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Review for ongoing PIP awards

Matilda

My PIP award letter dated Oct 2016 states that I will be contacted by the DWP after Oct 2026. And another member has posted that their award letter dated Nov 2017 states that they will be contacted after Nov 2027. But there have been other posts on the forum stating that all awards, including ongoing ones, will be reviewed every three years. Will it be reviews after 10 years for ongoing awards - or after only three years?

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BenefitsTrainingCo

Hi Matilda,

I think this has already been discussed here?

https://community.scope.org.uk/discussion/37800/pip-award-with-no-end-date#latest

Lee

Matilda

@BenefitsTrainingCo

This has been discussed but which is correct - the 10 years as clearly stated in DWP award letters, or the 3 years referred to elsewhere? I.e., what's likely to happen in practice? I am interested in a benefits expert's (i.e. Benefits Training Co's') 'take' on this.

BenefitsTrainingCo

Matilda,

The problem is, as Mike [removed by moderator] discusses in the other post, that 'unplanned' reviews can happen at any time, and do. Unfortunately, the DWP have that power in the PIP regulations.

The guidance for case managers (AKA decision makers) says that an 'ongoing' award is one where planned intervention would happen after no more than 10 years from the award date. So, what people should see in their letters is something between 9 months (not something I have seen a lot of, but the minimum possible) to 10 years.

When it comes to so-called 'unplanned' reviews, the answer has to be that we just don't know exactly how these happen. Three years sounds about right as a statistical norm, but I haven't seen any actual stats on this. It would make a useful Freedom of Information request (eg, how many people with ten year awards are reassessed before that time, and what is the frequency).

Benefits and Work's answer on this is pretty good. Another way of putting it is that we know what the guidelines are for the length of award you get in a decision notice. But that doesn't indicate when you will next be reassessed, unfortunately. The only other thing is that it is possible you'll have just the AR1 from, and you may find that is all, or if more evidence is needed, that medical evidence rather than a face to face assessment is sufficient.

In my view this is all part of the unnecessary stress put upon disabled people and in itself worth complaining about - though MPs should now know about this following the Work and Pensions Committee inquiry, we still need to press for a policy that agrees to stop reassessments where appropriate (as with ESA). I don't know if we'll ever get there though...

As Mike [removed by moderator] says, some aspects of this are in the public domain, but that doesn't allow us to state with any accuracy exactly when a claimant will be reassessed. The government has, I'm afraid, reasserted its commitment to reviews of PIP being a 'key feature of the benefit' (Penny Mordaunt MP in July 2017).

So in conclusion, you should expect some investigation by the DWP before the ten years are up, though it's possible that it won't involve a face to face assessment.

Will

Matilda

Thank you, Will. The award letters sent to people awarded ongoing PIP state specifically that they will be contacted 10 years after the date of their assessment. The letter does not say any time up to 10 years. So the DWP statement does need to be amended.

Be interesting if DWP decided to reassess me at some point as my condition will never improve (rheumatoid arthritis). Would be a waste of public time and money.

BenefitsTrainingCo

Matilda,

I completely agree Matilda. And many other conditions likewise simply won't improve.

About the DWP letters, it is worth a complaint about this I feel, given the stress and anxiety caused by people being contacted about a review they would not expect at all based on the official information. You need to wait until you are reassessed to have grounds for complaint I suppose, but I'm sure you will keep that letter!

Will

Matilda

Thank you, Will. Just have to wait and see what the DWP do.

Nystagmite

I remember asking this elsewhere. Someone did say it's hard to know what will happen because as of now, (remind me, when did PIP start?) no-one with an ongoing award has been assessed yet.

Matilda

@Nystagmite

Yes, no-one with an ongoing PIP award has been reassessed yet as far as I know.

I'm not sure, but I think that PIP began in 2014 for new claimants and DLA to PIP began in 2015.

As DWP are way behind with DLA to PIP assessments, I doubt they'd have time to reassess ongoing award claimants yet.

Jules730

Hi I'm new to the forum and was wondering if I could get some advice please? I apologise if I'm in the wrong place.

I have received my PIP renewal form. They are asking you to select boxes I've: easier, harde, no change. Is the form that simple to fill in, or should I add more information, it just seems to simple, and I know many people are losing PIP because of not giving them the information they require.

Thank you

Jules

CockneyRebel

Hi Jules and welcome

These renewal forms seem easy but beware. No matter how you fill in the form you can be called for a f2f, more likely if you tick harder and definately if things have got easier.
It is probably best to treat it as a new assessment and send in as much relevant evidence as possible, even if it is the same as before. Any new evidence will be useful to.

Always best to understand the points sytem, descriptors and criteria. A good place for this is the B&W self test

http://www.mybenefitsandwork.co.uk/pip/indexxx.php

CR

BenefitsTrainingCo

Hi @Jules730

As CR says, the DWP may well still call you for a face to face medical - this is if they feel it is not self-evident from your condition and what information they have to make a new decision.

Just send back the form (with any evidence you may have) and try not to panic - they've awarded you the benefit once so hopefully they will do again.

Kind regards,

Mary

richard123

Since my last 2 pip awards were 2 years it came as a shock to me to receive the review for 1 year ahead of my assessment, a charity helped us with the forms and we sent them back last month, only got a text saying we have received your paperwork now and we will contact you if you need a face to face.. Which means if they do by the time I have one I will have been having one anyway due to the fact it would of been finished in Nov 2019... What erks me though is I have telecare (lifeline for drops and falls and seizures) a under bed epilepsy monitor due to having seizures in my sleep, a letter from epilepsy specialist stating I am a high risk of sudep (sudden unexplained death in epilepsy) and have a family history of it, on top of that palindromic rheumatism, light sensitivity, dry eyes and now saying fibromalgia.. In this review form though my key worker added a letter to state he hopes they consider a longer reward as they should understand that these assessments cause stress and anxiety which leads to more seizures which leads to more risk of life so he hopes when reviewing the form a longer term can be applied as the risk to life will never go away.