Teenagers with incurable conditions are among hundreds a week being stripped of disability benefits after their 16th birthdays. Nearly a third of those who received Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in childhood had claims for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) rejected when trying to move to the adult benefit, BBC analysis has found.

Three-quarters of those deemed ineligible for PIP had failed the DWP’s points-based assessment, according to BBC analysis. While appeals can be lodged and some people do receive higher awards under PIP than DLA, the BBC heard of young people refused benefits despite the significant impact of their disabilities on daily life.

A recent Resolution Foundation report found the number of young people in receipt of disability benefits falls significantly between the ages of 15 and 17. The think-tank said the failure to qualify – or apply for – PIP was leaving many “facing a financial cliff-edge” as they approached adulthood.

Disability and welfare rights organisations say the system results in wrongful decisions, with DWP outcomes frequently overturned at tribunal. The Royal National Institute for Blind People, Epilepsy Society, the National Autistic Society and Contact are among those calling for rapid reform.