PIP form - can you print off typed answers?

W348

Sorry poppy feel like I am being a hit of a bother now with questions. I just saw this page which seems to suggest SDP should be applied automatically? https://www.gov.uk/disability-premiums/how-to-claim

I guess I could wait until next ESA payment is due and see if the SDP amount is included with that. If not, then I can get someone to ring. Does it usually top-uo the ESA and is not a seperatebohmsnt on a different date to ESA?

I'd prefer a paper form to fill in if that's an option.

One thing that confused me… so when I was on ESA-only (no PIP), does the fact I did not previously have PIP cancel out SDP for my Mum and brother?

poppy123456

Please don't worry, you'r not a bother at all, I just haven't been online much today.

It's not automatically paid. That link you posted is referring to the Disability Premium (not payable with ESA) and the Enhanced disability Premium. Sometimes it may flag on the system but you shouldn't rely on that because so many people are entitled and have no idea.

There's a copy of the IS10 form that you can download here.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/request_for_blank_is10_form/response/1637206/attach/3/IS10.pdf?cookie_passthrough=1

Yes, your mum and brother would not have been entitled to SDP before you were awarded PIP.

DmRitchie

I wish I'd considered this at the time. My dysgraphia (only discovered recently) means that my handwriting is illegible to me more often than not. So filling in the form by hand, took me far hours and I probably omitted much more evidence that may have supported my application at the time (and saved my 18 mth wait for tribunal)

W348

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/901754#Comment_901754

Thanks for that link. Just giving the form a once over now.

I wonder if I can just print this off and send that in, or is it essential to have someone call?

Are there any negative implications to claiming SDP? Impact on housing benefit or anything like that?

I think they might backdate it too to my first PIP phone call date in May, if that's the case it should be about £1000 in backpay. If they don't make it difficult anyway.

poppy123456

No problem. Yes, you can just print off the form. I don't believe the IS10 form has changed in many years. I've been claiming it for 11 years and it hasn't changed in all that time.

There's nothing negative about claiming SDP, it's a disability premium added to your ESA, which is a very good thing. It will not impact HB natively.

It shouldn't be difficult to claim at all. You live with your mum and brother, who both claim a qualifying disability benefit, which means you're "treated" as living alone for SDP purposes.

W348

Appreciate all the guidance here, thank you poppy. Your input has been massively reassuring throughout in helping me navigate this process. This was the level of support I hoped CAB would have been able to provide me by email. They used to attend ESA reviews in my place, but when I informed them of my PIP claim by email a few months back, and pointed out their prior help. They made it clear they're exceptionally busy and no longer attend assessments.

No rush for answers here as my ESA is due just after the weekend so I will be curious to see if the amount is the same as usual or if they may have automatically topped it up with SDP and saved us the hassle of contacting them.

Had second thoughts about printing SDP form, noticed it doesn't have their address on it. Guess it's just for example purposes.

QUESTIONS FOR LATER

I see on the linked form that it has spaces to add people you live with. Does this mean I only need one form, or do each of us have to fill out our own form?

I kind of feel like that may be a daft question, but I want to be sure before I try and enquire about SDP.

You referred to it as an IS10 form, is that what we should ask for, or do we just say SDP form? Do you know if local job centres have these forms to hand? It might be more convenient to just have someone pick it up as I expect they will be less enclined to want to bombard with questions.

I think I am a bit worried about phone calls or even having someone phone for me and give my name as I don't know what the call centre staff can see from my claim. I have some embarrassing difficulties and I would like to think these are not accessible to anyone other than GP and the person who assessed my claim. But I'm not sure, I think this is also the reason I allow my hospital, dental and optician appointments to be scattered years apart without chasing them up. Because I'm overly anxious about what they might be able to read about me in their systems. I presume everything is on the same NHS system.

I even added this concern in with my PIP claim as thought they mignt reassure me, but they didn't acknowledge it in their PIP decision comments nor did they email me as I requested.

poppy123456

You're very welcome, I'm glad I could advise you. In all honesty the feedback from others regarding Citizens Advice hasn't been great. They don't usually attend Tribunals now so I'm not surprised that they don't attend assessments.

To answer your other questions. If you know the address where to send that form to then you can use it, it's not just a sample form. If it was a sample then it would say that on it.

You can't claim SDP for all of you through 1 form. It has to be an individual form for each of you. The reason it asks who lives with you is because that's part of the criteria for claiming it. Please don't forget that your mum needs to claim it through Pension Credit.

The form is known as IS10 and yes I would think they will have one at your local job centre but I can't be 100% certain on that.

If you ring ESA to claim it, the questions they ask will be the questions in the form because it will be claimed through a phone call, rather than you filling out the form yourself. They do not need to know anything about your health conditions.

DWP do not have access to any of your medical records unless you sent it to them yourself. They can't just access your medical records. NHS and DWP are completely different.

Please don't worry about asking questions. I'm always happy to help when I can. There's no such thing as a silly question if you don't know the answer.

W348

@poppy123456 I got two letters today one of which is confusing to me. I think they may be trying to block SDP?

First, the good news is the first letter I opened is the IS10 SDP form, so I don't need to worry about phoning for that now.

Second letter is weird/confusing. It mentions National Insurance contributions. Have they moved me onto the different kind of ESA deliberately to block me getting SDP? I think you mentioned before that a specific type of ESA could not get SDP.

This letter also references tax years 2003 and 2004, why are they using tax years from 20 years ago?

I think I'll just share the letter here as I don't really understand what I am looking at. My gut reaction is they have changed it to block SDP, while also sending me an SDP form too - both letters received today.

There's a couple of other pages which I did not take a photo of, these just appear to be generic pages mentioning things like if disagree to contact them.

I am rather confused and worried this is somehow incorrect. In your opinion does this letter below affect me filling in the SDP form that they automatically sent me today?

Thanks again.

*I did also get paid ESA today too which was unexpected, it's usually Mon/Tue thatbI get it. The amount is the same as usual £318.10 fortnightly.

[Images removed by moderator at posters request]

W348

This ESA letter is quite stressful, I'm trying not to give it too much thought just now. I'm still trying to process my recent PIP award. I think the outcome of enhanced DL and standard Mobility is positive.

I recall reading somewhere around here that you can request the assessor's report or something? Is it advisable for me to do that? The PIP award did have a statement by the assessor or decision maker, I am not sure which.

I just feel like I should be requesting 'something' to have a copy of it for future reference. I'm not really sure what I should be asking for though.

poppy123456

I answered your question about the letter in your other thread here.

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/121744/esa-pip-sdp-confused-by-new-esa-letter

You can request the assessment report if you want to by ringing PIP to ask them to send you a copy of the assessment report.

W348

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/902475#Comment_902475

OK Poppy, thanks. I got a little stressed out and carried away. I'll try to keep things seperate so it's a little tidier, and just keep it about PIP in this thread.

Do you think it's worth me trying to get my hands on the PIP report? Is that something you would recommemd? I guess this is primarily just an option for those who had a negative outcome.

Maybe it's worthwhile just so I can see how closely the report matches the awarded points. I don't think there's anything I would necessarily dispute though.

If there's no major benefit to obtaining this perhaps it's best I leave it alone. I'm not sure, would they also send me the GP report too, because I don't have a copy of that yet, would save me seeing my GP any time soon again.

I think this PIP discussion is close reaching its conclusion. Thankyou so much for your help and guidance these pst few months. The whole thing has been incredibly stressful, but you've made the process much more bearable. Thank you.

poppy123456

Aww you're very welcome, I'm very happy I was here to help and advise you along the way! It's lovely when the outcome is a good one.

You can request the report just to have a read if that's what you want. They will send that out to you if you ring PIP to ask them.

I have all of mine and my daughters PIP assessment reports, with the exception of 2021 because there wasn't one for either of us.

For the GP letter, you can either ask your GP for this or if you ask PIP you can make a Right Of Access request online for personal information they hold on you between certain dates.

https://secure.dwp.gov.uk/personal-information-request/name they may not send it if you just ask them over the phone.

W348

Oops I see I commented on someone else's 'decision letter' thread before. I must have mistakenly commented thinking it was my own thread.

I have just seen your reply poppy. I will include it quoted below for convenience.

I wasn't too sure about the backpay either, I tried putting the dates in the benefits and work website calculator but I don't seem to get the same figures. It's not that far out though.

I note I did get 10 points for planning and following a journey. I don't necessarily agree with what the assessor has written under those points. I explained in my answers that I do sometimes travel on my own to familiar places. However, I did give a recent example of an incident on a bus which lead to me having a rather violent verbal outburst. I did explain in the form though that speaking is like trying to put a jigsaw puzzle together, I have to see the words in my head and focus on them to say them without muddling them all up. If someone puts me on the spot or I feel threatened, I don't know what's going to come out of my mouth.

I also gave an example where I got on the wrong bus and the driver said I had to get off as it was the last stop, but due to talking difficulties I couldn't explain I mistakenly got on the wrong bus.

I was just trying to think why they would give me 10 points when I typed that I do travel to familiar places on my own. I presume it's due to such incidents.

I did think my communicating and mixing with other people points were low, given these are my primary difficulties - but I guess as it's enhanced altogether then it's not worth the hassle raising an issue with them. For any complex issues I need to pass notes such as with GP or at hospital appointments which makes me feel like ****. I explained all this in rest detail. I presume my GP did in his report too for me not to be called to assessment.

The Assessor person included a decision note, is that different from the report that you mentioned I could request?

[Images removed by moderator at posters request]

…

QUOTE

Poppy123456:

@W348 for your PIP award and the daily living part there's no point in challenging that because regardless of where you scored those points you can't have a higher award than Enhanced anyway. 

For the mobility part then it will depend where exactly you scored those points, was it moving around or following and planning a journey? and which descriptor?

You can challenge the length of the award but you must make sure you tell them that you're happy with the award itself and do not wish to challenge that. The most likely outcome anyway will be the decision doesn't change. If this happens you can proceed to Tribunal, where there's much higher chance of success. 

For the SDP then please see your other thread where advice is being given.

END QUOTE

poppy123456

@W348 for the following and you planning a journey part how often are you able to actually go out?

If on the majority of the days (at least 50% over a 12 month period) you are unable to go out then 10 points is correct here.

For the daily living part, that’s the highest award you can have so any further points you maybe able to score is irrelevant anyway.

W348

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/902620#Comment_902620

I explained in my form that I don' t travel often on my own. On the rare occasions that I do, it's usually to a local hospital or dental appointment. I don't particularly like travelling on my own either because if I want to go somewhere it's not like I can communicate properly if I did want to go somewhere on my own.

I wasn't really expecting enhanced mobility as I can walk, I must admit I did like the potential prospect of a motability vehicle, freedom to explore without having to socialise on public transport sounds nice (finding an instructor would be the difficult bit). But I'll get over that.

My worst fear was having an assessment at all. Turned out OK. Second worry was feeling like I may get the wrong award such as standard daily living or no mobility at all. And then the further agonising wait of letters, calls and the unknown. That was OK too. So I can't really complain and I do consider myself lucky that the decision is right from the offset. I have you to thank for that I think, as I sent in additional evidence later from you prompting me, which I was reluctant to do because I felt they could access my records. I was admittedly paranoid about trusting royal mail with private documents too.

You mentioned I can phone if I want my PIP report. Do you know if I can do the same thing by writing in to request this? Is there like a template letter on scope or cab site that might be available for this?

Thanks. I think that pretty much concludes everything I had on my mind about PIP. You've been amazing.

poppy123456

@W348

That doesn't really answer my question about how often you're able to go out, whether that's on your own or with another person. Does your mental health prevent you from being able to go out? If so, how often does this happen?

Activity 1E where you've scored those points means that they think on the majority of the days (at least 50% over a 12 month period) due to your mental health, you are unable to undertake any journey. (night time doesn't count for the descriptor)

You can write to request the assessment report. You don't need a template letter, though there isn't any, anyway. Just ask them if they can send you a copy of the assessment report. Whether they will respond to that and send it to you, is another matter. I wouldn't hold out your hopes too much for that.

W348

Sorry if my answer is not direct I am trying to be a little vague on fhe forum as I don't want to go into too much detail. I think I expected to score points

W348

I'm trying to avoid going into specific detail about medical issues on the forum, but obviously PIP is aware. But I can try to talk some about the impact.

I think in my notes I expected to score points for not able to follow an unfamiliar journey without another person.

The Assessor choice did surprise me given what I said in form, but I think they probably chose that based on the examples I gave of past incidents where verbally I've put myself in harm's way by my sudden response to abusive individuals - I haven't been able to focus on the words so anything comes out.

I've only travelled on my own to familiar locations avg. 5 times per year (not counting the time I got on the wrong bus). I do travel with family member more frequently by bus, we usually go out on public transport once every 2-3 weeks.

I do hope to be able to get out more though. I feel I am somewhat stuck in a rut for the past 20 years. I would really like to be able to take up driving at some point, would be nice to be able to take my mum out then too. On public transport I feel I have to nudge her if she talks as can make people look at us and talk. I feel rather agitated when I can sense people are looking at me.

It's gotten to the point where I've heard people on my own street talking about me while walking past, and staff in dentist as well - which has made me more paranoid about attending appointments.

I don't really know what the answer is - I feel I need to somehow find a path forward.

poppy123456

@W348 I totally understand not wanting to go into too much detail on here, I am the same. I'm not asking you to go into too much detail, other than how often are you actually able to go out, whether that's on your own or with another person.

Based on what you've said in your last comment here that you've been able to go by yourself about 5 times in the past year and on public transport every 2-3 weeks tells me that the majority of the time you're unable to undertake any journey. This means that the descriptor you scored points for seems correct.

Many people get confused between that descriptor and 1F, which is can't follow the route of a familiar journey without another person, assistant dog or orientation aid.

I hope that you will be able to find a way forward in the future.

W348

@Rosie_Scope or any moderator - I just wanted to enquire if it's possible to edit my post on previous page?

If possible to edit I would like to delete my PIP photos. I mainly posted them for poppy to have a look and check all is as it should be.

I don't need them up anymore. If it's not possible that's okay, it's just I would be a little more comfortable if the photos were deleted is all. I couldn't see an option to do this myself.