The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been told to review Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for 2,244 claimants who are living abroad, a figure that has risen by 86% since before the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of expats receiving disability benefits has surged from 1,203 pre-pandemic to the current total, with many residing in Spain, Italy, Portugal, and France.
Breakdown of Claimants by Condition
Of the 2,244 claimants, 414 receive aid for psychiatric disorders, 1,001 for musculoskeletal diseases, 60 for respiratory conditions, and 79 for hearing and visual disorders. The sharp increase has prompted calls for a crackdown on what some see as an abuse of the system.
Former Tory Leader Calls for Reform
Former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith told The Sun: “These claims need to be reviewed, and the Government must look at whether it can reform the system. If you choose to live abroad, and work abroad, because PIP is not work-related, you could be earning a significant salary while getting this benefit. This was not as much of a problem as before Covid, but the number of cases have gone up significantly.”
DWP Response and Ongoing Review
A DWP spokesman said: “Only a very small number of PIP claimants are currently living abroad. We’re fixing the broken system we inherited by creating a welfare state that works for disabled people and taxpayers and have launched the Timms Review to make sure PIP is fit and fair for the future.”
Rules for Claiming Benefits Abroad
Under DWP rules, claimants may be eligible for benefits while living abroad if they work in the UK or pay National Insurance, have paid enough NI for contribution-based benefits, receive State Pension, Industrial Injuries Benefit, contribution-based ESA, or bereavement benefits, or are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement. Eligible benefits include PIP, Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for adults care component, Attendance Allowance, or Carer’s Allowance. Claimants must be habitually resident in the EEA country or Switzerland and have a genuine link with the UK, such as having lived or worked there.
How to Switch Benefits
Those currently claiming PIP or DLA for adults who want to claim Adult Disability Payment instead should contact the Disability Service Centre. Conversely, those on Adult Disability Payment wishing to claim PIP should contact Social Security Scotland. Social Security Scotland can also assist claimants unsure about having a ‘genuine and sufficient link’ to Scotland.
