News & Features

PIP Assessments Update

Posted in General News on Monday, December 21st, 2020

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Assessment Protocol

As of 14th December, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has reinstated its ‘Failure to Attend’ protocol and it will now relate to telephone-based assessments. The department has stated that the letters it sends out inviting Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment will clearly state that it is necessary to attend a telephone assessment. Claimants who fail to attend a telephone-based assessment without good reason will have their claim disallowed. Disallowance decisions will be subject to the normal processes of Mandatory Reconsideration and appeal. Claimants can also make a new claim if they wish.

Many factors, including a claimant’s physical and mental health, are taken into consideration when deciding whether a claimant had good reason for missing an assessment and decision makers have been provided with additional guidance on this which is specific to telephone assessments. This includes consideration of technical issues such as a loss of mobile phone battery power or signal, and environmental factors such as noisy home environments. The DWP would like to assure people that those who fail to attend an assessment will always be contacted and their support will continue wherever there is good reason for not attending.

Changes to PIP ‘how your disability affects you’ form

On 11th January 2021, the PIP change of circumstances form PIP2(UI) (How your disability affects you) will be replaced with a new form called the AR1UI (How your disability affects you). This form is shorter. It means that claimants will not have to provide as much information as they have previously. The introduction of the new form aligns the change of circumstances process with the award review process, providing consistency for claimants who wish to report changes in their needs.

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graham bush's Gravatar
graham bush

Tuesday, December, 22nd, 2020

great news

graham bush's Gravatar
graham bush

Tuesday, December, 22nd, 2020

excellent news, anything that shortens the prosses must ease peoples worry

Judith Bicknell's Gravatar
Judith Bicknell

Tuesday, December, 22nd, 2020

Thanks

Judith Bicknell's Gravatar
Judith Bicknell

Tuesday, December, 22nd, 2020

Thank you for that information, and happy Christmas if you see this before Christmas.