Some generic questions about PIP assessment — Scope | Disability forum
Please read our updated community house rules and community guidelines.

Some generic questions about PIP assessment

Joe__F
Joe__F Community member Posts: 29 Connected
Hello, I have a few questions about how the assessment will work. I appreciate these are probably quite common questions so if there is a link to some common answers that would also be helpful. I understand that my assessment will be over the phone

- how long  is the phone call likely to last?
- will there be any follow-up phone calls, or is it just the one?
- how long after the phone call will I know whether I have been awarded PIP?  will they tell me in the call?
- when the different lockdown restrictions start to ease, will I have to also attend a face-to-face assessment?
-  I understand that there is some kind of appeal process if I am not awarded PIP. Is it possible also just to apply again from the start?
- when I filled out the application form, it told me that they would contact my GP and I also put a physio therapist and a psychotherapist on the form. Will they contact these people? Will they have already done that before my assessment?

 thanks very much for any advice

Comments

  • Joe__F
    Joe__F Community member Posts: 29 Connected
    Thanks for your help.  what is mandatory reconsideration? is that the same as an appeal?
  • Joe__F
    Joe__F Community member Posts: 29 Connected
    "- the HCP makes a recommendation. They are not the decision maker. Time to decision varies with many factors at play."
    so is the point that the assessment is done by a third party,  and I'm allowed to access the notes that the assessor made about me after a week, but those notes must go back to DWP for the decision to be made  which could take more than a week?
  • Joe__F
    Joe__F Community member Posts: 29 Connected
    Haha yes I'm trying not to worry too much but it's difficult! thanks again for your help.

    What happens in the mandatory reconsideration? do I have to do another assessment or do they just get a second person to look over the evidence and the notes from the first assessment?

    And what about if I wrote something on my form, and say something stronger in the assessment?
    For example on my form I wrote that I can sometimes only cook microwave meals. I have thought about it and I actually eat microwave meals for almost every meal. I'd say only once a week I would be able to cook a more complicated meal than this.  So in hindsight I think it would have been more helpful to put on the form that I can only cook microwave meals. Do you have any advice about what I can say in the assessment in this case?
  • calcotti
    calcotti Community member Posts: 10,010 Disability Gamechanger
    For the MR it is another Decision Maker at the DWP looking at the evidence. If you can provide more information/evidence then do so. There is no additional assessment.
    Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Rules may be different in other parts of UK.
  • woodbine
    woodbine Community member Posts: 11,521 Disability Gamechanger
    What you say at the assessment is in 2 words..the truth, if you can prepare a meal in the microwave then you can prepare a meal, but can you do it safely ?
    You will be given chance to say what you want to say during the assessment, but will be asked a number of questions to help the assessor build a picture for their report.
    Around 7 days after the assessment you can request from the DWP a copy of the report which should give you an indication of the award as the DM usually (not always)go with the report.
    2024 The year of the general election...the time for change is coming 💡

  • Joe__F
    Joe__F Community member Posts: 29 Connected
    What you say at the assessment is in 2 words..the truth, if you can prepare a meal in the microwave then you can prepare a meal, but can you do it safely ?

    Thank you for your advice. I wrote on my form that I can sometimes only cook meals in microwave. When I assess my situation now, I see that I can almost always only cook meals in the microwave - all meals but once a week. I can always do this safely.

    I'm concerned that in the assessment they may say to me 'why did you write that you only sometimes have to cook microwave meals on your form, and now you are saying that you almost always have to do this'. I'm additionally concerned that they don't bring this up in the assessment, and the person who looks over it afterwards looks at my form and the notes from my assessment and says that they are inconsistent and don't award me points for reduced functionality in cooking meals for this reason.

    I agree with your advice to tell the truth in my assessment and I intend to do this. I am concerned that I will  give some information which is slightly different in my assessment than the information which I wrote on my form, and then I'll be told that I'm lying, which I'm not.

    I'm using cooking meals in the microwave as an example, there are a couple of other similar points like this on my form that I'm concerned about.

Brightness

Do you need advice on your energy costs?


Scope’s Disability Energy Support service is open to any disabled household in England or Wales in which one or more disabled people live. You can get free advice from an expert adviser on managing energy debt, switching tariffs, contacting your supplier and more. Find out more information by visiting our
Disability Energy Support webpage.