSORS

 

The DWP is currently engaged in a Freedom of Information (FOI) battle to prevent the release of training manuals that PIP assessors use with ‘hidden’ conditions, such as ME/CFS. An FOI request for the manual dealing with ME/CFS produced a document the bulk of which has been redacted , ie blacked out. (See redacted training manual). No information is available for any of the activities. The redactions have been made under Section 31 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, a section designed to protect information that, if disclosed, could prejudice the ability of public authorities to carry out functions connected to law enforcement or regulatory compliance. The Government has argued that claimants might use the currently redacted guidelines in combination with AI tools to craft responses that would enable them to score highly on the descriptors. This means that there is no way of scrutinising the guidelines according to which the eligibility of people with ME for PIP is assessed.

 

The small amount of text that has been left standing displays ignorance of the reality of living with ME long-term. For example, there are references to ME/CFS specialist teams and to social services care plans as sources of

evidence to back up statements made by the claimant. But many people have no access to a specialist team (and beyond advice on management in the early stages of their illness many would not be helped by attending one; or they may be too ill to attend), and relatively few patients have a care plan. There is also a reference to the patient’s primary care giver as a source of information – but in these days of 10-minute appointments with any doctor at the GP surgery who happens to be available, how many patients have a GP who knows them?

 

CARER’S ALLOWANCE SCANDAL – REASSESSMENT OF CASES

 

The Carer's Allowance (CA) scandal involves hugenumbers of unpaid carers in the UK being landed with, and forced to repay, large debts due to systemic failures by the DWP.

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Someone who cares, unpaid, for at least 35 hours per week for a recipient of certain disability benefits can claim CA of £86.45 per week provided, if the carer also does paid work, they do not earn more than £204 per week. The £204 is net of tax and certain expenses. The rules on calculating earnings for anyone with fluctuating hours are complex and obscure. It is a cliff-edge benefit: earn 1p over £204 and you are liable to repay the entire CA for that week.

 

An independent review of carer's allowance overpayments blamed the complexity of the system, rather than deliberate fraud, for most of the overpayments. It also established that the DWP ignored alerts from HMRC regarding earnings for years, allowing debts to build up. Senior DWP officials have come under severe criticism from MPs for their heavy-handed treatment of the carers involved and for their failure to apologise (Guardian 21.1.2026; parliamentary debate on CA overpayments 14.4.2026). In April 2026, the government finally announced that over 200,000 unpaid carers affected by confusing guidance on their earnings are set to have their cases reassessed, with, potentially, debts reduced or monies refunded.

 

TRANSITION FROM INCOME-RELATED EMPLOYMENT AND SUPPORT ALLOWANCE (IRESA) TO UNIVERSAL CREDIT (UC)

 

It is emerging that 22,687 IRESA claimants who were sent migration notices but have failed to transition to UC have had their ESA discontinued. It is feared that these are people who are too ill and vulnerable to deal with the migration process. (See fears of safeguarding catastrophe after ESA discontinued).

 

RIGHT TO TRY WORK WHEN ON BENEFITS

 

Following a number of queries, a DWP memo (ADM Memo 06/26) confirms that new legislation ensures that starting paid or voluntary work will not, in and of itself, trigger a PIP award review or a WCA reassessment. But do note that that does not mean that you might not be reassessed for other reasons, for example that the demands of your new work seem incompatible with the levels of benefit you are claiming.