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Tens of thousands of disability benefit claimants will be forced to wait years for payments they deserve despite a Tory U-turn.

Campaigners voiced fury today as ministers admitted a huge review of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) has barely got off the ground.

Around 220,000 claimants who have certain mental health issues are being given more support following a High Court victory.

The government began a study of all 1.6million PIP claimants in June to identify who is eligible.

Yet five months later, officials are still not even 10% of the way through - processing just 140,000 cases and paying 1,000 people.

And the review will only end in 2020 - around four years after the original tribunal.

(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Labour today warned many "may be forced to wait years to receive vital support".

Shadow Minister for Disabled People Marsha De Cordova said: "There are still 1.5million claimants left to have a review.

"This department is absolutely in chaos in relation to social security."

Today's figures - dated to 23 November - are the first major update on progress since the exercise was launched in June.

They show the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has paid out just £5million of the bill, which is expected to hit £3.7billion when the exercise is finished.

(Image: Getty Images/EyeEm)

The average claimant who has been refunded so far has been paid £4,500.

DWP chiefs have been forced to recruit another 250 staff to deal with the study, prioritising people who are terminally ill.

Other cases will then be dealt with starting with those who have been waiting the longest.

Disabilities minister Sarah Newton insisted the pace would increase. She told MPs: "We have started at a relatively small scale to test our processes and ensure they are effective before ramping up."

But she admitted the exercise would only end in 2020.

And people on old benefit DLA will wait longer for reassessment as staff are diverted to deal with the review.

(Image: Jonathan Hordle/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Paul Spencer, Policy and Campaigns Manager at Mind said: "These figures show that there are hundreds of thousands of cases left to review and that people who have had their cases reviewed are owed thousands of pounds on average.

"This is a huge amount of money, especially for those of us who need support from the benefits system.

"We want to see the Government move quickly but thoroughly to make sure that everyone who is due a back payment gets it and nobody falls through the gaps.

"In many cases people are waiting for a significant sum which will have a huge impact on their lives.”

A DWP spokesperson said: "We’re committed to ensuring that people get the support they’re entitled to, which is why we’re undertaking these administrative exercises carefully and thoroughly.

"We are making improvements so the PIP process works better for people and to ensure they get the right decision, first time round. Under PIP 31% of people get the highest level of support, compared with 15% under its outdated predecessor DLA."

How did this row unfold?

(Image: Dan Kitwood)

It comes after ministers U-turned following a year-long fight and agreed to pay vast numbers of people with mental health issues more PIP.

The decision brought the government in line with a tribunal in November 2016, which said people who suffer "overwhelming psychological distress" when travelling alone should qualify more easily for the benefit.

Ministers rewrote the law last year to try and avoid obeying the tribunal.

But after an outcry by mental health charities, the High Court ruled the government's behaviour was “blatantly discriminatory".

Earlier this year, then-Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey confirmed she would not appeal the High Court verdict, and instead would implement the original tribunal in full. Payments will be backdated to 28 November 2016.

PIP is the main disability benefit and gives people up to £141 a week to meet the everyday costs of their condition.

The DWP said no one will have to endure a fresh face-to-face disability assessment.

Instead case managers will review people's claims using existing information, and bump up their benefits if appropriate.

Case managers will contact claimants or their GPs if they need to find out more.

Priority will be given to claimants who have since died, and those who had their benefits denied entirely.

Officials will then move on to those who were paid PIP but got less than they deserved.

Government documents had predicted the change would hand new money to 143,000 people who previously received nothing for the 'mobility' element of PIP. Half would receive £57.45 a week and the other half £21.80.

A further 21,000 people would move from one rate to another, topping up their benefits by £35.65 a week.

Since those figures were drawn up, the estimated number of people who could receive higher benefits has risen from 164,000 to 220,000.