The Department for Work and Pension (DWP) focuses on PIP ( Personal Independent Payment) and has confirmed that managing the PIP claim is a top priority. If you’re making a new claim or waiting on an award review, then there are many things that you need to know,
The DWP is currently focusing on new PIP claims, which means if you are applying for the first time then, the DWP will focus on your claim first.
Your claim will be processed as quickly as possible to ensure you get the support you need without unnecessary delay. This will speed up the award decision process while still reviewing all the required evidence.
If you are an existing PIP applicant with a pending award review there is nothing to worry about as your payments won’t stop as long as you have returned all the required information.
According to Social Security and Disabilities Minister Sir Stephen Timms high demand for new claims has made it harder to process reviews as fast as before.
However, he also mentioned that the payments will continue even if the review takes longer than expected, so everything is fine for the Claimant.
Here are some changes that DWP has made to speed up the review process,
More In-house Reviews: by focusing on more in-house reviews case managers can now handle many reviews without the need for consultation, this is to check that they have enough evidence for the claimant.
Flexibility: the flexible consultation options through phone video or face-to-face assessment allow the claimant to complete the process as soon as possible and give them really helpful options.
For Vulnerable Claimants: if any claimant has severe mental health or any other issues and requires “additional support” then DWP will give extra effort to that case to prevent delay in payments even if they struggle to complete forms.
Message Update: for the claimants, it’s difficult to know the update or process of the claim. That’s why to make things easier DWP now informs people about delays and the process of their claims.
If your award is up for review, just make sure you return the required paperwork and your payments will continue as usual. The DWP has also assured that claimants will get access to benefits like Motability and Blue Badges while waiting for their review.
The DWP knows that the PIP review process can be stressful. Keeping this in mind they are watching to make it easier by reducing unnecessary assessment and processing claims faster.
If you’re worried about your claim, you can check the latest updates on the GOV.UK website.