Partner is 14 weeks away from award ending a week today

PIPnewbie

My partner applied for PIP in June 2018, awarded standard daily living, no mobility in October 2018, for her symptoms from Crohn’s and fibromyalgia.

She went to tribunal in September 2019 and was awarded standard daily living and enhanced mobility.

She has since been diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis whose symptoms they ignored in the first tribunal and said they found it hard to believe - probably because she couldn’t back them up with her later AS diagnosis which she now has.

Anyway I was advised months ago she would be contacted by the DWP 14 weeks away from her award ending which is a week today. 

Will she be contacted by letter or by phone? Will they immediately send out a new application?

Is there any way we can prepare for it in advance so she has a week head start?

calcotti

I would ring them to check whether forms have been issued or whether the award will be extended otherwise there is a risk of the award ending before a renewal is processed.
In terms of preparation, start collecting any supporting evidence and start thinking bout what you will want to say to address each of the descriptors.

woodbine

Awards made by tribunal are usually sent out 14 weeks before the end date, there have been alot of awards extended due to the covid backlog, although there has been some debate if that included tribunal award.
But as calcotti says a quick phone call to check would be ok.

PIPnewbie

Thank you guys.

Would a quick call also confirm if she’s been extended or not? Would the person on the phone possibly know?

PIPnewbie

Well my partner just called up and was told her claim won’t be getting an extension, and was told her claim would be a new claim and that she could apply up to 6 months before the claim ends.

This is annoying as I was advised on this forum she would have been contacted 14 weeks out automatically, so she could have had a month and half head start already if she’d contacted mid January.

Oh well, time to go through all this **** again...

woodbine

@PIPnewbie most people were advised of extensions a few weeks ago now, however it's not quite correct for them to say it will be a new claim. it will be a review and they will write to tell you that, although a review should be treated by the claimant as new in so far as you need to give as much information as possible and provide relevant and as recent as possible evidence.

PIPnewbie

woodbine said:

@PIPnewbie most people were advised of extensions a few weeks ago now, however it's not quite correct for them to say it will be a new claim. it will be a review and they will write to tell you that, although a review should be treated by the claimant as new in so far as you need to give as much information as possible and provide relevant and as recent as possible evidence.

She wasn’t advised that at all. She was told it was a new claim and she has just called up for a new claim form and nobody has advised her differently.

So has the DWP messed up now?

janer1967

It is a new claim if prev award was granted by tribunal and new claim forms are sent rather than the review form 

But this shouldn't change anything 

You were advised correctly that they are usually sent automatically but the ownership is on the claimant and not DWP to ensure early application so claim doesnt end 

If you are awarded it will be backdated to when claim ended