PIP - has a claim been rejected and we don't know?

moneyunwise

A friend of mine has submitted a claim for PIP.

She submitted her information in February 2023, had a first interview in June 2023 and second interview in October 2023. Her claim started many months before February but for various reasons, she did not complete the submission until then.

However, there is still no word or a result.

My involvement is I am helping financially so I am affected by the lack of benefits as I cannot keep this up. She is also demoralized by it all so going along with all of these delays.

My concern is that we have no idea how long these things take and whether a result has been made and we don't know. She gives the impression that PIP won't discuss cases.

So does anyone know if these timescales are normal at the moment? 
How can we know if we have missed communications - will a result some via text, email or letter?
Is there anyway we can get more help on her case?

Thanks

Muttleythefrog

The process for claiming PIP is fairly logical and straightforward in terms of protocol although there are significant delays in the system. 

I fear there may be incorrect or missing details here and as a 3rd party it could be tricky for you unless the claimant is prepared to let you see things like texts and letters received. I do worry that she may have sent a form back too late i.e. beyond the specified date required and I'm not sure how they would deal with such. However if she had some kind of assessment later then that would imply her claim was live or were they calling because of the lack of response. It's confusing and I do hope that you are getting honest feedback given your financial support.

Normally if an assessment is required (and for most claimants it is) then either in person or over the phone it will be done once and they will give their opinions to the DWP Decision Maker who will ultimately take the decision (often just a rubber stamping of the advice they've received from the healthcare assessment company healthcare professional). Normally a decision will be taken quite quickly after the DWP receive their commissioned advice.

Calling PIP can be a pain due to the time it takes to get through but they should be able to provide at least basic updates like 'a decision has not yet been made' or 'we sent a decision letters on date X' or 'we've just received the Healthcare professional's report' or 'we closed the claim as claimant failed to engage the process and sent letter on x'. With permission (if the claimant answers a couple of security questions) they will allow a 3rd party to deal with the call.

I would check her texts to see what updates they've provided.
I would check her post received.
I would then be inclined (if that doesn't shed light on current status) to then call PIP. Ask for copies of any documents apparently lost to be re-sent if relevant.

I do think it important to get on top of events here because if the claim results in an undesirable decision then challenging it can feature time restriction.

If your friend is evasive and you feel concealing truths from you while not allowing you to support them in getting factual information direct from the PIP helpline then you might have to evaluate what direction you take.

Alice_Holt

You will have to clarify.

When you say "first interview" are you talking about the PIP assessment ?

There is no second assessment, so what is this "second interview" ?

Are you talking about an appeal?

PIP process outlined here:

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/help-with-your-claim/how-to-claim/

After her assessment she will have received a decision letter detailing her appeal rights.
If not she needs to ring PIP to query.

poppy12345

You mention "submission" this refers to an appeal, is she at appeal stage? If not then i agree with the above and she needs to ring PIP. Best time to ring is as soon as they open at 9am.

moneyunwise

Thanks for this. Very helpful as I am the third party but responsible for financial support and out of the detail. However, I have realised that her demoralized state may mean she is missing things (and I would not blame anyone for becoming that way)

By submission I mean she has had 2 calls where she went over stuff with an assessor and she had a social worker with her. So I do not think this was an appeal as she described it as they wanted clarification.

Alice_Holt

moneyunwise said:

Thanks for this. Very helpful as I am the third party but responsible for financial support and out of the detail. However, I have realised that her demoralized state may mean she is missing things (and I would not blame anyone for becoming that way)

By submission I mean she has had 2 calls where she went over stuff with an assessor and she had a social worker with her. So I do not think this was an appeal as she described it as they wanted clarification.

      She needs to contact PIP.  I would suggest that you / the support worker are present at the phone call. 

Aligogs

Hi, just to give you an idea of the timescales I am dealing with at present.

I have a client who submitted their PIP (no Appeal just the PIP) in June 22, yes 2022. DWP explained they would keep in touch every 12 weeks with updates on timescales (I have seen the letters confirming such, including text messages from DWP). 

The promised updates didn't happen and were sporadic at best.

A text message was received 2 weeks ago to say 'PIP was being looked in to, no further action...'

So June 2022 - January 2024! This wasn't an initial application as the client has been in receipt of DLA/PIP for almost a decade. 

Please don't shoot the messenger, but it's best to be aware, as the levels of stress the waiting game can cause is horrendous....AND DETRIMENTAL! I have been having this same 'arguement' with DWP for over 2 decades.

DWP won't necessarily discuss the full case, but they should be able to give you a ball park timescale....

Muttleythefrog

moneyunwise said:

Thanks for this. Very helpful as I am the third party but responsible for financial support and out of the detail. However, I have realised that her demoralized state may mean she is missing things (and I would not blame anyone for becoming that way)

By submission I mean she has had 2 calls where she went over stuff with an assessor and she had a social worker with her. So I do not think this was an appeal as she described it as they wanted clarification.

If so then this is a bit unusual... and the gap between such calls again a bit strange... to be honest I would have expected a decision by now if one or both of these were assessments but there's always a possibility they really are struggling to get to evidence they feel reliable or complete. Part of me wonders if a reconsideration request was sent leading to the second call. Be interesting to get update on this one... PIP call should shine a significant light.

poppy12345

Aligogs said:

Hi, just to give you an idea of the timescales I am dealing with at present.

I have a client who submitted their PIP (no Appeal just the PIP) in June 22, yes 2022. DWP explained they would keep in touch every 12 weeks with updates on timescales (I have seen the letters confirming such, including text messages from DWP). 

The promised updates didn't happen and were sporadic at best.

A text message was received 2 weeks ago to say 'PIP was being looked in to, no further action...'

So June 2022 - January 2024! This wasn't an initial application as the client has been in receipt of DLA/PIP for almost a decade. 

Please don't shoot the messenger, but it's best to be aware, as the levels of stress the waiting game can cause is horrendous....AND DETRIMENTAL! I have been having this same 'arguement' with DWP for over 2 decades.

DWP won't necessarily discuss the full case, but they should be able to give you a ball park timescale....

This sounds like it's a review of an existing claim. There's very large backlogs for reviews and some are waiting 1 year + for a decision after returning the form.

This is different to the OP as it seems like it's a first time claim, decisions for those are usually much quicker.

Aligogs

Yes Poppy12345.....

It IS a review of an existing claim.....which is what I wrote.

And the OP was asking for clarity of timescales. Which I also included.

It may not be for the same kind of PIP Application, but it is the same department.
I was hoping to reassure the OP regarding outstanding timescales....and yes, they are longer than usual at present...but also for the OP to phone PIP/DWP to get a ball park timescale. It takes a long time to get through to the department, but they are approachable, and will help when they can.

moneyunwise

Thanks, I will update although won't be immediate. 

A question for the people on here who seem to know the process - is there an organisation who can get onto the call who know the process and ask for clarification? I get the impression that the social worker is there to help her give answers but not know the details of the process.