PIP reassessment timescale 2025

HillStreetBlues

NedS said:

The advice I've been reading elsewhere is to challenge any decision to award 2 point descriptors, where you feel you can make a case for 4 or more points to be awarded, even if it does not change the overall PIP award now, and to request reassessment if you currently only have 2 point descriptors awarded and your condition has deteriorated to the point you feel you can make a case for some 4 pointers in DL.

https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/forums/viewthread/21015/

I agree, also with the view "- I think everyone in this space( Rightnet) needs to start acting as if the changes are already in affect. " (not saying it for this forum)
As a personal opinion I don't see any way back from the 4 pointer.

Muttleythefrog

NedS said:

The advice I've been reading elsewhere is to challenge any decision to award 2 point descriptors, where you feel you can make a case for 4 or more points to be awarded, even if it does not change the overall PIP award now, and to request reassessment if you currently only have 2 point descriptors awarded and your condition has deteriorated to the point you feel you can make a case for some 4 pointers in DL.

https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/forums/viewthread/21015/

Interesting.. I've deliberately avoided the Welfare Rights (advisers) type advice pages to see if my understanding and advice makes sense independently of such. I reach exactly the same conclusion which is why I've advised as I have since the green paper. We've already had in recent days examples of both scenarios in threads. 

(Note I've also historically tried to caution the advice broadly given not to challenge awards of PIP where the descriptors are felt not correct but the successful challenge would lead to no better financial outcome (i.e no changed level of award).... one caveat was that we could one day face a scenario now presenting. Getting appropriate descriptors in place like a 4 point or more scoring one will be easier to defend in reassessment especially in a case of no change if system changes as proposed... bearing also in mind there may be some pressures in the system to consider people may be making efforts to thwart new rules come the time)

born_again

HillStreetBlues said:

@born_again Have you decided to ask for an MR?
@Spoonie_Turtle There will be many members concerned on how you got on, please update soon.

Yes.
Drafting up how to phrase it, but will ring on Monday to start process.
Will just be on timescale.

Spoonie_Turtle

With born_again's blessing I'll add my own timeline here:

Review form sent off 19th Feb 2024

Periodic texts from DWP 'we've still got your form, don't contact us we'll contact you' (May, August, October, Jan 2025)

28th January 2025 text from 'PIP' (HAAS) to say they were managing my claim.

10th Feb text from HAAS to say an assessment booked.

24th Feb assessment date, but postponed due to assessor illness

11th March telephone assessment, assessor was considerate, respectful, gave me time to answer but also prompted me (? not exactly prompted, but mentioned things I'd written) from what I'd written when I was really struggling to find words.

17th March requested copy of the report.  (Had to phone twice - first time cut me off after about 10 mins!)

21st March report arrived - 11 points DL (including 4 for cooking), 12 mob.  Didn't fully agree with them all but pretty much the same as before, only strange choice was no scoring medication descriptor 

~dithered for a few days whether to try to pre-empt the decision and send in a brief explanation of why I should score for medication, in case it took a long time for the decision to be made.  But not many days … 

24th March text from DWP, review complete, decision letter could take two weeks

28th March decision letter arrived - 13 points DL, 12 mob!  What a relief!  DM had additionally scored 2 for med/therapy, I think because I would need assistance in order to wear recommended compression stockings every day. 
The reasoning/explanation was very short, basically just saying they'd looked at the report and my form and the level of help needed and restricted mobility meant I still qualified for the same level of award.  Awarded for 3yrs. 

[My initial instinct was just to accept that, and as I'm actually seeing specialists for a condition that either newly developed or simply worsened to the point of showing itself just over a year ago I can understand thinking that 3 years is reasonable. 
I know for certain I won't have improved enough in 2/3yrs' time to score lower though, even if the specialists can do anything, because five years ago before further deterioration and before this new condition I was already ill enough to qualify for the enhanced award.  Right now I have a lot of other things to deal with and I did think maybe I wouldn't have it in me to try to challenge the length, but realistically if I don't I'll probably waste a load of energy thinking about 'what if' - I'm not confident it will change anything, but it's 100% guaranteed nothing will happen if I don't try!]

born_again

Glad you got good news. 👍
Nice to see confirmation of the timescales. Lets just hope they start getting shorter. As year is really not good enough. Given how much some people will have got worse in that period. 

MovingOn64

Hello, I hope I am not gate crashing this post .
I am waiting for a re-assessment form to come , my award ends next March , I have two new conditions to add to my form . I am really stressed I am hoping I can get a phone call assessment as I did with the last assessment as i cannot do face to face. I suffer from severe anxiety and panic and agoraphobia . I have profound hearing loss which is finally treated with hearing aids. But I just don't hear well even with the hearing aids and I nearly got knocked down a few weeks back while going to the doctors with my husband .

Can anyone tell me if the questions are all the same on the re-assessment form ? I'm so stressed about it , I was waiting for surgery for womb cancer when I filled in the last one which MacMillan helped me do , thinking of calling them again to help with this form . 

I've heard re-assessments are taking months to come back is this true ?

Sorry for the long post . 

Spoonie_Turtle

MovingOn64 said:

Hello, I hope I am not gate crashing this post .
I am waiting for a re-assessment form to come , my award ends next March , I have two new conditions to add to my form . I am really stressed I am hoping I can get a phone call assessment as I did with the last assessment as i cannot do face to face. I suffer from severe anxiety and panic and agoraphobia . I have profound hearing loss which is finally treated with hearing aids. But I just don't hear well even with the hearing aids and I nearly got knocked down a few weeks back while going to the doctors with my husband .

Can anyone tell me if the questions are all the same on the re-assessment form ? I'm so stressed about it , I was waiting for surgery for womb cancer when I filled in the last one which MacMillan helped me do , thinking of calling them again to help with this form . 

I've heard re-assessments are taking months to come back is this true ?

Sorry for the long post . 

The questions relate to the activities and your daily life, but they will be individual questions tailored to your conditions and what you tell them.

Would RelayUK be a help for a phone assessment?  You can still speak but the operator could type out what the assessor says so you don't have to worry about not hearing them.
https://www.relayuk.bt.com/

Edit: also yes reviews are taking a long time - could be anything up to a year between returning the form and having an assessment.  (Although my friend who has just had a paper-based decision sent her form off in July, so that's about 9 months.)

Channy7

i will add my own timeline here:

10 March PIP form posted back via next day delivery

25 March i received a call from DWP

Still expecting a decision

born_again

Channy7 said:

i will add my own timeline here:

10 March PIP form posted back via next day delivery

25 March i received a call from DWP

Still expecting a decision

Is this a reassessment or a new claim?
As timescales are different.

Cheeseisyummy

How far ahead of review date are forms sent out? My son is due a review in May 2026 and not heard anything yet.  The cynic in me thinks the delays may now be deliberate so that his review is not actually done until after the changes in November 2026.  Which would also affect his UC health element if he loses PIP.  So he could lose thousands of pounds.  And I don't know how he could live on just basic UC.  So I am getting stressed about it all.