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How long does reconsideration for PIP take?
don4u2001
Member Posts: 17 Listener
(NB. If you have a specific question about disability benefits, you can ask our expert benefits advisors - Scope)
Hi my mother suffers from epilepsy fibromyalgia fits siezers and arthritis and she has two cares in place my mum can't do anything she was on a waiting list for a wheel chair which has now arrived and she had her benefit changed from dla to pip and the assessor who came out to visit my mother gave her so less points and we believe this is unfair due to her illness I have asked for a reconsideration I want to know how long it takes
Hi my mother suffers from epilepsy fibromyalgia fits siezers and arthritis and she has two cares in place my mum can't do anything she was on a waiting list for a wheel chair which has now arrived and she had her benefit changed from dla to pip and the assessor who came out to visit my mother gave her so less points and we believe this is unfair due to her illness I have asked for a reconsideration I want to know how long it takes
Replies
Unfortunately there is no strict timescales for the DWP to conduct mandatory reconsiderations, and the decision cannot be appealed until this stage has been completed.
In practice it normally takes between 2-8 weeks provided it is logged on their system as being a reconsideration request -in this regard I recommend calling them after around 10 days to make sure the request has been logged appropriately. The number is 0345 8503322.
On a related note, if your mother has been awarded some PIP, then you need to bear in mind that the award can be reduced as well as increased on reconsideration or appeal, and it may therefore be worthwhile seeking specialist advice on merits before proceeding. I would recommend you contact your local advice agency for this.
Hope this helps.
Kind regards,
Mary
Thanks for keeping in touch and letting us know how the mandatory reconsideration went. If you want to go ahead and appeal it would be a good idea to talk to a specialist first who can help you weigh up your chances of success.
How many points was your mother awarded in the mobility activities and which descriptor/s did she score the points on?
We link to resources to help you with your appeal including the SSCS1 form which you'll need to lodge your appeal.
If you want to talk to me or my colleague Gill at the helpline we'd be happy to talk things through with you and give you some information to help you decide whether to go to tribunal. You can reach us on 0808 800 3333 or email [email protected] and we can arrange to call you. Please let us know your username when you contact us so that we can identify you.
It can be difficult to get through to us by phone at times due to the volume of calls we have coming in but please bear with us or send us an email.
Best wishes
Debbie
You beat me to it, I was just going to ask how things are going for you. I'm glad to see you contacted your local MP, have they been able to help you in any way?
Sorry to hear you're not well, all of this can't be helping.
Hang on in there, you've done great so far and hopefully you'll find out about the reconsideration soon. It's an anxious wait though isn't it when you've lost so much. I hope you're managing ok and if you need anything let me know.
As for how long the appeal takes, this can vary depending on where you live. It can take quite a long time though so you need to be prepared for the long haul.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Ideally if your Mum can attend in person this would be helpful because the tribunal panel will be able to see your Mum for themselves and ask her questions directly. It's possible that the appeal can be heard without the need for a hearing and all parties must agree to this. A paper based decision can be made using all of the information and evidence provided by both sides including the initial claim form. If there is clear and strong evidence to enable a paper based decision, and everyone agrees to this, then yes it can happen, however I would not recommend taking this approach without first contacting a Welfare Rights adviser who can help you weigh it all up and work out if there is enough evidence available or whether more is needed.
You should tell the tribunal as soon as you can about the difficulties your Mum will have in attending a tribunal hearing. If you can provide medical evidence too this will help.
Did you manage to find any advice agencies locally to support you with this?
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