The DWP has announced that from 31 May, new PIP claimants whose review would have been scheduled after they had reached State Pension age will instead receive an ongoing award with a light touch review at 10 years.
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 also announced that the 10 year light touch review will be extended to existing PIP claimants above State Pension age in the coming months
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.
You can read the full DWP press release here.
Comments
The Tribunal’s award continued the “reassessment period until 31 May 2019. Unfortunately, I was in too bad a state at the time to, e.g. ask for an ongoing award especially since I was given the decision letter 10 mins after the hearing. When I did notice, I idiotically believed that I would not be made to go through the process again.
I did wonder whether the “light touch” might apply to me but, given the length of the award, no chance and I even had to do the full Claim Application again, not even getting a Renewal Form.
Anyway, apologies for rambling – although any comments v much appreciated – question .......
I was also heartened by the “almost pensioner” info – at nearly 64 is that close enough, might I fall within this category?
What is the date on the letter that they sent to you. Is it about a week or so before the 31st?