The key change to PIP in the welfare bill that will affect your benefit payments

Yahoo

16 hours ago

PIP claimants will be given three months of payments if their next application is rejected to adjust to life without the benefit, according to the government's newly published welfare bill.
The first draft of the bill, published on Wednesday, includes a "transitional window" for claimants of the disability benefit totalling 13 weeks to soften the blow for those losing thousands of pounds as the government tightens the benefit's eligibility criteria.
It is one of a number of measures the government has introduced to soften its controversial welfare bill over a fear of backlash from its own Labour MPs.
However, the government has fallen short of making the qualifying for PIP less strict, which was meant to spare 195,000 fewer disabled people from losing out.
Both campaigners and MPs have voiced concerns over the damage the cuts could cause for vulnerable and disabled people, with at least 800,000 people claiming PIP expected to lose an average of £4,500 per year by 2029/30.
At the last count, a reported 170 MPs from Labour said they would oppose the bill during the parliamentary vote, which is expected later on this month.
The plans were outlined by work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall earlier this year, who proposed overhauling welfare system through a series of benefit cuts.
The move is expected to save the government £5bn as it restricts the eligibility criteria for PIP, as well as freezing the rate for the health component of universal credit.
The bill is expected to be voted on by MPs later on this month.
Yahoo News takes a look at what this means for PIP.
When a PIP claimant receives the benefit, they are given a set amount of funding, which lasts for up to ten years. The amount of time this claim lasts varies.
However, if a person's circumstances change, or their award expires, they need to apply to the department for work and pensions (DWP) to receive payments in the future.
Now, if a person's next PIP claim is rejected, their claim is stopped entirely and their financial support is cut immediately.
The only exception is if a person who has previously claimed youth disability benefit the disability living allowance (DLA), and applies for PIP when they turn 16 and has their claim rejected. Then, they are given five weeks of payments.
Now, the government wants to introduce a transitional period so those who claim PIP and have their next claim rejected have financial support to adjust to to life without the benefit.
This would also mean applicants have time to apply for another benefit and have it instated, if they qualify.
Campaigners and charities have argued that with around 1.2 million people now expected to miss out on PIP until 2029/30, it's the least the government can do.
James Watson-O'Neill, Chief Executive of the disability charity Sense, told Yahoo News: 'The government's proposed cuts to disability benefits will have devastating consequences for disabled people across the country - pushing thousands further into poverty, hardship, and isolation.
'Many disabled people already find themselves in debt because current benefits don't stretch far enough. Cutting support further at a time when the cost of living remains high is not only unjust — it is cruel.
'We urge MPs to listen to disabled people and reject this legislation. Our welfare system should support those who need it most — not abandon them.'
The second reading of the bill will take place on Thursday 19 June.