The DWP has announced that existing PIP claimants who are over pension age will now be covered by the light touch review system, meaning that they will only be assessed every ten years.
Back in May we revealed that new PIP claimants whose review would have been scheduled after they had reached State Pension age would instead receive an ongoing award with a light touch review at 10 years.
At the time, Minister for Disabled People Justin Tomlinson said:
“We are determined to improve our support for disabled people, and stopping needless PIP reviews for pensioners is the right thing to do.
“This step means new claimants to PIP who reach State Pension age before their review is due won’t have one unless they tell us their needs have changed, and the next step is to bring this in for all pensioners.”
The DWP has now announced that the 10 year light touch review has been extended to existing PIP claimants above State Pension age. The department claims that 290,000 claimants will benefit from this latest move.
Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd said:
“I want the benefit system to be a source of support for disabled people, not a source of worry. That’s why we’re scrapping needless PIP reassessments for pensioners whose situation is unlikely to change.
“This underlines our commitment to ensuring that the most vulnerable get the support they’re entitled to.”
The switch to light touch reviews for claimants of pensionable age was announced back in March of this year but no timetable for its full introduction was given at that time.
