Why does it take so long to get a decision?

poppy123456

Yadnad said:

poppy123456 said:

For your info yes it is and a lot of people ask for a copy of the report BEFORE a decision is made. It's useful as i stated because once a decision is made, there's not much time if a claimant needs to take it to the next step!

But you can't know what the decision will actually be and you can't make an application for a MR until you receive the decision and know what you intend to fight for.

Some people have little knowledge of the PIP system, it seems like you're one of them. Sorry but most of your comments are just full of disagreements and jealousy of other peoples awards.

Yadnad

poppy123456 said:

Some people have little knowledge of the PIP system, it seems like you're one of them. Sorry but most of your comments are just full of disagreements and jealousy of other peoples awards.

I agree I know very little like the majority of people - I am not a WRO nor do I intend to qualify as one.. But I would not want to have a report in front of me which is so inaccurate that it makes me angry and not be able to do something about it until the actual decision comes out which can be many weeks later. In this case ignorance would be bliss!
If people are happy to fester with that level of turmoil then fine, I know I couldn't cope and would imagine that many others would not either.
You seem to have moved over from insulting Mike [removed by moderator] and are now directing your unwanted attention on me.

LittleGizmo86

jules13 said:

LittleGizmo86 said:

I totally agree with @poppy123456

I requested my report before getting the decision. It helped a lot. I wasnt stressing waiting for the decision aa i knew it was going to be a no... and i also had my MR letter written and ready to post. I also knew what additional evidence i needed to gather to counter claim.. the second the decision was made it went in the post.

Everyone is different but i think it has its advantages. Good luck

So how long after your face to face assessment did you call up for the report? 

Hi @jul@jules13

I rang 1 week after my dace to face and it came about 4 days later.

Good luck x

LittleGizmo86

Yadnad said:

poppy123456 said:

For your info yes it is and a lot of people ask for a copy of the report BEFORE a decision is made. It's useful as i stated because once a decision is made, there's not much time if a claimant needs to take it to the next step!

But you can't know what the decision will actually be and you can't make an application for a MR until you receive the decision and know what you intend to fight for.

@Yadnad

Thats nonsense.

The decision maker VERY rarely goes against the assessor so you pretty much know exactly what they are going to say. The report tells you exactly what the assessor decided and what points have been suggested. That is pretty much what you are going to get. Yes you cant send it until the decision is actually made but you already know from the report which bits you dont agree with, which bits you need to further evidence and work out how to make the MR more likely a success. Like poppy said you only have 4 weeks from the decision to put in an MR. Surely if nothing else it is better to have it ready... even just a provisional letter.. using the time writing your template letter and gathering as much extra evidence as you can while you wait is a better use of your time rather than rushing it all as the 4 weeks tick down. Plus you can keep editting it when you think of things as you go along as while you wait you have that time.

You can have your MR already being considered in the time it would take you to do all that AFTER the decision is made.

Seriously... with the DWP you have no time for 'blissfully unaware'.....

Government_needs_reform

Also to add to this debate.

Most people seem to think it's the Decision Maker at the DWP that makes the final decision, well I'm going to put you all right on this argument.

No it's not.

The assesssment and HP report is what a DWP decision maker will always go by.

But, in only 1% they might disagree with an assessment or HP. 

When they tell you at an assessment or a home assessment its down to the DWP decision maker is absolute rubbish.

All the DWP decision maker does is rubber stamp what has been put on the assessment report.

So yes it is vital to get the report as soon as it's a available so you can understand if you will or won't be awarded your benefit. That goes for ESA, PIP and DLA.

Then you will be prepaired if you will won't need to go down the road of a MR then appeal.

So. YES get the report as soon as you can no question about that contrary to what you've heard or read on this thread.

Pippa_Alumni

Morning all,

There's some good discussion going on here, however I'd urge you to read one of our latest posts- comment on the content, not the contributor. Please make sure your comments are constructive and respect all members of the community, and help us to keep this area a safe and supportive place.

Yadnad

LittleGizmo86 said:

@Yadnad

Thats nonsense.

The decision maker VERY rarely goes against the assessor so you pretty much know exactly what they are going to say. The report tells you exactly what the assessor decided and what points have been suggested. That is pretty much what you are going to get. Yes you cant send it until the decision is actually made but you already know from the report which bits you dont agree with, which bits you need to further evidence and work out how to make the MR more likely a success. Like poppy said you only have 4 weeks from the decision to put in an MR. Surely if nothing else it is better to have it ready... even just a provisional letter.. using the time writing your template letter and gathering as much extra evidence as you can while you wait is a better use of your time rather than rushing it all as the 4 weeks tick down. Plus you can keep editting it when you think of things as you go along as while you wait you have that time.

You can have your MR already being considered in the time it would take you to do all that AFTER the decision is made.

Seriously... with the DWP you have no time for 'blissfully unaware'.....

Well that is not my experience.

Following my first PIP claim and assessment I managed to get 0 points.
I wrote to the DWP pointing out some of the inaccurate details. That letter was treated as the MR application. Over the following weeks/months or so I must have had at least half a dozen or more phone calls from the decision maker basically telling me what evidence he would like to have to back up my argument. In one phone call he even suggested the wording that my GP should use.
Accordingly I saw my GP and told him  what the guy from the DWP wanted to see in a letter from him. There followed a 3 page GP report which I sent in and a few weeks later I was awarded Enhanced Care & Mobility.
Effectively the DWP worked with me to try to get the right result. 

sarah50

@jules13 6-8 weeks is what they say is an average time for a decision, in my case it was 3 months from them saying they had received the report. Hope you get your decision quicker and it is what you expect. X

tt2018

I need help with pip anyone 

poppy123456

tt2018 said:

I need help with pip anyone 

Hi,

I answered your question on another thread, it's here. Scroll to the bottom of this, it's where you asked your question.  https://community.scope.org.uk/discussion/30002/unable-to-walk-due-to-pain-should-i-apply-for-pip#latest

debbiedee513

I have been waiting 7 months from when I called for the form for PIP, I e had my telephone assessment and 2 text’s from them, the last one saying they have received the written report and could now take up to 8 weeks for a decision, by then it will have taken 9 months, surely this is unacceptable? I have a mental health disorder and this is making it worse

janer1967

Hi @debbiedee513 Welcome to the community, it does seem like you have waited a while but it isnt uncommon especially with the pandemic.

There are no set timescales and if awarded your payment will be backdated to when you applied.

As in this thread you can now request a copy of your report from DWP and this will at least give you indication of the recommended points from the assessor

debbiedee513

I’m not so sure, when I asked for a copy of my form as I forgot to make a copy they told me that they couldn’t do that as it would take them 6 weeks to get it sent out to me so wouldn’t send it to me ?

janer1967

You can request a copy of your assessment report it depends who you get on end phone how helpful they are 

debbiedee513

Thank you ?

poppy123456

debbiedee513 said:

I have been waiting 7 months from when I called for the form for PIP, I e had my telephone assessment and 2 text’s from them, the last one saying they have received the written report and could now take up to 8 weeks for a decision, by then it will have taken 9 months, surely this is unacceptable? I have a mental health disorder and this is making it worse

Hi,

No, i wouldn't say that's an unacceptable length of time. There's no timescales at all. It really depends on backlog in your area. It's perfectly acceptable for a claim to take several months, maybe longer.

I see you asked for a copy of your form. This isn't the assessment report. The assessment report is a written document which is completed after your assessment. Ringing DWP to request this means you'll be able to see what points may have been recommended and you'll be able to look at the PIP descriptors online and add up any points. From this you'll have some idea if there's any award recommended. They usually go with the report, it's rare to go against it.

debbiedee513

I’m not up to chasing for a copy, it’s all too stressful, I’ll just have to wait. The form I requested Was a copy of the form we complete for PIP at the beginning, I’m fully aware that it’s not the report, 2 different things, thanks 

laurapeach

debbiedee513 said:

I’m not up to chasing for a copy, it’s all too stressful, I’ll just have to wait. The form I requested Was a copy of the form we complete for PIP at the beginning, I’m fully aware that it’s not the report, 2 different things, thanks 

I applied in mid-January and didn't have an assessment until mid-June, then it was 2 weeks after that that I had my decision. I've just sent off my MR and it'll probably be another 10 weeks to hear back from that. I know people that have gone to tribunal and it has taken well over a year to go from applying for the first time and actually getting a tribunal date. Unfortunately it seems that it takes several months at a minimum to get anywhere with them.

debbiedee513

It shouldn’t be allowed to go on for so long, it causes more mental stress on people

poppy123456

Backlogs cause delays and unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about that. These are not normal times, possibly not all staff are working, people maybe off sick. Even under normal times a claim can potentially take several months.