DWP updates guidance for PIP assessments and vows to treat people better

Updating its guidance, the DWP said it will look "at people as individuals" and explore how their condition impacts "daily lives and over a range of different activities."
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The Department for Work and Pensions has issued a major update on the assessment process for Personal Independence Payment (PIP). PIP is the main disability benefit for people under the state pension age with a long-term health condition in the UK and recently the DWP has updated its guidance on PIP assessments.

Updating its guidance, the DWP said it will look "at people as individuals" and explore how their condition impacts "daily lives and over a range of different activities." The DWP says it will continue to use written submissions and conversations over the phone for the majority of its assessments.

But the DWP also warned that "some people will be asked to attend a face-to-face consultation". Consultations would be carried out "by a health professional who considers the evidence provided by the claimant, along with any further evidence they think is needed," the DWP said.

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"We believe that in most cases all health professionals should be able to assess the individual, even if they are not a specialist in their condition," the DWP said. The DWP also added: "The assessor will be recruited for their empathy as well as medical qualifications."

The guidance wrote: "The health professional will complete the assessment and will send a report back to us. A DWP decision maker will then use all of this information to decide entitlement to PIP. The guidance also noted that the face-to-face PIP assessments have "no time limit".

It said:: "Consultations will be as long as necessary to reach the evidence-based conclusions on individual cases." There are 2 parts to PIP: a daily living part - if you need help with everyday tasks and a mobility part - if you need help with getting around.

Whether you get one or both parts and how much you get depends on how difficult you find everyday tasks and getting around.