Claimants whose fixed short-term PIP awards are due to end will have them extended, a minister has confirmed this week, after the DWP initially said it would not do so.
Last month Justin Tomlinson told MPs that some PIP claimants were having their awards extended:
“ . . . for those that would be due for reassessment in the next three months, we’ve automatically extended their benefit by six months. If their condition has deteriorated and they feel that they would be entitled to more money, they can still request a reassessment but otherwise they automatically are extended.”
However, as we warned readers in the most recent Benefits and Work newsletter, some claimants with short-term awards and especially those awarded by a tribunal, were being told that their awards could not be extended.
The matter was raised with Tomlinson on 11 May by Labour MP Karyn Smyth, who asked:
“On 4 May, the Secretary of State assured the House that the Government would provide an automatic extension of PIP awards that are due to expire during the coronavirus virus pandemic. Can the Minister confirm that this extension applies to all claimants, including those who received an award following an appeal?”
Tomlinson responded:
“There was an issue for those on fixed-term, short awards, but we have now addressed that, and those claimants will continue to get an automatic six months’ extension if it is due in the next three months.”
We are still advising readers who think they should be covered by this extension to check with the DWP that it will actually be applied in their case..
You can read Tomlinson’s answer here.
