Durkan criticises PIP review confusion

The party’s Social Justice spokesperson said local people had been told their entitlement was extended to 2021 as a result of the pandemic preventing face-to-face reviews.

Mr Durkan said: “People with disabilities in receipt of PIP who were assured that their payments were guaranteed until October have now received letters informing them that they have a month to return an Awards Review form.

“One woman who contacted me was assured at the start of October that her PIP award had been extended until 1 October 2021, only to receive a letter on Friday informing her that she was up for review and must return an Awards Review form by the end of November this year.

“The complexity of these forms and the details required would make one difficult enough to complete in normal times: to be required to do so in a fortnight when access to advice from the welfare advice sector and politicians’ offices is severely limited by the pandemic and after being assured it would not be required beggars belief.

“Whether this is by design or incompetence, it is causing an enormous amount of stress and worry for claimants who thought they were getting much needed financial certainty.

“This is not just a case of the Minister apologising to those people affected: she must now ensure people’s entitlement is extended as indicated and write to them all assuring them that they will not be subject to review before that date.”

In response to Mr Durkan , spokesperson for the Department of Communities said: “Normally the PIP review form is issued six months before the award ends with no award extension arrangement in place. However, as an emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and in order to ensure the most vulnerable were financially protected, the Department suspended issuing Award Review forms for a period of four months, extending any PIP awards that were due to expire during this period.

“The issue of Award Review forms recommenced in late July and forms are now being issued four months later than the date they should have been originally issued pre-Covid, with PIP awards extended for a further nine months from this date as an additional safeguard due to the uncertainty of Covid-19, to allow extra time for the review to be completed without the risk of PIP payments ending.

“In these uncertain times this allows the maximum time for the review to complete without any risk of the existing payment running out.

“The review process only begins when the form is returned and anyone who needs more time to complete the form, including seeking help to fill it in, will be given it if they contact the Department.

“The letter is intended to inform people of the current situation on their PIP award as the dates given to them in their original decision letter have changed in relation to their review period.

“We are committed to providing all the support and help people need in these very difficult times,” the spokesperson added.