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My question is what is the procedure for PIP?

This discussion was created from comments split from: Hi, my name is Pammie!.
Replies
Welcome to the community!
The area of welfare benefits can be a bit complex to navigate through.
We have information on our website about PIP and hopefully this will explain the benefit and help you to work out whether you should be putting a claim in. http://www.scope.org.uk/support/disabled-people/money/pip
If you're not currently working and haven't qualified for SSP then you may instead qualify for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Income Support. This does depend on your household and whether you have a partner living with you and their earnings. There's lots of things to explore and in the first instance it might be worth running the benefits calculator on our website to see if there's anything you might be missing out on. http://www.scope.org.uk/support/disabled-people/check-benefits
If you run into difficulties or none of it makes sense, do get in touch and I'll try and talk you through it all.
Best wishes
Debbie
If you have to complete the form yourself it is vital to remember that you give as much information about your diagnosis as you can, list any medication and the dose, and send any medical evidence you have, such as doctors letters, etc with the completed form. Also list contact details for any health professionals you are involved with. It's very important to read and understand what you are being asked for each question as it Is not your disability that will score points, but how it affects you in relation to the things they are assessing you for. For each question they will ask how you cope with a different activity, such as washing and dressing, cooking a meal, and so on. For each one, think about your disability and how it affects you when doing that activity and try to be clear about how you are affected. Also be specific about hints like how much pain you are in, any breathlessness or other symptoms and also how you are affected after doing that activity. For example, if you were to walk 20 metres could you do it without pain, without stopping and in a safe manner. Could you do it in less than twice the time it would take someone without a disability ? Could you also do it repeatedly within a reasonable time or would you be so wiped out from doing it once, that you would be unable to do it again for hours, or would it affect your ability to do anything else such as cook a meal afterwards ? Could you do it unaided or do you need aids or help from someone else to do it ? If there are any aids you would not be able to use, or if you use an aid but would still need help from someone else, explain why. You are aiming to paint a clear picture of how your disability limits you in each of the activities they are asking about. If you have a social worker, ask if they will provide a written report for you to send as evidence with your forms. This would be helpful, especially if they know you well and can provide supporting evidence as to your disability effects.
If you decide to complete the form yourself and you are unsure of anything please don't hesitate to contact me, and I'll be glad to help if I can.
Pammie has given some really good advice about this but if you're still having difficulties with that form you need to contact the PIP helpline 0345 8503322. You can either request an extension to allow you more time to complete the form or get some help with the form. According to the PIP Handbook. The DWP telephony agent will be able to assist with basic enquiries and will also find out what level of support you need to complete the form. Depending on the level of support you need they could arrange a call back to support you in completing the form. In the most vulnerable cases they can arrange for a DWP visiting officer to come to your home to help with the form. Claimants who are in vulnerable situations and are unable to return their form can be referred by the DWP directly to the assessment provider.
The PIP Handbook can be found at
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/519119/personal-independence-payment-handbook.pdf
With regards to finding your nearest DIAL, check out our Services Directory on the website http://www.scope.org.uk/Support/services-directory this will help you to find local support. You can also get help from local advice agencies such as Citizens Advice Bureau. Some local councils and housing associations have welfare rights teams who can assist with form-filling. It's also worth checking with some of the other charities such as MIND (mental health) and Age UK (older people) to see if they can offer assistance. It has become a lot harder to get help with form-filling so it might take a bit of searching to find help.
Thanks for your input Pammie, you're such an asset to the community
Has your DLA to PIP journey completed yet?
Keep us posted on progress and best wishes
Debbie
i would like to ask a question, my social worker is sorting out a carer for me and he is asking me if I want a carer from the council or direct he says that they don't have a difference. I don't know I will get pip at the end of the day so I don't want to be in debt. So if you know anything then please let me know. Many thanks.
I'm glad you've finished your form and have sent it off. Thanks again Pammie for your incredible input.
If you run into any difficulties, get in touch.
Keep us posted and let us know how things progress.
Best wishes
Debbie
The whole PIP process can take a few weeks from start to decision. 2 weeks is quite early on in the process so give it a bit more time. You could be looking at around 16 weeks but this will vary from one area to another. Let us know how you get on
Debbie
My carers started 6 weeks ago, and they come everyday , it is all sorted. But, I applied for PIP for 10 weeks ago and I have not heard anything yet. if anyone knows how long it will take then please let me know. Many thanks Marrium.
Unfortunately it is very area specific. It can take them 8-12 weeks to process the claim and give you an appointment for the face to face assessment. If you have access to your National Insurance number you could call the DWP on the helpline that Debbie posted above and ask them when you could expect an appointment.
After the appointment it can take them another 8-12 weeks to make the decision on your claim, using all the evidence that you submitted, and the face to face consultation to make the decision. The person you meet at the face to face consultation is NOT the one making a decision about your claim.
Best of luck and hang on in there!
@marrium When you applied for PIP did you provide a mobile telephone number? If you did you should be receiving text messages to inform you what stage you're at. I wonder if you have had any of these? In fact I'd be interested to hear if anyone has received text messages keeping them up to date with their claim.
I hope you hear soon but don't be surprised if you have to wait just a little bit longer.
I hope all is going well with your new care package
I have only received this message when I sent my application form, I have not received anything else. "Thanks for sending us your 'How your disability affects you' form. We may need you to attend a consultation with a health professional before we make our decision". We'll contact you again if we do. Could you please exsplain what they are saying. Many thanks, Marrium.
The message you received was to acknowledge that they had received your 'how your disability affects you' form. The idea of these text message communications is to keep claimants up to date with the progress of their claims without the need for the claimant to make multiple phone calls to find out where they are in the process.
So, it looks as though they have definitely received your form which is good. The healthcare professional will review the form and decide whether they have enough information or whether you will need to have a face to face assessment. If you're called for an assessment you'll be sent a letter confirming this with the date, time and location you are required to attend. If you can't attend the assessment centre you can request a home visit with medical evidence from your GP. It can take a while for this to happen though so don't be too surprised if you have a bit more waiting time before notification of whether you need an assessment or whether a decision can be made based on the paperwork. The waiting times can vary quite a lot from one area to another so don't be too concerned at this stage.
As always keep in touch and do let me know if you have any further questions.
Debbie
My social worker rang pip yesterday, I recived a call this morning from pip and they said that in a few weeks I will receive a appointment via a letter which will be coming soon. I don't know what will happen next because I am worried now. Help would be appreciated. Many thanks.
From what you've said it sounds as though a face to face assessment will be needed to assess what level of PIP you're entitled to. You will be sent a letter informing you of the date, location and time of your assessment. Are you going to be able to travel to an assessment or did you write on your form that you would need a home visit?
Try not to worry (easier said than done I know), you'll know more once you get the appointment letter through. As soon as that comes through let me know and we can go from there.
Have a good day
Debbie
today I recived a letter from Capita. They sent me a initial information pack. I am not sure on what will happen next. Do you know what stage I am on? I have spoken to my social worker and he said that if they send a letter for a appointment then we will send them a request for a home visit. I am worried. If anyone knows anything please let me know what will happen next. Many thanks Marrium.
From what I've read, the next stage will be Capita sending you an appointment for an assessment at an assessment centre. If you're not able to attend the assessment centre, you can ask to have the assessment carried out at home but you will need evidence from your GP to support your need for a home visit. Some claimants have had difficulties getting home assessments so do let us know if you have difficulties with this.
I hope this helps.
Best wishes
Debbie
I have recived my appointment letter from capita and they have said that they are coming for a home visit. I don't know what will happen next. I am really scared and nervous. Many thanks Marrium.
Thanks for updating me. When are they coming to carry out the assessment?
I posted this link in another thread yesterday and it's a link to the PIP Assessment Guide for providers carrying out PIP assessments. You might find it helpful to have a read through as this will give you an idea of how the assessment should be conducted and what should be taken into consideration.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/547146/pip-assessment-guide.pdf
Have a great weekend
Debbie
The link does not work. Please let me know if there are any other links available. Many Thanks Marrium.
Try this link ... https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/547146/pip-assessment-guide.pdf
Thanks
David
Sorry the link I posted didn't work. Thanks to @BenefitsTrainingCo for popping in the one that works. I'll try to edit the post if I can work out how, so that I can get the correct link in.
Hope you found the guide helpful.
Best wishes
Debbie
Sorry I missed your call today. I've set a reminder to call you on Monday though.
In terms of how long it will take to make a decision; this can vary from one part of the country to another.
The latest clearance times for new PIP claims take on average 11 weeks from registration to a decision but you've already gone past 11 weeks so we can't use that as a guide. I would probably allow 2 weeks to pass before contacting them but realistically 4 weeks to allow for any further delays. From what I hear on the front line the decisions tend to come quite soon after assessment (around 2-4 weeks) but again this varies from one area to another.
How did you find the assessment? Was it better than expected?
Have a lovely weekend and I look forward to speaking to you on Monday
sorry for the delay. A few weeks ago a ladie came from capita for a home visit. At the beginning of this week I received a text message that the DWP has all the information that they need and they will send a letter When they make a decisions. Does anyone know how long this will take? If anyone does then please Let me know. Many Thanks Marrium.
I received my pip decision letter 3 weeks ago. The Pip people have not said anything about when I will recive my pip payment. My claim is on hold. Can anyone tell me how long it will take for them to pay me. If anyone knows then please let me know. Many thanks Marrium.