A Personal Independence Payment claimant has had his benefits cut by £120 a month from the Department for Work and Pensions. Steve Mikellides, 46, has relied on disability benefits to get by.
Backlogs meant the 46-year-old from south London only started receiving PIP in 2021, but it was reassessed just two years later. Upon review, he had his award reduced by £120 a month, despite his disability remaining the same.
"I just wanted the ground to open up," he told the Independent. He added: "These things simply do not, will not and cannot get better, in lieu of some sort of God heaven-sent miracle. So for me that's an immediate frustration when the reassessment came in."
He said: "My brain injury makes paperwork much more difficult, particularly as the benefit forms are written in a way that's hard to understand. It leaves me fatigued and anxious."
In January 2026, the decision was overturned and Steve's payments were increased to the original rate as well as backdated. He said the victory feels "hollow", adding: "OK, I might have won this round. But it's just one battle in a long, ongoing war".
Samuel Thomas, senior policy adviser at Z2K, said: "Department for Work and Pensions guidance says disabled people with lifelong and progressive conditions should not be reassessed more than once a decade – but the data shows these rules simply aren't being followed."
"Shockingly high proportions of disabled people qualifying on the basis of lifelong disabilities like cerebral palsy, permanent hearing loss and amputated limbs are being forced to undergo pointless reassessments, even though their disabilities will not change."
A DWP spokesperson said: "We're taking action to fix the broken welfare system we inherited, including by extending award review periods which will remove unnecessary pressure on disabled people and help to deliver savings of around £2bn."
"Rather than their diagnosis alone, the assessment considers how well someone can manage PIP activities, so outcomes depend on individual circumstances."
"As part of our work to reform the system we also launched the Timms Review – co-produced with disabled people and their representative organisations – to make sure PIP is fit and fair for the future, including reassessments."
