PIP holiday

Welshman54

Hi guys and thank you for accepting me 

Welshman54

Can you please help.
i have been receiving pip for the past 4 yrs,went on breaks to family in Spain last year and advised them of when I went and when I returned,when I returned in early December I was told that my benefit was stopped because I exceeded 13 weeks. I phoned and explained that I was of the impression that if I went for over 13 weeks at any one time my benefit would be suspended and not stopped , not once in the information they gave does it say " if you exceed 13 weeks in a year " your payment will stop.
anyway when I phoned to query this they passed me from one department to another and the last department said my case manager would contact me ,that was mid December ,and as of yet no one has been in touch .please can you advise me ,thank you Tony

Pippa_Alumni

Hi @Welshman54, and welcome!

Sorry to hear about your situation: hopefully one of our benefits advisors will be in touch soon and able to assist you further with this. Have you tried getting in touch with the DWP since you last heard from them? 

Sam_Alumni

Hi @Welshman54
It does say that the conditions of entitlement for PIP are:

They must have been present for at least 104 weeks out of the last 156 weeks in Great Britain.

A temporary absence abroad for up to 13 weeks may be allowed, or up to 26 weeks if the absence is specifically for medical treatment. The claimant should notify us if they are planning to go abroad for 4 weeks or more.

Sam_Alumni

@Debbie_Scope do you have any ideas on this?

mikehughescq

Key here is the difference between suspended and stopped. If benefit is suspended then payment is stopped. Entitlement remains but actual payment stops. I wonder if what you’re referring to is an assumption that upon your return your payments would simply recommence whereas in fact you’ve been asked to reapply. If you came back at the 13 week point then, yes, you’d have to reapply.