Level of award

Individuals on the lower rate of Pension Age Disability Payment will either have daytime or night-time needs. If their existing daytime needs or night-time needs increase further, they will still remain on their lower-level award. Their entitlement would only change if they developed either:

• night-time needs in addition to their existing daytime needs or
• daytime needs in addition to their existing night-time needs.

Therefore, when determining an appropriate review period, you should consider the following questions:

• Are the individual’s needs likely to decrease? And if so, at what point in the future are the individual’s needs likely to decrease?
• Is the individual likely to develop either
  • Night-time needs in addition to their existing daytime needs?
  • Daytime needs in addition to their existing night-time needs?

When and whether or not, the individual’s needs that their existing entitlement to the daytime or nighttime criterion is based on, are likely to increase is not relevant setting an appropriate review period.

There are special rules for when an individual receives PADP for renal dialysis and their needs change. Refer to the Rules for Renal Dialysis chapter to find out how their entitlement is impacted by changes to their needs.

For a number of individuals on PADP, even setting a long review period will not be appropriate. Here, giving an indefinite award might be the best option. However, the considerations when deciding whether an indefinite award would be the right choice differ, depending on whether the individual is on the lower or higher rate of PADP. These are set out in the indefinite awards section.

For example, an individual in receipt of the higher rate of Pension Age Disability Payment whose needs are highly likely to remain the same or to increase further would benefit from an indefinite award.

An individual who has daytime needs which are highly unlikely to change, but who is likely to develop night-time needs in the medium to long term would not benefit from an indefinite award. This is because it is likely that their entitlement will increase in the future.

Apart from individuals who are terminally ill, there is no automatic process to make an indefinite award, for example, simply because the individual has a certain condition.

You must review the decision-making guidance on indefinite awards and must follow the process set out in the operational guidance.

You should consider all of the information available from

• the application or review form
• any supporting information if available, including the statement of support in deciding whether or not to set an award review period.