Pip

destinymoon

I am currently waiting for my first PIP assessment. Confirmed receipt  of my forms in December23. How long does the process take roughly, before asked to have an assessment? Do they get medical history just from your GP or do they contact all other health professionals directly to get health records from them as well? 

poppy123456

If really depends on individual areas. Some wait a few weeks and others several, possibly longer. 

No, they very rarely contact anyone for any evidence and certainly not for medical records or history. The onus is on you to provide any relevant evidence. 

If on the rare occasion they contact your GP they are sent a simple tick box form to fill in and return. Sometimes they may ring other medical professionals to ask some questions but again both are rare. 

destinymoon

Ok. Thanks for your reply 

destinymoon

Received a text this morning from DWP re pip claim. Saying a health professional is looking at your claim and  will contact you with an appointment if they need to.  Is this someone medical who assesses my health issues I have detailed on claim forms? What happens from here please? 

nasturtium

Hello destinymoon

Yes it is a health professional that will be looking at your PIP2 Questionnaire form. If they require more information to make there descision then they might either telephone you and ask you a few questions to be able to do a paper based assessment or you might need to have an assessment. If you need an assessment you can request the assessment to be done over the telephone if you have anxiety issues.

Hope that helps and keep us updated.

Good luck with your claim

Nasturtium

destinymoon

Thank you for your reply. I did request a telephone assessment on the claim form, due to my anxiety issues. Hopefully they will oblige! 

nasturtium

destinymoon said:

Thank you for your reply. I did request a telephone assessment on the claim form, due to my anxiety issues. Hopefully they will oblige! 

It is good that you added your request for a telephone assessment on your form  

Keep us updated and good luck  

Nasturtium

destinymoon

Just received a text message today from  PIP that I am to receive a telephone assessment on the 30/1. Is that quite soon after getting the message from DWP on the 11/1 that a health professional is looking at it? 

poppy123456

Some people wait less time than others. It doesn’t mean anything other than you didn’t have to wait long. 

destinymoon

Thank you. Is there anything you can advise on how to prepare for the assessment please? I get nervous over the phone and tend to get brain fog. I understand a lot of people  are the same 

chiarieds

Hi @destinymoon - perhaps some of the following will be helpful:

- If you have kept a copy of your initial claim form, have a read through it.

 - Ideally you should have given 1 or 2 recent, detailed examples of the difficulty you face doing/attempting each applicable activity/descriptor that is looked at with PIP, i.e. when exactly did this occur, where, what exactly happened, why did you have difficulty, did anyone else see this, & were there any consequences to this, if applicable?

 - have a look at the PIP descriptors in this link, reading the notes at the end. The word 'reliably,' which is so important, isn't mentioned as such, but it's if you can't do an activity safely, to an acceptable standard, if you can't repeat it as often as would normally be expected, or if it takes you longer than a person without your disability. If you can't do an activity 'reliably,' say so, explaining why. Please see: https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/asset-library/personal-independence-payment-descriptors-and-scores-april-2023.pdf

 - see if there were any gaps where you didn't give those important detailed examples for each applicable PIP activities/descriptors in your initial claim form. Try to include these in your assessment if asked about any

 - you may be asked questions which you feel don't directly address the PIP descriptors, but they will, sometimes looking across a few, e.g. do you drive, do you have a pet?

- if you're unsure about any question, just ask for it to be repeated. Take your time in answering, & don't just answer 'yes' or 'no.'

- make sure your phone is fully charged, & if you'd like someone there to support you, put your phone on loudspeaker so they can listen in. Good luck.

destinymoon

Thank you so much for  your informative reply. I have read that it’s a good idea to record it. Not sure how that’s done but will look into it. 

destinymoon

Assessment took over hour and a half and was late. Does the DWP decision now look at the assessors report and the pip claim forms I completed  to make a decision? 

chiarieds

Hope you feel your assessment went well @destinymoon - yes, the DWP decision maker will look at your initial claim form, & anything you sent in with that, together with your assessor's report, before making a decision. It can take anything up to 12 weeks before you'll get your decision letter.

poppy123456

destinymoon said:

Assessment took over hour and a half and was late. Does the DWP decision now look at the assessors report and the pip claim forms I completed  to make a decision? 

Yes, they should also look at any additional evidence you sent to support your claim. Mostly they do go with the report but it has been known for them to go against it but it's rare. 

destinymoon

I’m not sure how it went really. I was so anxious and got emotional discussing depression. Caught me off guard. I’m never good speaking about my mental health. Got me on a  bad day! She seemed sympathetic but who knows! I explained my everyday problems. Found it quite difficult remembering everything! 

Albus_Scope

The worst part is done now @destinymoon, give yourself some time to process everything as it can all be hugely stressful. Sometimes it's good if you show your emotions, it shows you really are struggling with some of the descriptors. 
We're all about if you need to relax a little with some non DWP related chat.  

destinymoon

Thank you so much for your support. 

destinymoon

Was just wondering how long after the assessment it can take to hear the decision? I have read some people get a text and others hear by post? 

poppy123456

Up to about 12 weeks, Some wait less than that. You will receive a decision letter in the post, regardless of what the decision is. They often send a text if there's an award and it's a first time claim but not always. If it's a review then they don't usually send award texts. 

destinymoon

Anxious to hear their decision. Thank you again