Access to Work: claimant says her award was cut by 85% as DWP cites rising demand

Disabled workers say reductions to their Access to Work awards are having a serious impact, according to people who spoke to the BBC’s Money Box programme. One woman said her renewal award was reduced by 85%. The Department for Work and Pensions has responded, saying demand has grown significantly and that it is employing more staff to clear a backlog.

Access to Work provides grant funding of up to £69,260 a year so people with a health condition or disability can stay in work. The money can pay for support workers, specialist equipment, travel costs and extra training for colleagues. Wales Online reported that claimants say their grants are being cut even when their personal needs have not changed.

What claimants told Money Box

Jenny, a self-employed content creator who uses a wheelchair, said her renewal award was 85% lower than before. She told the programme: “I still have to run my business. I still have support workers that I need, even on vastly reduced hours and reduced pay.” She said the cut was affecting her mental and physical health and her household income, and that her husband had to take time off work to support her.

She also described how hard it was to challenge the decision. “There’s no formal process for reconsideration or for tribunal,” she said, adding that on the day her letter arrived she was told it would be at least five weeks before anyone began looking at a reconsideration request. The DWP says a single reconsideration is available (see below), but that there is no formal appeal against the amount awarded.

Rana, who was born deaf and works for her local council, said her funding was substantially cut and she lost her support worker. She now has specialist equipment only. “Whilst technology can help, it cannot replace the human support I need to communicate effectively and fully participate at work,” she said. “This decision is deeply demoralising.”

Backlogs, reconsiderations and what the DWP says

New applicants face long waits as well. The DWP has confirmed the current waiting time for new applications is 37 weeks, or more than eight months. The figures below were reported by the Daily Mirror and Wales Online.

On those figures, that is a rise of roughly 11,700, or about 24%, over the period. The DWP said decisions are made case by case, based on discussions with the applicant and their employer. There is no formal appeal against the amount awarded, though anyone can ask for one reconsideration by a different Access to Work case manager, using the contact details at the top of their award letter.

A DWP spokesperson said: “Access to Work is a lifeline, but demand for the scheme has grown significantly in recent years, with the number of people supported nearly doubling in five years. That’s why we’ve taken action by employing nearly 500 additional staff to clear the backlog.” The department added that it is monitoring demand and plans to deploy more staff.

What claimants can do and what happens next

The reconsideration is the only route the DWP has pointed to, and it can be used once. Anyone who receives a reduced award may want to read the award letter carefully, compare it with their previous award and set out in writing which support their job still requires. This is a practical suggestion rather than advice from the DWP, which has not said what evidence a reconsideration needs.

To show what a cut of this size means, take an illustrative award of £10,000 a year. An 85% reduction would leave £1,500 a year. These figures are an example only and are not Jenny’s actual award, which has not been published.

The DWP has said more staff will be deployed, but it has not given a date for clearing the backlog or said how it calculates awards.

A separate review of PIP and welfare reform in 2026

The Access to Work complaints are separate from the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment, but both concern how disabled people are supported. According to the Scottish Daily Record, the review’s emerging recommendations would keep cash as the “foundation” of PIP while considering whether some awards could include services or other non-cash support. They also include an advocacy service and “a basic framework for how decisions are made and appealed”.

The proposals are not final. They are being tested in workshops across the UK before final recommendations go to the Secretary of State later this autumn. Harriet Edwards of the charity Sense welcomed several measures but said disability benefits should be protected rather than cut “to balance the country’s books at the cost of disabled people’s wellbeing”.