Claiming PIP
There are a number of steps involved in claiming PIP:
The first step is to contact the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) to request a questionnaire to be sent to you called “How your disability affects you”. You can also request for the questionnaire to be emailed to you to complete electronically.
The DWP can be contacted on: 0800 917 2222.
The questionnaire needs to be returned to DWP within one calendar month from the date of the letter.
What information you need handy when you make your telephone claim for PIP?
When you call the DWP, they will require the following information:
- Your name, address and contact details
- Your date of birth
- Your national insurance number
- Your bank or building society details
- Your doctor or health worker’s details
- Your nationality, immigration status and details of time spent abroad (of more than 4 weeks).
When you receive the questionnaire, there will be sections for you to answer about the following activities:
- preparing or eating food
- washing, bathing and using the toilet
- dressing and undressing
- reading and communicating
- managing your medicines or treatments
- making decisions about money
- engaging with other people
- planning journeys
- difficulties with moving around
The questionnaire is lengthy and time-consuming to complete, so it’s best to do a little at a time.
If completing the form makes your condition worse, then state this. If you’ve needed help, again mention this and state how long it took for you to complete the questionnaire.
It is recommended you contact your health professionals, explaining that you’re making a claim for PIP. Ensure that you enclose as much supporting information and evidence with your questionnaire. It’s also helpful to keep a daily diary of how your conditions affect you.
Supporting medical evidence from health professionals alone will not gain you an award of PIP.
However, submitting evidence on how your disabilities affect you will most certainly improve your chances of being awarded PIP.
If you have any friends or family that help you with carrying out activities, it’s helpful to also ask them if they would be prepared to write you a supporting letter. Please contact us if you need any further guidance on this.
Once completed, it is recommended that you send your completed questionnaire along with your evidence to the DWP by Royal Mail Guaranteed Next-Day delivery. Remember to keep copies of everything you submit to the DWP including your completed questionnaire, you will need this for your assessment.
When the DWP receive your PIP questionnaire your claim will be passed to a casehandler who will review the evidence.
As part of the decision-making process you will most-likely be invited to undergo an assessment from a third-party health assessment provider. Your assessment may be at a local DWP Assessment Centre or could be conducted via phone or via video-link.
It is important to throughly prepare for your assessment by studying your completed PIP questionnaire and all of your evidence submitted. Remember the eligibility of PIP is not based on your conditions alone: PIP is awarded on how your conditions affect you in daily living activities and mobility.
Once your assessment has been completed, the assessor will prepare his/her report and forward the report onto the DWP for a decision to be made. The DWP will usually write to you within 8-10 weeks to let you know whether you have been awarded PIP.
If you are not awarded PIP, you have the right to ask the DWP to reconsider your claim; this is called a Mandatory Reconsideration. Someone else within the DWP will look at your case again to decide whether the original decision needs to be changed or not.
When applying for a Mandatory Reconsideration, it’s possible for a previous award to be lowered or removed completely.
If after receiving the Mandatory reconsideration decision you remain unhappy, you have the right of appeal to the First-Tier Tribunal.
If you were still unhappy with the decision of the Tribunal you can further appeal to the Upper Tribunal. Appealing to the Upper
Tribunal is usually only allowed on a point of law, where the law has been mis-interpreted or applied incorrectly.
Wherever possible, we always encourage claimants to submit their own PIP claim. However, where somebody feels that they need more practical help we are happy to provide representation.
For further information, please contact us on 0330 124 8555.