PIP review form just dropped - some questions

Commanded2bwell

Well, I just received my PIP review form. I was originally awarded PIP in 2021 and thought this was for four years, so am a little surprised to get it after only two!

I'm currently quite mentally exhausted, so apologies if some of my questions are obvious or easily found, elsewhere. I would be very grateful for some advice to get me going in the right direction.

1. My condition is more or less the same as it was, with some detail changes. Do I simply note the changes or discuss everything, plus the changes? Will the assessor refer to my original award when looking at the review, or do I need to include everything, plus the changes, as though this were a brand new claim?

2. Can I include additional/separate sheets containing my answers? The answer boxes supplied are, as usual, ridiculously small. 

3. Should I use my original answers, then add the changes, perhaps as highlighted text, to those answers, or do they want me to rephrase everything?

The timing is horrible. I just had my assessment for LCWRA, and I have a ton of other work and deadlines looming that have to get done before everything stops for Christmas, and now this turns up with a deadline of 11 December. It took me a solid month to draft the original award.

Cheers

poppy123456

1/ You need to treat it as a new claim, even if there's been no changes. If there's been no changes you can tell them this but add extra information, please don't put just "no change." Also include a couple of real world examples of exactly what happened the last time you attempted each descriptor that applies to you. Adding detailed information such as where you were, what exactly happened, did anyone see it and what the consequences were.

For reviews your form will be sent to a decision maker before sending it to the health assessment providers. They will then look through everything and usually your previous form too and decide whether a decision can be made without sending to it across. This is quite rare but it can happen. Therefore, yes they can look at your previous information.

2/ You should use extra sheets of paper because as you correctly said, there's never enough of room on the form to include all the details. Please make sure you put your name and NI number on everything you send.

Make sure you clearly state which acitivity it's related to on the sheets. I'm typing mine on my computer and will print it off once it's completed.

If you don't have enough of time to do everything you can ring PIP to ask for an extra couple of weeks to return the form and they will give you 2 weeks extra. 

3/ I'm currently in the process of filling out my review form too. I also kept copies of everything i sent last time, including all the extra information. I'm not copying word for word what i put last time because in my opinion it's much better to give new information.

I agree, it's all very stressful! Do be aware that there are also very long delays for a lot of people so you may not hear anything for quite sometime. Hopefully you'll be one of the lucky ones and it will be completed quickly.

Commanded2bwell

Thanks, Poppy.

Hannah_Alumni

I'm so sorry the timing was terrible and that you feel exhausted @Commanded2bwell. Make sure you rest in between the forms, lots of cups of tea Please keep us updated  

Commanded2bwell

Hannah_Scope said:

I'm so sorry the timing was terrible and that you feel exhausted @Commanded2bwell. Make sure you rest in between the forms, lots of cups of tea Please keep us updated  

Thanks, Hannah.
I have developed the horrible habit of leaving the tea bag in the tea, although I do use quite large cups, so it gets diluted... a bit. I've also discovered mug warmers! Desktop USB devices that are basically miniature hotplates and I haven't drunk cold tea slops in months. It's changed my life! Permanently warm tea!

Commanded2bwell

I've thought of another question:

I have some additional evidence that is new since I made the original application, but not much.

If, as Poppy says, we should treat it as a new claim, does that mean I should include copies of the original evidence as well, or should I just refer to the evidence and note that it can be found in my original application, if the assessor needs to see it?

poppy123456

If it's relevant then send it. However, if multple pieces of evidence say the same things this isn't helpful. Less is often more.