PIP pending asessment-can i send new form

Hello Jason H,
Your friend is fortunate in having you help them in this way!

All of the options you have put forward are possible, each with their own pros and cons.

‘Close this claim and apply new form.’ This has to be the ‘cleanest’ option, although you need to be aware that the DWP will still hold the original form and might refer back to it. So if your friend has put on there something which is inaccurate you need to be prepared to counter this. If you go down this route then I would write to the DWP saying that you are withdrawing the application because on review you realise that you did not correctly complete the form. (Some back covering in advance). The downside of this route is that currently any award will be backdated to when your friend requested the PIP2, any new claim will only be backdated to when you trigger the new claim.

‘Keep this claim, cancel tel asst and submit new form as the change of circumstances.’ Okay, this seems to me to be worse than option 1, but does not have the advantage of clean start. There is also the issue that your friend’s circumstances have not really changed (I assume).

‘Other option 1.’ Contact the company who is carrying out the assessment and ask for a new telephone appointment. They will need a reason, but I am sure you and your friend can find a legitimate one. Use the time between now and then to submit additional evidence to the original claim. I would start that evidence off with a statement such as ‘I completed the form PIP2 without assistance. I have now had the opportunity to review what I put with someone who is more experienced and realise that I have not properly represented the issues I have with Daily Living and Mobility. I would therefore request that you attach the following to my original document.
A caveat. If your friend is suffering from a condition which he did not mention on the first form because it was not applicable at the time then he needs to go down the change of circumstances route.

‘Other option2.’ Do nothing and make sure that your friend presents all their issues at the assessment. Provided he/she has not ticked to say that they don’t have problems with something which they do then this option might well work. And if it fails, there is always MR when you have the opportunity to present more evidence. It is not a requirement of being eligible for PIP to be a whizz at completing forms so at the MR stage it should not be held against you (particularly, as is often the case, one of the affects of the conditions is lack of ability to concentrate etc etc.)

Hope this helps a little
Catherine