Pip

samparrot123 · March 2017

hi I will be 69 in Aug 2017 I am on middle of DLA and higher rate mobility,will I have to have a face to face assessment at my age

pennygates · March 2017

Hi, why do you think this? Do you know if you have a review coming up?

samparrot123 · March 2017

I have been sent a booklet to go from DLA onto pip ,I have emphysema,fibrosis of the lungs ,rheumatoid arthritis,and stage 2 oesteoporosis,also having had a quadripllple heart by-pass I am still classed as having chronic heart disease,also I have ankylosiing sponilitis , I could well do without this right now.any idea?

Matilda · March 2017

Aged over 65 on 8 April 2013 you keep DLA, aged under 65 on 8 April 2013 you have to be re-assessed for PIP, unfortunately, face to face, either at an assessment centre or, if your GP agrees, at home.

I, too, think it is grossly unfair that those aged 65 or over before their date for re-assessment for PIP arrives should have to claim PIP at all. They should keep their DLA as those aged over 65 on 8/4/13 do.

I had to be re-assessed for PIP last autumn, aged 68 at the time.

samparrot123 · March 2017

How did you find the assessment,did everything go ok ,is there anything I should know before the re-assessment,I've got the added pressure with my wife who had inoperable cancer and has just finished chemo and radio so my head is everywhere at the moment , thanks

Matilda · March 2017

I'm sorry to hear about your wife and hope that she makes a good recovery.

I was on top rates DLA care and mobility and was only awarded standard rate PIP both elements. I am awaiting an appeal hearing date. Over 60% of appeals are successful.

With PIP it's best just to take it one stage at a time. Both CAB and Disability Rights websites have good guides to claiming PIP.

These are links to

(1) the DWP Handbook which describes how assessments should be run.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/519119/personal-independence-payment-handbook.pdf

and

(2) the DWP Guide for Professionals which tells assessors how to observe assessees informally. This is very illuminating - it advises assessors how to go about catching claimants out, to get them to contradict, if only by omission, turn of phrase, or lack of clarity, what they said in their form and diary! So, you'll know some of the traps to look out for. They tend to leave these kinds of questions to late in the interview when the claimant is tired!

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/547146/pip-assessment-guide.pdf

The Handbook is about how assessments should be run and the Guide is about how they are run in practice!

The assessor watched me walk from the waiting area to the interview room. This is a favourite of assessors. They know exactly how many metres the interview room is from the waiting area! She asked about how I managed some daily activities and got around outside. The assessor did not deal with the 'reliability' issues which I had described on my form; this forms part of the basis for my appeal. She asked about hobbies (e.g. jigsaw or knitting, if done, would indicate good manual dexterity) and pets (this would indicate a certain level of energy especially where dogs are concerned). The assessor asked if I ever decided not to even try to prepare a meal from scratch and settled for a sandwich (no, never). And how far from my block's entry door my car was parked (a few yards). Could I bend down to put on a sock (never wear socks).

It took me a long time to fill in my PIP form. I phoned DWP to ask for extra time because it was a long, complex form and I would need to seek help to complete it. They gave me two extra weeks, so in practice I had about five weeks to fill in the form. If you need extra time, phone DWP. And don't let them fob you off - insist that you need more time because you have to get help.

The Disability Rights website gives a draft diary which you can adapt to suit your circumstances. I sent in a week's diary.

Disability Rights say you should list in the diary and on the claim form all the aids you use, and they also say that you get points if you are unable to complete a task. Placing heavy emphasis on the aids you have to use will score you some points - it did with me.

samparrot123 · March 2017

Thanks Matida for your help ,it's not the fact that someone is pretending to be ill it's the fact that we can answer the questions as truthful as we can ,but if it falls to score the the correct number of points our much needed money is dropped ,thanks again for your help.

Matilda · March 2017

You're welcome, sam.

BenefitsTrainingCo · March 2017

hi samparrot123,

If you're 69 in August then that means you were not 65 on 8 April 2013 (you would have turned 65 that August I think). Matilda's advice above is, I'm afraid, correct. She has given you links to some excellent resources and her own experience is fairly typical (being asked questions which aren't relevant to your life, for example, and being observed).

Keeping a diary is great advice. You could try completing the PIP self-test first so you know which activities are relevant and start thinking about what points you should get if everything was done correctly.

Thanks Matilda as ever. Do consider requesting a home visit Sam, if this would help you (this would normally apply if your GP visits you at home, but there might be other circumstances in which a home visit is appropriate, as the assessment centre might not be as easy to get to or access as your GP's surgery).

Will

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