The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has given details of planned changes to the way people with "severe and lifelong health conditions" are assessed for Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
Minister for Disabled People Tom Pursglove shared the update in a written response to Labour MP Dan Carden, who asked DWP what steps were being taken to ensure that people with severe and lifelong conditions "are not subjected to unnecessary reassessments" when it comes to PIP and other benefits. The minister confirmed that the department is currently working to reduce reassessments for claimants who fall into this category.
Mr Pursglove said in his response: "We want to reduce unnecessary assessments for people with severe and lifelong health conditions which will not improve. We announced in the 'Future Support: Health and Disability Green Paper' that we will test a new Severe Disability Group (SDG), so that those with severe and lifelong conditions can benefit from a simplified process to access PIP, ESA and UC, without needing to go through a face-to-face assessment or frequent reassessments."
