Personal Independence Payment: Veterans
(asked on 9th July 2026) - View Source
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce reassessment requirements for veterans with permanent and irreversible service-related injuries for Personal Independence Payments.
Answered by
Stephen Timms
Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) awards, including the rate payable and the duration, are set on an individual basis, based on the claimant’s needs and the likelihood of those needs changing. Regular reviews are a key feature of the benefit and ensure that payments accurately match the current needs of claimants. Award durations can vary from nine months to an on-going award, with a light touch review at the ten-year point.
Since 6 April 2026 we have reduced the frequency of repeated reviews in PIP. For most claimants over 25, their first review will be a minimum of 3 years and, assuming they remain entitled, 5 years for their next review. We want to ensure claimants receive the right level of award while at the same time reducing unnecessary award reviews. This will make the system far more efficient and remove unnecessary pressure from disabled claimants whose needs rarely change at each review. Reducing the frequency of PIP award reviews will enable us to increase the number of WCA reassessments and the proportion of PIP/WCA health assessments conducted face-to-face.
We know PIP can be improved, which is why we launched the Timms Review, which is being co-produced with disabled people and their organisations to ensure the benefit is fair and fit for the future. The steering group has now published its interim report, which provides a public account of the Review’s work to date and summarises the evidence gathered and engagement conducted so far. This includes the findings from the Call for Evidence, which had over 38,000 responses. The steering group is now moving into the next phase of work designing and testing their recommendations, which will be published in a final report of recommendations to the Secretary of State in the autumn.