The process of reviewing claims for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) has been outlined by the Government. The benefit is for people with long term health conditions or disabilities and, as of October 2022, 3.1 million Brits were receiving it.
Claimants must be over 16 and under the State Pension age, and their condition must mean they need help complete daily tasks or with moving around. Awards are not indefinite and can last between a few months and 10 years – known as a 'light touch review' – so that individuals can be reassessed to make sure they are getting the right level of support, the Daily Record reports.
There are two components of the benefit – one for daily living and the other for mobility – and each has a standard and enhanced level of support. Claimants may receive one or both components, and those who receive the enhanced award of both parts will get £169.85 a week, once payments increase in April.
READ MORE: DWP: 6 changes in circumstances PIP claimants don't need to report and those you do
Liberal Democrat MP Wendy Chamberlain has asked the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) what guidance is in place to make sure PIP claimants with “degenerative conditions are identified and recorded for the purposes of scheduling future reassessments”.
In a written response, DWP minister Tom Pursglove said a PIP assessment takes place to determine the “needs arising from a health condition or disability”, rather than the condition itself. He added that regular award reviews are a “key feature” of PIP and ensure “payments accurately match the current needs of claimants”.
But he also added that when recommending an appropriate review period, assessors will consider when a “significant change in functional needs is likely, giving due regard to the expected progression of a condition and whether it is likely to improve, stay the same, or worsen”.
Mr Pursglove continued: “It may be appropriate to set a specific review period for a claimant with a degenerative condition as, if the condition is likely to deteriorate over time, the claimant may become entitled to a higher rate of PIP.
“However, claimants with very high levels of functional impairment who are on the highest PIP awards, and whose needs are only likely to increase, should receive an ongoing award of PIP, with a light touch review at the 10-year point.”
In April, most benefits for working age people, and the State Pension, will be increased by 10.1%, in line with September's figure for inflation. Here are the new payment rates for PIP:
Daily Living Component
Enhanced: £101.75 (from £92.40)
Standard: £68.10 (from £61.85)
Mobility Component
Enhanced: £71.00 (from £64.50)
Standard: £26.90 (from £24.45)
READ NEXT:
DWP says time to check whether you are eligible to receive benefit worth £3,500
Santander, Natwest, Barclays, HSBC and Halifax fraud alert issued
DWP urged to introduce new £25 weekly uplift for Universal Credit and legacy benefit claimants
Valuable silverware stolen during break-ins at Nottinghamshire churches
Nottinghamshire couple hit with 'absolute joke' £200 parking fine
