DWP confirms PIP change which will impact thousands who are on benefits
The Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) change which will impact THOUSANDS of benefit claimants. The PIP change from DWP under the Labour Party government has been confirmed.
The DWP is recruiting more and more Jobcentre case managers after giving them the power to have a greater say in the outcome of PIP claims. The powers come in a bid to clear a growing backlog of cases from disabled people.
Labour Minister Sir Stephen Timms said case managers will now make "decisions on reviews, avoiding the need for a functional assessment." He told the Commons: "We continue to prioritise new claims to PIP to ensure claims are put into payment as quickly as possible.
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"Unfortunately, this means many customers are waiting longer than expected for their review to be undertaken." Mr Timms stated that case managers will use their judgement "where sufficient evidence/information is available" - which should lead to claimants receiving "a decision faster" than usual.
DWP staff will be making more decisions on reviews without the need for the claimant to be assessed by a healthcare professional, even on paper. Mr Timms announced: "We've introduced a change for customers with the most severe conditions, on the highest level of support, who now receive an ongoing PIP award which is only subject to a light touch review every 10 years."
Benefits and Work this week reported that the DWP carried out pilots in February and June of this year. During the pilot projects, DWP case managers made decisions on fresh claims without the claimant having to attend an assessment, the forum explained.
The forum said, in the first pilot, the case managers only contacted a health professional for advice about a claim if they felt they needed to. And in the second, the case manager had to consult with a health professional in every case.