Personal Independence Payment

(asked on 19th February 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason reassessments for personal independence payments (PIP) are treated as a new claim following a tribunal award; and what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the length of time taken to complete a PIP reassessment on a claimant's ability to access (a) mobility vehicles, (b) educational support and (c) carer's allowance.


Answered by
Justin Tomlinson Portrait
Justin Tomlinson
This question was answered on 1st March 2021

A tribunal considering an appeal against a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) decision also considers the length of any award it may make. The length of award will be based on the individual’s needs and the likelihood of those changing. If it gives a short, fixed-term award then it is indicating that the claimant’s limitations are likely to improve to the point they would not be entitled at the end of their award. Accordingly, the Secretary of State implements the Tribunal’s decision on the award end date and does not schedule a review.

We aim to ensure that the process is as responsive as possible and claimants given a fixed-term award without review are prompted to make an advance claim to PIP, if needed, before an existing award ends. Once an advance claim has been received, which can be at any point prior to the existing award ending, we will progress that claim as quickly as possible to ensure we avoid or minimise any disruption to the payment of PIP and any DWP benefits or schemes which PIP passports to, such as Carer’s Allowance or the Motability scheme. Where entitlement to PIP is used as an administrative easement for assessing entitlement to a non-DWP scheme, any consideration of a delay in payment would lie with the lead Department or organisation

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