DWP updates PIP guidance on claimants being 'asked to attend' new in-person assessments

The new-look Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has updated its guidance for a major benefit assessment, which will affect millions of Brits claiming the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which provides financial help to 3.4 million people living with disability or long-term health conditions.

In a sign of a fresh approach at the DWP, the guidance now promises to look "at people as individuals" with a focus on how their condition impacts their "daily lives and over a range of different activities." They also confirmed that, to speed up the time it takes for personal evaluations, the majority will continue to take place from written submissions or conversations over the phone.

However, the guidance warns that "some people will be asked to attend a face-to-face consultation," which would take place at a designated centre within a 90-minute drive. The PIP update on Gov.uk says these consultations will be carried out "by a health professional who considers the evidence provided by the claimant, along with any further evidence they think is needed."

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Laying out Labour's approach, the guidance update says these new-look assessments for PIP will have no time limit on them, so that claimants can fully explain the extent of their disability or health condition.

Yet it also solidifies a change to benefits assessment that began under the Conservatives, confirming that "health professionals", who might not have specific knowledge of claimants' conditions, will be making the final call. The DWP stated: "We believe that in most cases all health professionals should be able to assess the individual, even if they are not a specialist in their condition."

At these consultations, sick and disabled claimants will be asked about their circumstances, health conditions, and disabilities, as well as how they affect their lives. But people sent to a face-to-face assessment could also face an examination.

The guidance states: "The health professional may also carry out a short physical examination, but claimants will not be forced to do anything that causes them pain, embarrassment or discomfort."

Once the assessment has been carried out, people will receive either the higher or lower award for PIP, equating to either £290 or £434 each month. The assessor will decide whether these payments are made for anywhere from nine months to 10 years, also known as the "light touch" approach for those with lifelong and life-limiting conditions.

These guidelines should mean claimants will face the same sort of assessments wherever they are in the country, after Labour consolidated private provisions so that there is only one company in each of the UK's regions that is responsible for delivering these assessments.

The guidance reassures: "Everyone will be able to bring a companion, see a same-sex assessor, claim back their travel expenses and so on. The assessor will be recruited for their empathy as well as medical qualifications."

The health assessment providers are:

• Maximus for Northern England and Scotland
• Capita for Midlands, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Serco for South West and South Central
• Ingeus for South East, London and East Anglia
• DWP for some parts of the Midlands and London

You can find out more about the new-look PIP assessments on the Gov.uk website.