Work and Pensions written question – answered at on 4 February 2013.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy that people with long-term conditions are not subject to costly and stressful reassessments for personal independence payments when their condition is not likely to improve; and if he will make a statement.
Personal independence payment is designed to assess people as individuals and ensure that decisions on entitlement, award lengths and timing of reviews are appropriate and evidence-based. While in some cases short-term awards of one or two years may be appropriate, we have been clear that longer term awards will be made in cases where the claimant's needs are expected to remain relatively stable or change slowly. Ongoing awards will be made in some cases where significant change in the claimant's needs is very unlikely.
All awards, regardless of duration, will be reviewed periodically to ensure that the individual continues to receive the correct amount of benefit. Awards will be reviewed in a proportionate way with consideration given to the circumstances of the individual.
While face-to-face consultations will be an important part of the assessment for most individuals, allowing an in-depth look at their circumstances, they will not be appropriate in every case. Where there is sufficient and robust factual information about the claimant and the impacts of their health condition or impairment on which to make a paper-based assessment, it would be inappropriate to require individuals to attend a consultation. However, these decisions need to be taken on a case-by-case basis, as impairments can affect people in very different ways.
Yes1 person thinks so
No0 people think not
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