The government has announced that PIP reassessment areas are being extended to southern Scotland and parts of the borders from 13th January 2014. The postcode areas affected begin DG, ML, EH and TD.
They are then being further extended on 3rd February 2014 in the north of England to postcode areas LA, CA, DL, HG and YO.{jcomments on}
This means that if your DLA award is due to end on or after 17th March 2014, you will receive an invitation to make a claim for PIP rather than renew your claim to DLA.
It also means that those children who have reached the age of 16 will receive a PIP claim invitation, if they live in the new reassessment areas.
Existing claimants not in reassessment areas may need to have their entitlement checked under the adult DLA rules and will continue to receive their DLA until that occurs (a “renewal” form and letter will be sent).
There has been some indication that those who are in receipt of DLA, not in any of the reassessment areas and who reach the age of 16, will continue to do so until their 17th birthday, however it has not been possible to confirm this, as new reassessment areas are due to be announced during 2014.
If your circumstances change (or if the DWP is informed that your circumstances have changed) and you live in any of the above postcode areas, you will be reassessed under the entitlement conditions for PIP and not DLA.
Please note: guidance published in Touchbase (the DWP magazine) states:
In these [reassessment] areas DWP will use third party information about someone’s care or mobility needs as a trigger for reassessment and as an opportunity to start the PIP process.
