- The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) review periods, extending them for most claimants.
- New PIP claims will now have a minimum three-year review period, increasing to five years at their next review if the claimant remains entitled.
- However, these extended review periods will not apply to PIP claimants aged 24 and under, a decision that has drawn criticism from disability charities.
- Disability charities, including Sense and Scope, argue that excluding younger claimants is discriminatory and wrongly links PIP, which covers extra disability costs, to employment prospects.
- The DWP defends the exclusion, stating that claimants aged 16-24 are more likely to see condition improvement and that prolonged benefit receipt at a young age could harm long-term employment.
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