PIP refund

Hi everyone, I'm new to the site so if I'm posting in the wrong place please forgive. I suffer from scoliosis and stenosis and in November 2020 was told in the neurosurgeons clinic that I needed an Anterior or Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion which, due to Covid has been delayed until 2022. Since then my condition has deteriorated and my pain has increased affecting my mobility. I contacted PIP approx 3 months ago telling them my needs have changed, filled in the form and sent it back. I received a text and letter last week informing me I had a telephone assessment booked for this coming Friday morning but then 2 days later received a text and a payment into my account for a significant refund, I've no idea what this is for I have received no other correspondence other than the date for assessment and don't want to rock the boat but if they've accepted my change of needs why am I still having an assessment. I also suffer from anxiety and depression and I'm really getting myself worked up about this. Any advise would be gratefully appreciated. Thanks in advance Sue

Hi Sue,

Another possibility is that you've received a payment as a result of a review of past awards the DWP have been doing. They started this review after it was found they'd made mistakes about the rules, and underpaid some PIP claimants.

There's more information about the review exercise here:

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/4364-12-0...any-more-missing-out

As Catherine states, I would suggest contacting the PIP helpline to ask them. Don't assume your assessment is no longer going ahead. It would be best to check with PIP and the health assessment provider first.

All the best,

Liam!

Thankyou for all your replies. I've just has a text from IAS reminding me I have an assessment on Friday so unfortunately looks like it's going ahead. The only thing I can think of for the refund is that when I did the original application I was awarded less than I thought I should be and the report they sent was absolute rubbish, they even got my occupation wrong and as said in your webinar, stated I was very organised with dates and sounded upbeat so I lost points on mental health grounds for that, I started a mandatory reconsideration but that was also rejected and a paragraph in the report said that I could lose what I had already been awarded if I proceeded with an appeal so I gave up. Thanks to all your info I'm more clued up now and hopefully will be ready for Friday. I think the main problem with the assessments is if you get someone who seems nice you tend to relax but this seems to go against you. I intend recording the assessment but if I do this covertly can it still be admitted as evidence? Just seems unfair that the original assessment report had omissions and false statements of what I'd said