A BBC analysis reveals that hundreds of teenagers with terminal illnesses are being stripped of disability benefits each week after turning 16. Nearly a third of those receiving Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in childhood have their applications rejected when attempting to transition to adult Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

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Disability charity Scope says a "complex, adversarial and difficult to navigate" system is leading to these rejections. With wide-ranging welfare reform proposals expected to be published in the coming weeks, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer this week called the current system "unsustainable, untenable and unfair."

Experts say that conditions that are more easily controlled in adults than in children, such as diabetes or asthma, are the most likely to result in application rejections. However, since the introduction of PIP in 2013, thousands of people with life-altering conditions, including cancer, blindness, mental illness, deafness and epilepsy, have also had their applications rejected.

Among the 124,000 young people affected since then is Hollie Crouch. She said the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) decision made her feel "like a burden," despite "nothing changing apart from my age." She stated that despite providing expert evidence showing she was at risk of sudden, life-threatening seizures, she was denied PIP when she applied as a teenager.

Ms. Crouch said the DWP believed she no longer needed support because she had not had a seizure in several weeks. Hollie's parents subsequently lost their Carer's Allowance but still needed to provide constant supervision. The 21-year-old from East Sussex said: "My condition hasn’t magically disappeared, and I’m not faking it. It all happened so fast, and I felt angry, overlooked and like I wasn’t believed. It was so hard to cope with."

Hollie said she had lost three jobs because of her epilepsy and had to "rely on other people to do everything" without PIP. She said: "I’ll never feel like an adult because I can’t do things other people can, like drive or work. My parents even have to be there when I shower or boil the kettle in case I have a seizure. I understand situations can change, but that’s what reviews are for – you shouldn’t just stop your money because you turn 16, because you’re not of age to go through the process."

James Taylor, executive director of strategy at Scope, said the number of young people losing financial support was "deeply worrying." He called on the government to work with disabled people to "fix our broken benefits system." The BBC's analysis showed that three-quarters of those deemed ineligible for PIP failed the DWP's points assessment.

While appeals are possible, and some people do receive higher PIP awards than DLA, the BBC learned that some young people are denied benefits despite their disabilities having a significant impact on their daily lives. This includes: some reportedly failing assessments because they are able to work part-time or attend school or university; a teenager with Down's syndrome telling his PIP assessor he could do everything he was asked, but not explaining he needed intensive support to do so; a teenager with learning difficulties saying he could cook for himself, but not mentioning he had broken several microwaves in order to do so.

Concerns have been repeatedly raised about PIP assessors lacking specific condition knowledge and making decisions without resorting to medical evidence or contacting those involved in the claimant's care. Disability and welfare rights organizations say the system leads to incorrect decisions, with DWP outcomes frequently overturned in court. Organizations including the Royal National Institute of Blind People, Epilepsy Action, the National Autistic Society and Contact are all calling for swift reform.

A recent Resolution Foundation report found that the number of young people receiving disability benefits falls sharply between the ages of 15 and 17. The think tank said failing to obtain or apply for PIP leaves many "facing a financial cliff edge" as they approach adulthood.

Fightback4Justice, an organization that provides advocacy for disabled people within the welfare system, is calling for the process to be more transitional. Its founder, Michele Kardener, said: "Young people are treated as adults from the age of 16, and most people don't understand the system."

Sally Donley acted on behalf of her son, Euan Horse, when he was invited to transition from DLA to PIP. She said she spent two hours with an assessor discussing the impact of Euan's disabilities, which include autism, OCD and sensory processing disorder. "His assessment was done by a nurse who had no background in his issues, and he ended up only scoring for not engaging with people," said Ms. Donley, from Hampshire. "Because I said he could cook an egg in the microwave, they said he could cook for himself, they said he independently goes to college – but it’s a specialist college that he gets a taxi to for an hour."

Euan's application was rejected, but the decision was eventually overturned when Ms. Donley took the DWP to court, and he was awarded the highest rate of PIP. "The stress it puts on families is horrendous and cruel," she said. "You have parents trying to care for disabled children who are having to spend hours collecting evidence for court appeals. They need to listen, they need to look at the medical evidence."

The government is being urged to bring the rest of the UK in line with Scotland, where the transition to adult disability benefits can now take place at 18. Supporting these calls, Ms. Donley added: "Euan is 18 now, and I’m still fighting for him. I know I’ll be fighting for him until the day I die."

A DWP spokesperson said: "Building on our 'Next Steps to Full Employment' White Paper, we will set out proposals to reform the health and disability benefits system in the coming weeks, so it delivers the right support to children, young people and their families in a way that is fair to the taxpayer, and helps those who can work to move into employment."