Information correct at time of publication, July 2026
The way benefits are awarded in the UK is changing. Some reforms are already in place, with more still to come, and we know how unsettling that can feel if you rely on this support. This page is here to help you cut through the noise and understand what’s actually happening.
There have already been some process changes relating to assessments:
PIP is currently going through a major review process and an independent assessment, called the Timms review, began in February 2026.
An interim report was published on 9th July, highlighting that PIP is “no longer fit for purpose and is failing to keep pace with how disability, health and work have changed over the past decade” (you can see details of the interim report here).
The full report is expected to be published in November 2026, and it is here that further recommended changes may surface.
Earlier this year, you may have heard news of a stricter PIP eligibility test (requiring claimants to score at least 4 points in a single daily living activity, on top of the existing 8-point overall threshold) being proposed by the government. This sparked a huge rebellion by backbenchers, and the proposal was consequently withdrawn. There are still unknowns, however, about whether it may resurface following the Timms report.
It is important to note that any recommended changes to PIP, or any other benefit, need new legislation before coming into force. Therefore, it would be late 2027 / early 2028 before these changes would come into effect.
From 6th April 2026, the UC health top-up is now paid at two tiers:
If you live with a “severe, lifelong health condition or disability” you will be awarded the higher rate regardless of when you claim. It is unclear at present whether this group includes people with pulmonary hypertension, but according to the Government website:
A health professional will review your medical evidence as part of a Work Capability Assessment (WCA). You will be treated as having a severe, lifelong health condition or disability if all these apply. Your health condition or disability:
The government intends to abolish the WCA entirely by 2028/29, making the PIP assessment the only gateway to adult disability-related benefits. This is one of the biggest structural changes in the pipeline, although it’s not yet law.
Under this plan, eligibility for the UC health element would depend solely on whether someone receives the PIP Daily Living component. Instead of a WCA-style assessment, people would have a “Support Conversation”, focused on goals. It is unclear at present what format this conversation would take or how frequent it would be.
Until the abolition becomes law, WCA reassessments (which have largely been paused since the pandemic) are being switched back on.
