The DWP has warned that PIP payments could be stopped or reduced for a number of reasons, with the review process for the benefit being ramped up
People on personal independence payment (PIP) could see their support cut or stopped as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) steps up checks to ensure claim accuracy, ahead of expected changes in social security. These changes are likely to be a key feature in Labour’s first Budget at the end of October.
Since 2016, DWP figures reveal around 3.1 million PIP claims have been reviewed. PIP helps with the extra costs associated with long-term ill-health or disability, offering up to £737 every four weeks nearly £9,500 a year. With about 70,000 new claims each month and “unprecedented” demand, significant reforms are being considered.
Following additional investment in the system by the previous government in the Spring Budget, officials are now accelerating the review process. This is intended to speed up the assessment of new claims and tackle the backlog of existing cases needing reassessment.
Current PIP recipients should not see any change to their payments during reviews, even if their original claim period has ended. Citizens Advice offers crucial advice for claimants and warns that your PIP can be stopped or reduced by the DWP for several reasons, reports Wales Online.
If your Personal Independence Payment (PIP) has been stopped due to the end of your fixed-term award, there are two possible steps you can take. If you didn’t receive a review form but still have health problems, it’s vital to submit a new PIP claim straight away.
However, if you did receive and return a form but haven’t heard back, contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to confirm they received your form and ask about their decision timeline. If you didn’t return the review form within the given timeframe, call the PIP helpline on 0800 121 4433 and ask for an extension to complete and submit it. If the DWP refuses this, you’ll need to start a new claim from scratch.
You can also challenge the decision to stop your PIP if you believe you had a valid reason for not submitting your form before the deadline, such as illness or a home emergency. To request this ‘mandatory reconsideration’ of the decision on your claim, you must do so within one month. However, Citizens Advice suggests that it’s still worth asking even if it’s within 13 months of the decision, provided you can justify your late response.
You can also request a mandatory reconsideration if the DWP decides your health has improved and plans to reduce or stop your PIP payments. If you believe your condition hasn’t improved, ask your GP or specialist for a supporting letter and attach it to your paperwork when explaining why the decision was incorrect.
If you fail to attend a medical assessment, you can ask the DWP to arrange another one. If they agree and subsequently decide that you’re still eligible for PIP, they’ll pay you the amount you would have received if your payments hadn’t been stopped.
However, be aware that certain changes in circumstances can result in an abrupt halt to your PIP claim. This includes staying in a hospital, care home, or prison for more than four weeks or travelling abroad for longer than permitted.
Changes in your immigration status leading to you becoming subject to immigration control will also stop your PIP. The DWP has warned that your partner or child’s immigration status can affect your benefits as well.
Anyone without the ‘right of abode’ (the permission to live, work, and access public services in the UK) is subject to immigration control. Even if you have indefinite leave to remain (also known as settled status) this isn’t permanent and can lapse if you’ve been outside the UK for a specified period.
Those with settled status can spend up to five consecutive years outside the UK, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man without losing their status. If you have pre-settled status you must usually stay in the UK, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man for at least six months in every 12 and will automatically lose this status if you spend more than five consecutive years outside the UK, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man.
Prior to May 21, 2024, pre-settled status could lapse after a much shorter period of two years.
