Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2019 to Question 209781, Personal Independence Payment: Terminal Illnesses, how many claimants who registered under special rules for terminal illness over a year after being disallowed at initial decision under normal rules died within (a) three months and (b) six months of their registration.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Between April 2013 and October 2018, 2,840 Personal Independence Payments (PIP) claims were registered under Special Rules for Terminally Ill people (SRTI) by claimants at least 12 months after they had previously been disallowed at initial decision under normal rules. To put this into context, over 4 million applications to PIP were made between April 2013 and 31st October 2018.
The table below shows the number of these PIP claimants who died within 3 months or within 6 months of their SRTI registration between April 2013 and 30th April 2019.
Table 1: Number of Claimants who died after their Special Rules for The Terminally Ill registration which took place at least 12 months after a Normal Rules initial disallowance
Time between Special Rules Registration and Death | Number of Claimants |
Less Than 3 Months | 440 |
Less Than 6 Months | 740 |
Source: PIP ADS and Customer Information System
Notes:
Under the Social Security (Notification of Deaths) Regulations 2012 and s125 of Social Security Administration Act 1992 date of death is provided to the Department for all registered deaths. Additionally, next of kin also provide information on the date of death of an individual and this information is used appropriately in the administration of Departmental benefits.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2019 to Question 209781, Personal Independence Payment: Terminal Illnesses, how much it cost in administration to process claims from initially registering under normal rules to receiving an award under special rules for terminal illness.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many state pension forecasts have been revised down after people have raised discrepancies with their statements in each of the last five years.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
State Pension Forecasts are based on the National Insurance record at the time the State Pension Forecast is produced. If the National Insurance record changes subsequently this will affect the forecast. The DWP does not hold data in relation to changes to State Pension Forecasts following discrepancies being raised by customers. Where discrepancies are identified the DWP refers to HMRC for investigation.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure the accuracy of state pension forecasts.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
State Pension Forecasts are based on the National Insurance record at the time the State Pension Forecast is produced. If the National Insurance record changes subsequently this will affect the forecast. The DWP does not hold data in relation to changes to State Pension Forecasts following discrepancies being raised by customers. Where discrepancies are identified the DWP refers to HMRC for investigation.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2019 to Question 209776 on Personal Independence Payment, how many of the 56,920 claimants of personal independence payments who died within six months of their claim being registered received a payment claimed under (a) the normal rules and (b) the special rules for terminal illness process.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Over 3.6 million applications to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) were made between April 2013 and 30th April 2018. 73,870 of these claimants died within 6 months of their claim being registered.
Under the Social Security (Notification of Deaths) Regulations 2012 and s125 of Social Security Administration Act 1992 date of death is provided to the Department for all registered deaths. Additionally, next of kin also provide information on the date of death of an individual and this information is used appropriately in the administration of Departmental benefits.
56,950* of the 73,870 claims have been credited with a payment. 16,520 and 40,430 of these claimants registered their PIP claim under Normal Rules and Special Rules for Terminal Illness respectively.
*This is a slight increase on the answer to Question 209776 (56,920) as payments continue to be credited.
There is no evidence in this data to suggest someone’s reason for claiming PIP was the cause of their death and it would be misleading to suggest otherwise. People claim PIP for various reasons, the majority of which are non-life threatening.
Notes:
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2019 to Question 230076 on Personal Independence Payment, how many claimants of personal independence payments over that period who applied under the special rules for terminal illness process and had their claim disallowed subsequently lived for longer than six months; what medical conditions those claimants had; and what reasons were given for their claims being disallowed.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Table 1A shows the main disabling conditions of personal independence payment (PIP) claimants who registered a claim under special rules for terminal illness (SRTI) and were disallowed but had not died within 6 months of their claim being registered. The claim may have been disallowed under normal rules or special rules for terminal illness as claims can transition between the two as the claim progresses. The Department only records a claimant’s disability at assessment so does not hold this information where a claimant was disallowed prior to attending an assessment.
Table 1A: Disability Category of claimants who registered a claim under SRTI and were disallowed and had not died within 6 months of registration. Registrations to 30th April 2018 and Clearances to 31st October 2018.
Disability | Number of Outcomes |
Autoimmune disease (connective tissue disorders) | 30 |
Cardiovascular disease | 250 |
Diseases of the immune system | - |
Diseases of the liver, gallbladder, biliary tract | 110 |
Endocrine disease | 110 |
Gastrointestinal disease | 110 |
Genitourinary disease | 140 |
Haematological Disease | 30 |
Hearing disorders | 30 |
Infectious disease | 90 |
Malignant disease | 1,070 |
Metabolic disease | - |
Musculoskeletal disease (general) | 290 |
Musculoskeletal disease (regional) | 420 |
Neurological disease | 350 |
Psychiatric disorders | 820 |
Respiratory disease | 280 |
Skin disease | 50 |
Unknown or missing | 2,610 |
Visual disease | 30 |
Total (ALL) | 6,830 |
*The Department only records a claimant’s disability at assessment so does not hold this information where a claimant was disallowed prior to attending an assessment.
Table 1B shows the first outcomes at the initial assessment of PIP claimants who had registered a claim under SRTI but were disallowed and had not died within 6 months of their claim being registered.
It is possible for a PIP claim made under special rules for terminal illness to be rejected as a special rules case by the Assessment Provider for not satisfying the terminally ill definition. When this occurs the claim is subsequently referred back to the Department for Work and Pensions and the claim process will proceed under normal rules. A claim can be disallowed for the claimant failing to return the PIP2 form or attend an assessment under the normal rules process, even though the claimant originally registered under special rules.
Table 1B: Outcome of claimants who had not died 6 months after registration: Registrations to 30th April 2018 and Clearances to 31st October 2018.
Outcome | Number of Outcomes |
Disallowed pre-referral to the AP | 440 |
Disallowed pre-referral to the AP - due to non return of Part 2 within the time limit | 1,450 |
Disallowed post-referral to the AP - Failed Assessment | 4,160 |
Disallowed post-referral to the AP - FTA | 780 |
Total | 6,830 |
Source: PIP ADS
Notes:
Under the Social Security (Notification of Deaths) Regulations 2012 and s125 of Social Security Administration Act 1992 date of death is provided to the Department for all registered deaths. Additionally, next of kin also provide information on the date of death of an individual and this information is used appropriately in the administration of Departmental benefits.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2019 to Question 230077 on Personal Independence Payment, which team is responsible for making decisions to disallow claims under special rules for the terminally ill prior to a referral to the assessment provider.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Cases under Special Rules for the Terminally Ill are routinely referred to the Assessment Provider for a decision and not disallowed by DWP staff. The exception to this would only be when a claim is made by a customer outside of the age restrictions or where there is no recourse to public funds e.g. fails to meet nationality requirements.
Previous Question 230077 asked about claims made under special rules for terminal illness and reason for disallowance. It is possible for a PIP claim made under special rules for terminal illness to be rejected as a special rules case by the Assessment Provider for not satisfying the terminally ill definition. When this occurs the claim is subsequently referred back to the Department for Work and Pensions and the claim process will proceed under normal rules. A claim can be disallowed for the claimant failing to return the PIP2 form or failing to attend an assessment under the normal rules process, even though the claimant originally registered under special rules.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2019 to Question 230077 on Personal Independence Payment, whether it is a requirement to complete and return Part 2 of the Personal Independence Payment application form for claims made under special rules for the terminally ill.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
There is no requirement for a claimant claiming under Special Rules for the Terminally Ill to complete Part 2 of the Personal Independence Payment application form. Where an Assessment Provider believes that a claimant does not satisfy the criteria to claim under Special Rules for the Terminally Ill and the claim is to progress under normal rules then a part 2 would need to be completed.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2019 to Question 230077 on Personal Independence Payment, what steps she is taking to identify the reasons for claimants failing to attend assessments.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
If a claimant fails to attend an assessment the Assessment Provider shares any reasons provided by the claimant with DWP.
If the case is a New Claim no further enquiries are made unless where a case is disallowed a Mandatory Reconsideration is requested, in which case, further enquiries are made to establish if there was “good reason” for the claimant Failing to Attend.
If the case is a PIP Reassessment or an Award Review and the claimant fails to attend the case is referred to a Case Manager to consider the impact on benefit already in payment and further enquiries are made to establish reasons for non attendance.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2019 to Question 230077, Personal Independence Payment, how any claimants failed to attend assessments as a result of (a) ill health, (b) death, (c) transport difficulties and (d) accessibility issues of the assessment centre.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Question 230077 asked about claims made under special rules for terminal illness and reason for disallowance. It is possible for a PIP claim made under special rules for terminal illness to be rejected as a special rules case by the Assessment Provider for not satisfying the terminally ill definition. When this occurs the claim is subsequently referred back to the Department for Work and Pensions and the claim process will proceed under normal rules where a claimant may be required to attend an assessment. A claim can be disallowed for the claimant failing to attend an assessment under the normal rules process, even though the claimant originally registered under special rules.