Government provides update on cases where PIP claimants will not have had their award extended as a result of Covid-19

Specified cases 'are not included in Covid-19 easements and will not be extended as part of this exercise', says DWP Minister

DWP Minister Justin Tomlinson has provided an update on cases where personal independence payment (PIP) claimants will not have had their award extended as a result of Covid-19.

In May 2020, Mr Tomlinson told Parliament that short, fixed-term awards of PIP that were due to expire during the coronavirus pandemic would be automatically extended, and last week said that around 756,000 notifications had been issued to claimants to advise them of their extension.

However, responding to a Parliamentary written question yesterday, Mr Tomlinson advised that -

'The Department has been automatically applying extension of awards ... for all claims due to end between March 2020 and January 2021, except those where a new decision has been made since review and reassessment activity resumed in July. Additionally, a small number of awards have not been extended where action on their case is pending. These are not included in Covid-19 easements and will not be extended as part of this exercise.'

Mr Tomlinon's written answer is available from Hansard.