Research and analysis

Health Transformation Programme Management Information to January 2026

Published 17 March 2026

Applies to England

1. Main Stories 

• The total number of referrals for a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment was 20,522 in the London and Birmingham Health Transformation Area (HTA) postcode groups from January 2023 to January 2026. The total number of referrals over the latest 12 months (February 2025 to January 2026) was 7,559. This has remained stable since the last reported 12-month period (November 2024 to October 2025). However, volumes have varied month on month, ranging from around 480 to 720 referrals.

• The total number of referrals for a Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment (UC WCA) was 9,652 in the London and Birmingham Health Transformation Area postcode groups from January 2023 to June 2025. The total number of referrals over the latest 12 months of data (July 2024 to June 2025) was 3,200. Referral volumes dropped in the last 2 months of this period, reflecting the impact of the permanent redirection of UC WCA referrals in May 2025.

• The total number of referrals for an Employment and Support Allowance Work Capability Assessment (ESA WCA) was 951 in the London and Birmingham Health Transformation Area postcode groups from January 2023 to May 2025. The total number of referrals over the latest 12 months (June 2024 to May 2025) was 182. This has decreased since the previous 12-month period (March 2024 to February 2025) due to limited ESA activity going through the HTA.

• The number of applicants registering a PIP application via the digital self-serve GOV.UK channel was 73,958 and the number of self-serve Health Information Gather (HIG) form submissions was 62,452 from July 2023 to January 2026. Over the last 12 months (February 2025 to January 2026), the total number of digital self-serve registrations was 27,435, and the total number of digital self-serve HIG submissions was 24,059. Volumes have remained broadly stable since the last reported 12‑month period (November 2024 to October 2025) and were steady across the year with some seasonality, showing no clear upward or downward trend.

• This edition includes invited digital HIG submissions, with 445,680 submissions recorded from June 2024 to January 2026. Over the last 12 months (February 2025 to January 2026), invited digital HIG submissions totalled 281,529. These submissions show a seasonal pattern consistent with legacy PIP.

2. Background 

The Health Transformation Programme (HTP) is modernising Health and Disability benefits over the longer term. It is transforming the entire Personal Independence Payment (PIP) service, aiming to introduce a simpler application process, including an option to apply online, improved evidence gather and a more tailored journey for customers. An online application option for PIP, known as ‘Apply for PIP’ digital self-serve, available directly via GOV.UK, was launched on 27 July 2023, initially for a limited number of applicants in certain user groups and selected postcode districts in England. In addition, an invited digital service was introduced from 24 June 2024 for applicants who begin their PIP application via the telephony channel and are subsequently invited to complete the Health Information Gather (HIG), which is the digital equivalent of the PIP2 form used in the legacy PIP process, via GOV.UK. This service uses the same digital HIG as the digital self-serve route and was rolled out to all telephony agents from 12 July 2024.

The HTP is also developing a new single Health Assessment Service (HAS) for all benefits that require a functional health assessment. This will include new IT and processes.

The HTP has been developing the new HAS at a small scale initially in the Health Transformation Area (HTA). There are currently two HTAs located in London and Birmingham. Within these HTAs, new PIP applications as well as reassessments and award reviews are processed in-house for a select number of London and Birmingham postcodes. Universal Credit (UC) Work Capability Assessments (WCA) and Employment Support Allowance (ESA) WCA were previously handled in these HTAs but, from 16 May 2025, all referrals were permanently redirected to external assessment providers.

This release has been published following the commitment made within the Health Transformation Programme Evaluation Strategy, published 25 May 2023, to begin publishing Management Information (MI) in Autumn 2023.

3. Statement of Application of the Code of Practice for Statistics 

The Code of Practice for Statistics (the Code) is built around 3 main pillars:

• trustworthiness – having confidence in the people and organisations that produce statistics, reflecting integrity, professionalism, and impartiality

• quality – using suitable data and appropriate methods to produce reliable statistics that meet user needs

• value – publishing statistics that benefit the public by informing and supporting decision making, action, and debate, and ensuring they are accessible and understood by a wide range of people

The following explains how we have applied the pillars of the Code in a proportionate way.

3.1. Trustworthiness 

This Management Information was created following a commitment in the Health Transformation Programme (HTP) Evaluation Strategy, published 25 May 2023. This is being published now to give equal access to all those with an interest in the information.

3.2. Quality

This publication uses management information collected for internal departmental use within the Health Transformation Programme. The data has not been certified as National Statistics or Official Statistics and may be subject to revision. However, engagement has taken place with data owners to ensure the data is fit-for-purpose and of sufficient quality for publication. Multiple rounds of quality assurance have been applied to ensure the data is as accurate and reliable as possible.

3.3. Value

Releasing this information serves the public interest by providing granularity of both the number of applicants being referred for a PIP assessment, UC WCA or ESA WCA in an in-house HTA, by benefit type and HTA postcode group and the number of applicants applying for PIP via the new digital self-serve channel on GOV.UK. Making this information accessible can reduce the administrative burden of answering Parliamentary Questions (PQs), Freedom of Information (FOI) requests and ad hoc queries about the Health Transformation Programme.

4. Health Transformation Area Management Information 

Table 1 shows the number of referrals for PIP assessments, UC WCAs or ESA WCAs in the London and Birmingham HTAs.

Table 1: Number of referrals for an assessment in the Health Transformation Area (HTA), by benefit type and HTA postcode group

Reporting period	All postcodes	PIP Birmingham	PIP London	UC Birmingham	UC London	ESA Birmingham	ESA London
Total (all)	31,125	9,158	11,364	2,949	6,703	354	597
Total 2023	9,919	1,867	3,315	1,918	2,294	247	278
Total 2024	11,470	3,495	3,658	974	2,976	104	263
Total 2025	9,034	3,478	4,007	57	1,433	[z][footnote 1]	56
Total 2026 to date	702	318	384	[z]	[z]	[z]	[z]
2023 to 2024 FY	10,971	2,681	3,239	2,032	2,396	285	338
2024 to 2025 FY	11,095	3,512	3,729	461	3,170	19	204
2025 to 2026 FY to date	7,033	2,961	3,467	13	573	[low][footnote 2]	18
Jan 2023	674	[low]	357	124	146	27	19
#Feb 2023	660	0	267	210	165	8	10
Mar 2023	692	[low]	305	109	253	14	8
Apr 2023	660	81	272	176	105	17	9
May 2023	720	92	243	197	150	25	13
Jun 2023	803	133	295	146	191	15	23
Jul 2023	985	292	224	179	261	9	20
Aug 2023	917	261	305	146	181	17	7
Sep 2023	861	271	262	129	152	9	38
Oct 2023	1,036	266	255	228	198	42	47
Nov 2023	947	224	227	139	281	30	46
Dec 2023	964	243	303	135	211	34	38
Jan 2024	984	270	267	139	235	34	39
Feb 2024	956	292	280	141	179	27	37
Mar 2024	1,138	256	306	277	252	26	21
Apr 2024	1,219	323	330	313	219	13	21
May 2024	846	284	276	26	234	[low]	24
Jun 2024	863	297	312	[low]	221	0	29
Jul 2024	764	258	280	[low]	198	0	24
Aug 2024	886	299	363	[low]	207	[low]	14
Sep 2024	845	310	304	[low]	219	0	9
Oct 2024	1,036	356	336	16	312	0	16
Nov 2024	1,105	330	352	27	385	0	11
Dec 2024	828	220	252	22	315	[low]	18
Jan 2025	976	302	326	18	316	[low]	12
Feb 2025	889	304	287	21	264	0	13
Mar 2025	838	229	311	5	280	0	13
Apr 2025	900	165	312	7	409	0	7
May 2025	832	304	350	6	160	[low]	11
Jun 2025	694	331	359	0	[low]	[z]	[z]
Jul 2025	708	338	370	[z]	[z]	[z]	[z]
Aug 2025	582	301	281	[z]	[z]	[z]	[z]
Sep 2025	671	322[r]	349	[z]	[z]	[z]	[z]
Oct 2025	637	298	339	[z]	[z]	[z]	[z]
Nov 2025	586	250	336	[z]	[z]	[z]	[z]
Dec 2025	721	334	387	[z]	[z]	[z]	[z]
Jan 2026	702	318	384	[z]	[z]	[z]	[z]

Source: DWP Management Information on HTA referrals, correct as of 17 February 2026.

Figure 1: Number of referrals for an assessment in the Health Transformation Area (HTA), by benefit type and HTA postcode group

Source: DWP Management Information on HTA referrals, correct as of 17 February 2026.

Figure 1 shows a line chart illustrating the trends in the volumes of referrals for an assessment by benefit type and HTA postcode group from January 2023 to January 2026 (where applicable).

Supporting information for Table 1 and Figure 1:

• calendar year totals cover the period from 1 January to 31 December. Financial year (FY) totals refer to the period from 1 April to 31 March

• totals may not sum due to low volumes being redacted

• postcode districts covered by data in Table 1 are listed in Annex A

• the number of referrals covered in Table 1 includes new applications, reassessments, award reviews and change of circumstances

• an individual applicant may be counted in Table 1 more than once, for example due to submitting multiple applications, re-referrals during the same period or rebuilt referrals

• these figures may be subject to revision in subsequent releases

• figures marked [r] have been revised since the previous release; minor fluctuations may occur due to routine data processing corrections

• in the December 2023 edition of this publication, Table 1 reported number of referrals for an assessment in the HTA by benefit type and site. Site has been updated to postcode group from the March 2024 edition onwards, as applications may be processed in a different HTA than their originating postcode. Postcode group will continue to be used in future editions

• referrals for PIP assessments went live in Birmingham postcode district B14 in April 2023. Referrals for PIP assessments in Birmingham postcode districts B17, B19, B78 went live in July 2023. However, a small number of referrals were recorded between January and March 2023

• a proportion of PIP assessment referrals from the Birmingham HTA postcode group were temporarily redirected to external assessment providers between 21 October 2024 and the end of March 2025 to allow the HTA to focus on PIP end‑to‑end transformation and test‑and‑learn activities

• volumes for PIP referrals from 16 October 2024 to 30 April 2025 were revised following methodological improvements aimed at enhancing data quality. These included changes to the definition of intake referrals to prevent double‑counting, particularly in cases where referrals were recreated due to errors or audit‑related corrections. The revised methodology was introduced in the September 2025 edition and has been applied to all subsequent months. Referral volumes for UC and ESA WCA referrals were not revised under this methodology due to the permanent redirection of these referrals to external assessment providers from 16 May 2025.

• data is only provided for referrals to UC WCAs in an in-house HTA between January 2023 and December 2025. This is to align with the monthly UC WCA decision outcomes data included in the latest: Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment statistics, released on 12 March 2026. Figures not included to align with this publication’s time period are shown by ‘[z]’

• data is only provided for referrals to ESA WCAs in an in-house HTA between January 2023 and June 2025. This is to align with number of WCAs by application start included in the latest ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals publication, released on 12 March 2026. Figures not included to align with this publication’s time period are shown by ‘[z]’

Table 1 and Figure 1 show that a higher number of PIP assessment referrals took place in the London HTA postcode group, with 1,107 referrals (55%) compared to 902 referrals (45%) in the Birmingham HTA postcode group between November 2025 and January 2026. The monthly average of PIP referrals from November 2025 to January 2026 was 369 in London and 301 in Birmingham.

From 3 May 2024, UC and ESA WCA referrals from the HTA Birmingham postcode group were permanently redirected to external assessment providers. This redirection enabled the HTA to concentrate on PIP end-to-end transformation and test-and-learn activities. Table 1 and Figure 1 show that only small volumes were recorded in subsequent months due to rebuilt and good cause cases, and in the latest months UC and ESA WCA referrals have fallen to zero. Rebuilt WCA referrals occur when a good reason is accepted for an applicant’s failure to attend an appointment or return their questionnaire, or when audits require an assessment re-write which is then manually rebuilt with the updated assessment report.

From 16 May 2025, UC and ESA WCA referrals across all HTA postcode groups were permanently redirected to external assessment providers.

5. Online PIP Applications Management Information

Table 2 shows the number of applicants applying for PIP via the new digital self-serve (DSS) and invited digital (ID) GOV.UK channels.

The digital self-serve service went live on 27 July 2023 for some applicants living in certain postcode districts. This route allows applicants to register their PIP application and submit their Health Information Gather (HIG) online via GOV.UK. The service was expanded to those living in a small number of additional postcode districts on 14 December 2023.

The invited digital service went live on 24 June 2024 through a limited number of telephony agents with national coverage across all postcodes in England. It was later rolled out to all telephony agents from 12 July 2024. Through this route, applicants register their PIP application via the telephony channel and are subsequently invited to complete the HIG online via GOV.UK.

Together, the invited digital and digital self‑serve routes make up the apply for PIP digital service, and volumes from both routes are combined to represent total apply for PIP activity in this publication.

When registering an application, applicants provide personal information and contact details. Applicants may subsequently provide information about how their disability or health condition affects them via the HIG. The HIG is the same form as the PIP2; HIG is the term used within the Health Transformation Programme, while PIP2 continues to be used in the legacy PIP process and in the PIP Official Statistics publication. In this publication, the terms HIG and PIP2 are used interchangeably. Not all applicants who register an application will go on to return a HIG or PIP2. In addition, applicants who do register an application may wait before submitting a HIG, meaning submissions may occur after the January 2026 cut‑off date for this publication. As a result, HIG submissions are expected to be lower than registrations for the digital self‑serve channel, and comparisons should be made within the same channel.

Nationally, around a third of PIP claims used an online Health Information Gather (HIG) form over the latest three months (November 2025 to January 2026). In the digital self‑serve rollout postcode districts, around two in five registrations were completed via the online digital self‑serve channel over the same period.

Table 2: Number of applicants applying for PIP via the new Apply for PIP (AfP) digital service, including the Digital Self‑Serve (DSS) and Invited Digital (ID) GOV.UK channel

Reporting period	DSS Registrations	DSS HIG form submissions	ID HIG form submissions	Total AfP HIG form submissions
Total (all)	73,958	62,452	445,680	508,132
Total 2023	11,904	9,600	[z]	9,600
Total 2024	31,705	26,364	140,926	167,290
Total 2025	27,554	24,102	281,172	305,274
Total 2026 to date	2,795	2,386	23,582	25,968
2023 to 2024 FY	20,926	16,969	[z]	16,969
2024 to 2025 FY	30,803	25,925	216,447	242,372
2025 to 2026 FY to date	22,229	19,558	229,233	248,791
Jul 2023	313	199	[z]	199
Aug 2023	2,111	1,548	[z]	1,548
Sep 2023	2,561	2,072	[z]	2,072
Oct 2023	2,548	2,080	[z]	2,080
Nov 2023	2,466	2,128	[z]	2,128
Dec 2023	1,905	1,573	[z]	1,573
Jan 2024	3,079	2,449	[z]	2,449
Feb 2024	2,964	2,388	[z]	2,388
Mar 2024	2,979	2,532	[z]	2,532
Apr 2024	3,252	2,696	[z]	2,696
May 2024	2,587	2,216	[z]	2,216
Jun 2024	2,455	1,880	4,022	5,902
Jul 2024	2,690	2,311	22,895	25,206
Aug 2024	2,475	1,951	23,570	25,521
Sep 2024	2,704	2,260	25,289	27,549
Oct 2024	2,584	2,231	26,769	29,000
Nov 2024	2,254	1,968	22,492	24,460
Dec 2024	1,682	1,482	15,889	17,371
Jan 2025	2,914	2,429	23,225	25,654
Feb 2025	2,510	2,181	25,002	27,183
Mar 2025	2,696	2,320	27,294	29,614
Apr 2025	1,879	1,748	22,113	23,861
May 2025	2,076	1,800	22,311	24,111
Jun 2025	1,747	1,520	7,753	9,273
Jul 2025	2,627	2,298	26,872	29,170
Aug 2025	2,269	2,020	25,025	27,045
Sep 2025	2,358	2,039	33,860	35,899
Oct 2025	2,376	2,064	28,136	30,200
Nov 2025	2,183	1,964	20,736	22,700
Dec 2025	1,919	1,719	18,845	20,564
Jan 2026	2,795	2,386	23,582	25,968

Source: DWP Management Information on applicants applying for PIP via the new digital self-serve and invited digital channels on GOV.UK, correct as of 17 February 2026.

Figure 2: Number of Health Information Gather (HIG) form submissions via the new Digital Self‑Serve (DSS) and Invited Digital (ID) GOV.UK channels

Source: DWP Management Information on Health Information Gather (HIG) form submissions via the new digital self‑serve and invited digital GOV.UK channels, correct as of 17 February 2026.

Figure 2 shows a line chart illustrating the trends in the number of Health Information Gather (HIG) form submissions made via the new digital self-serve and invited digital channels on GOV.UK from July 2023 to January 2026.

Supporting information for Table 2 and Figure 2:

• calendar year totals cover the period from 1 January to 31 December. Financial year (FY) totals refer to the period from 1 April to 31 March

• the online ‘Apply for PIP’ digital self-serve GOV.UK channel first went live on 27 July 2023. From 14 December 2023, the service was extended to cover the HTA postcode districts listed in Annex A

• the Tactical PIP2 service was developed during the COVID lockdown periods to allow applicants who started their PIP application via the telephony channel to receive an email containing a link to a PDF version of the HIG form. This was later developed into an HTML form, which differed from the HIG form used in the digital self-serve service. Between June and November 2024, a small volume of Tactical PIP2 HIG submissions were included within the total invited digital HIG volumes. The Tactical PIP2 service was decommissioned on 27 November 2024, and no further volumes are available under this category

• the invited digital service was introduced to replace the Tactical PIP2 service and went live on 24 June 2024. Applicants continue to start their PIP application via the telephony channel but are provided with the same HIG form as digital self-serve users, which is completed and submitted digitally via the GOV.UK website

• the online service was unavailable from 28 November 2024 to 3 December 2024 for the digital self-serve service. During this period, no data was processed, and digital self-serve registrations and HIG form submissions were suspended, which may have slightly impacted the November 2024 and December 2024 monthly volumes. Additionally, the month of December typically experiences a seasonal drop in registrations and HIG form submissions, which likely also contributed to the lower volumes during December 2024

• the overall monthly volumes for registrations and HIG form submissions across the apply for PIP digital services (digital self-serve and invited digital) were lower than expected in June 2025. This is because the data from the live service was not received into the data platform due to a connection failure between 18 June 2025 and 25 June 2025

• all postcode districts currently covered by digital self-serve data in Table 2 are listed in Annex B

• registrations and HIG submission volumes do not necessarily represent the same cohort of applicants in a particular month

• these figures may be subject to revision in subsequent releases; figures marked with [r] indicate a revision from the previous edition, for example due to methodological improvements or updated data

6. About these statistics 

The Health Transformation Programme (HTP) Evaluation Strategy was published on 25 May 2023, providing an overview of plans to evaluate the HTP. The core principles of the evaluation strategy are to:

• establish a robust and detailed evidence base to inform decisions about service improvements and how the HTP  can drive better customer experience 

• provide person-centred insight on what works for whom to ensure a broad range of needs are considered when transforming our services 

• provide assurance that the business case has been met

This MI is an important part of the Programme’s plans to evaluate the services being developed, providing quantitative data for the HTAs and the online ‘Apply for PIP’ digital GOV.UK channel. This publication is part of an ongoing quarterly series of HTP MI. The contents will remain under review and will be further developed when appropriate to do so.

The next edition of Health Transformation Programme Management Information will be published on 16 June 2026.

7. Related Statistics

This MI has been published on 17 March 2026 to align with the publication date of the Personal Independence Payment: Accredited Official Statistics. This series will continue to be published on the same release cycle as the Personal Independence Payment: Accredited Official Statistics.

The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) statistics quarterly publication brings together statistics on:

• PIP new applications and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) application reassessments, covering the PIP customer journey from registration through to decision, ongoing entitlement, award review, mandatory reconsideration (MR) and appeal

• volumes of applicants entitled to PIP at a point in time (caseload), registrations and clearances for different stages of the journey (initiation of applications, award reviews and MRs), outcomes at clearance and median clearance times

• customer journey statistics tracking initial decisions and award review outcomes following a PIP assessment

The Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Work Capability Assessment statistics quarterly publication brings together statistics on:

• ESA Work Capability Assessment outcomes

• appeals decisions and mandatory reconsiderations for ESA applications (including re-assessed Incapacity Benefit applications)

• monthly median ESA Work Capability Assessment mandatory reconsideration clearance times

• ESA WCA cohort statistics covering the ESA Work Capability Assessment process

• ESA Work Capability Assessment clearance times for initial applications

The Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment statistics quarterly publication brings together statistics on:

• the number of applicants on Universal Credit (UC) with a health condition or disability restricting their ability to work

• monthly DWP Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment (UC WCA) decisions and outcomes

• medical conditions for applicants undertaking a WCA

• UC health caseload and UC WCA decisions by previous ESA spell

As well as being available within the statistical summary publications, most data from these related statistics is also released through Stat-Xplore.

8. Further information and feedback 

Lead analyst: Shaun Butcher 

Analysts: Ahsan Hussain and Georgia Chaffey  

Contact DWP Press Office if you have any questions or feedback.

9. Annex A: HTA Postcode Districts 

Postcode districts covered by in-house HTAs, from Table 1. 

HTA Postcode Districts 

HTA	Postcode districts
London	E5, N2, N3, N4, N6
Birmingham	B14, B17, B19, B78

10. Annex B: Digital Self-Serve Postcode Districts 

Postcode districts where the digital self‑serve GOV.UK service is currently available, from Table 2.

Digital Self-Serve Postcode Districts

Postcode area	Postcode district
B	B14, B16, B17, B18, B19, B21, B42, B66, B67, B68, B69, B70, B71, B78
BD	BD4, BD11, BD12
BH	BH1, BH2, BH3, BH4, BH5, BH6, BH7, BH8, BH9, BH10, BH11, BH12, BH13, BH14, BH15, BH16, BH17, BH18, BH22
BN	BN20, BN22, BN23
CB	CB11
CM	CM17, CM24
CW	CW12
DE	DE21, DE7, DE72, DE75
DY	DY11, DY13
E	E5, E7, E11, E12
GL	GL1, GL5, GL10
HD	HD1, HD4
HP	HP23
HR	HR7, HR8
IG	IG1, IG2, IG3, IG4, IG5, IG6, IG7, IG8, IG9
IP	IP3, IP4, IP5, IP6, IP10, IP11, IP12, IP13, IP15, IP16, IP17, IP18, IP19, IP20
KT	KT6, KT7, KT8, KT9, KT10, KT12
L	L9, L10, L21, L22, L23, L29, L30, L38
LE	LE13
LN	LN9, LN10, LN11, LN12, LN13
LU	LU1, LU2, LU3, LU4, LU7
M	M15, M16, M23, M31, M32, M33, M41
N	N2, N3, N4, N6
NE	NE1, NE2, NE4, NE5, NE98
NG	NG10, NG15, NG17
NR	NR31, NR32, NR33, NR34, NR35
PE	PE21, PE23, PE24, PE25, PE34
RG	RG14, RG20, RG21, RG22, RG23, RG24
RH	RH7, RH8
RM	RM10
SG	SG7
SK	SK11
SO	SO24
ST	ST13
TN	TN8
TW	TW16, TW17
WA	WA14, WA15
WF	WF13, WF15, WF16, WF17
WR	WR2, WR5, WR6, WR13, WR14
WS	WS6
YO	YO11, YO12, YO13, YO14, YO22, YO25

11. Annex C: Glossary of terms

Term	Definitions
Apply for PIP	The term used for the new digital service providing options to apply online. This includes the invited digital route, where applicants complete the Health Information Gather (HIG) online after calling to begin the application, as well as the wholly online digital self‑serve route via GOV.UK.
Digital Self-Serve	Applications are made wholly via GOV.UK, with both registration and the Health Information Gather (HIG) submitted digitally via the website. This is only available in a limited number of postcodes listed in Annex B.
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)	A benefit for individuals who have a disability or health condition that affects how much they can work. ESA gives an individual money to help with living costs if they are unable to work and/or support to get back into work if they are able to.
Health Information Gather (HIG) form	A form for applicants to complete, usually on paper or online, on how their disability affects them, upon registration to PIP or when a change of circumstances occurs. This form is referred to as the PIP2 form in the legacy process.
Health Transformation Area (HTA)	The Health Transformation Area is an in-house service to process applications and undertake associated assessments for applicants that live in the geographical postcodes of the HTA (see Annex A).
Health Transformation Programme (HTP)	A Programme which is transforming Health and Disability benefit services over the longer term, developing a customer-focused integrated Health Assessment Service (HAS) for people with disabilities and health conditions claiming a benefit that uses functional health assessments. It is also transforming the entire PIP service, including introducing an option to apply online.
Invited Digital	A digital application route for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) where an applicant begins their claim via the telephony channel and is subsequently invited to complete the Health Information Gather (HIG) online via GOV.UK.
Personal Independence Payment (PIP)	A benefit administered by DWP to help towards the extra costs caused by long-term disability, ill-health or terminal ill-health.
PIP1 Submission	A form completed, usually by telephone or online, to capture the applicant’s personal information and contact details when registering a PIP application; this stage is currently referred to as a registration.
PIP2 Submission	A form for applicants to complete, usually on paper or online, on how their disability affects them, upon registration to PIP or when a change of circumstances occurs. Within the Health Transformation Programme, this form is referred to as the Health Information Gather (HIG).
Reassessment	From 8 April 2013, PIP replaced the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) benefit. Existing DLA applicants who claim PIP are reassessed for their eligibility for PIP against the same criteria as new PIP applicants.
Registration	Applicant makes an application to claim PIP.
Rebuilt Referral	Cases where good reason has been accepted after an applicant fails to attend or fails to return their questionnaire, or when audits require an assessment re-write that is then manually rebuilt with the updated assessment report.
Universal Credit (UC)	A benefit for people over 18 (with some exceptions for those aged 16 or 17) but under State Pension age who are either: In work but on a low income, or Out of work
Work Capability Assessment (WCA)	An assessment to decide how much an individual’s illness or disability limits their capability to work. When an individual applies for Universal Credit (UC) they can report if they have a health condition or disability that affects their capability to work.

1. Figures denoted by ‘[z]’ indicate zero activity in these periods, including future months excluded to align with Official Statistics time periods after referrals were permanently redirected to external assessment providers. ↩

2. Figures below 5 but above 0 are shown as ‘[low]’. ↩