Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the criteria for assessing Personal Independence Payments to take into account claimants with mental health issues.
Answered on
12 July 2017
The Personal Independence Payments (PIP) assessment criteria have been designed to take account of the impact of all impairments on individuals’ ability including those with mental health issues. The inclusion of such activities as 'Making budgeting decisions' and 'Engaging with other people face-to-face' ensures that consideration is given to the impact of such impairments on people's daily living needs.
Furthermore, by assessing claimants' ability to plan and follow journeys, the Mobility component also reflects the impact of impairment on an individual's ability to get around, and ensures the assessment takes account of mental, intellectual and cognitive impairments.
We believe the current PIP assessment criteria are the best way of identifying those whose mental health is most limited and have no plans to change these.