The rule affects people receiving PIP who are preparing for longer overseas stays, including holidays. According to GOV.UK guidance cited in the report, an absence of more than four weeks may affect a claimant’s entitlement, meaning the DWP must be given specific information about the trip. Around four million PIP claimants are currently subject to the existing rules described in the source.
What PIP Claimants Must Tell the DWP before Travelling Abroad
Claimants who plan to spend more than four weeks outside the country are expected to provide the DWP with details of their absence. The department asks for the date the claimant intends to leave, the expected length of the trip, the destination and the reason for travelling abroad.
According to the GOV.UK guidance cited by BirminghamLive, “This change may affect the claimant’s entitlement to PIP.” The guidance continues: “We will need to know the date the claimant is leaving the country, how long they are planning to be out of the country, which country they are going to and why they are going abroad.”
People booking or preparing for a trip lasting more than four weeks are therefore advised in the source to contact the DWP with the requested information as soon as possible. The rule remains unchanged for August, a period when many people traditionally travel abroad for summer holidays.
The report says Mr Burnham has reappointed Pat McFadden to lead the DWP, while the current PIP arrangements are expected to stay largely unchanged until the Timms Review delivers its final recommendations.
In his first reported comments on welfare since taking over from Sir Keir Starmer, Mr Burnham said he wanted to find a “fair and sustainable way to bring the welfare bill down”. According to the same source, he said this would involve “changing the education system and giving them more support, more mental health support”.
Current PIP Process Remains in Place While Timms Review Continues
The wider PIP claims process also remains unchanged. After making a claim, an applicant receives a confirmation letter stating that the DWP has received the claim form.
The claimant may then be asked to attend a medical assessment, or the DWP may consult their healthcare professional. An independent health professional carries out the assessment to establish the claimant’s daily living and mobility needs.
That health professional then prepares a report for a DWP decision-maker, who uses it when reaching the final decision on the claim. The claimant subsequently receives a letter explaining the outcome.
Where PIP is awarded, the decision letter sets out which components the claimant will receive and the applicable rate. Anyone who disagrees with the decision has one month to challenge it. For the moment, the report states that these arrangements, including the requirements governing longer trips abroad, remain in force. Any future changes would depend on decisions made after the Timms Review delivers its final report later this year.
