Extra information sheets with benefits form

Spoonie_Turtle

When sending pages of extra information instead of answering in the boxes, is it best to put which option you ticked for the relevant question e.g. No or It varies, or simply have the question as the 'title' and your explanation? [With name and NINO on each sheet of paper, of course.]

It's the UC50 but will be helpful to know for when I apply for PIP as well.

I have an appointment with a benefits advisor to check what I'll have written, but it's a lot of pages to print out if I then find out I have to redo them all just because I either missed the option off, or didn't need to include it. Plus I'm not 100% sure whether to tick 'No' or 'It varies' for some of them (though I can't help feeling 'It varies' is kind of meaningless if I tick it for almost all of them) so I'd rather wait for the advisor to help me decide.

Thanks!

poppy12345

Spoonie_Turtle wrote: »

When sending pages of extra information instead of answering in the boxes, is it best to put which option you ticked for the relevant question e.g. No or It varies, or simply have the question as the 'title' and your explanation? [With name and NINO on each sheet of paper, of course.]

It's the UC50 but will be helpful to know for when I apply for PIP as well.

I have an appointment with a benefits advisor to check what I'll have written, but it's a lot of pages to print out if I then find out I have to redo them all just because I either missed the option off, or didn't need to include it. Plus I'm not 100% sure whether to tick 'No' or 'It varies' for some of them (though I can't help feeling 'It varies' is kind of meaningless if I tick it for almost all of them) so I'd rather wait for the advisor to help me decide.

Thanks!

I would tick the box on the form and then have the extra sheets with the question before your answer. For PIP i put the activity it related to and then my answer.



When i filled out my ESA50 form myself last year (both exactly the same forms), i didn't tick the varies box for any question. The reason i didn't do this is they can "assume" anything from this. For both benefits, if you can't do something regularly and reliably then you can't do it at all.



If the mobilising descriptor applies to you then make sure you cover your ability to use a manual wheelchair because this is also part of the descriptor and what they'll assess you on.




Make sure you send evidence with the forms because they rarely contact anyone.

TELLIT01

If you tick 'No' it's saying that the descriptor is not applicable to you i.e. doesn't affect you. If symptoms do vary then that is the box you need to tick.

poppy12345

TELLIT01 wrote: »

If you tick 'No' it's saying that the descriptor is not applicable to you i.e. doesn't affect you.

Sorry but i disagree. The question asks if you can do something, for example one question asks if you can go up and down 2 steps and the boxes are no, yes and it varies. Ticking no means you "can't" do that at all. Ticking yes means you can do it and it doesn't apply to you, so you move onto the next question.

Spoonie_Turtle

poppy12345 wrote: »

I would tick the box on the form and then have the extra sheets with the question before your answer. For PIP i put the activity it related to and then my answer.

When i filled out my ESA50 form myself last year (both exactly the same forms), i didn't tick the varies box for any question. The reason i didn't do this is they can "assume" anything from this. For both benefits, if you can't do something regularly and reliably then you can't do it at all.

If the mobilising descriptor applies to you then make sure you cover your ability to use a manual wheelchair because this is also part of the descriptor and what they'll assess you on.

Make sure you send evidence with the forms because they rarely contact anyone.

Thanks, that makes sense. The mobilising descriptor I'm fine with - a grand irony that I can walk further than I can self-propel, and I can't even walk 20m :rotfl: Unfortunately I have barely any evidence but my form is consistent and I'll try to get hold of medical records to send afterwards. I do have a Blue Badge though so they should take notice of that for mobilising.

TELLIT01 wrote: »

If you tick 'No' it's saying that the descriptor is not applicable to you i.e. doesn't affect you. If symptoms do vary then that is the box you need to tick.

poppy's right, the questions are worded 'can you?' so it's ticking Yes that means no descriptors apply

Spoonie_Turtle

I've printed off all the pages of extra information, and there is NO way it will fit in the A5 envelope they've provided - and I do mean A5, wide enough for the smaller-than-A4 / A5 width form but would be a tight squeeze with even just a couple of actual A5 pages. My photocopied evidence will be too wide as well, as it'll be on ordinary A4 paper.

What do I do? :huh: I don't have a guillotine to trim it down and I would not be able to do it by hand using scissors. Part of me just wants to put it in a C4 or C5 envelope - you know, a normal sized one - and stick the front of their envelope on so that the address and postage code for scanning are all correct.

I have until Friday to sort it out, any later and I risk it not getting there by Weds 27th.

poppy12345

Spoonie_Turtle wrote: »

I've printed off all the pages of extra information, and there is NO way it will fit in the A5 envelope they've provided - and I do mean A5, wide enough for the smaller-than-A4 / A5 width form but would be a tight squeeze with even just a couple of actual A5 pages. My photocopied evidence will be too wide as well, as it'll be on ordinary A4 paper.

What do I do? :huh: I don't have a guillotine to trim it down and I would not be able to do it by hand using scissors. Part of me just wants to put it in a C4 or C5 envelope - you know, a normal sized one - and stick the front of their envelope on so that the address and postage code for scanning are all correct.

I have until Friday to sort it out, any later and I risk it not getting there by Weds 27th.

All the times i've filled out a form for PIP or the work capability assessment i've never been able to fit everything into their envelopes, i always put it in my own and write the address myself. A different envelope doesn't make any difference.

Spoonie_Turtle

Thanks poppy that's reassuring to know.

Robbie64

Spoonie_Turtle wrote: »

I've printed off all the pages of extra information, and there is NO way it will fit in the A5 envelope they've provided - and I do mean A5, wide enough for the smaller-than-A4 / A5 width form but would be a tight squeeze with even just a couple of actual A5 pages. My photocopied evidence will be too wide as well, as it'll be on ordinary A4 paper.

What do I do? :huh: I don't have a guillotine to trim it down and I would not be able to do it by hand using scissors. Part of me just wants to put it in a C4 or C5 envelope - you know, a normal sized one - and stick the front of their envelope on so that the address and postage code for scanning are all correct.

I have until Friday to sort it out, any later and I risk it not getting there by Weds 27th.

I used a larger envelope and sellotaped the original envelope to that.