PIP outcome

Well, today the PIP letter in the white envelope finally arrived, along with a chunk of backpay into my bank account! I only got the courage to apply after subscribing to BaW and spending hours reading the guides and forum messages, and I’m SOOO glad I did! I have been awarded enhanced daily living (15 pts) and enhanced mobility (12 pts) up to May 2026 which will be reviewed after May 2025 (assuming nothing changes before then). All the people at BaW are my heroes!! Thank you so much, I didn’t even know about PIP before I found the BaW website and all the help and support from everyone. The relief is huge - my income has gone up by a third so I can pay my bills without worrying now.
I still have some questions and concerns about my award though…
Some areas I scored exactly what I expected, but several other areas I got 0 points for, despite all the medical evidence I sent with my form. There is probably no point in asking for the award to be reconsidered (which would be a risk as it could be reduced) but I’m also worried about the future when it comes to the review. I won’t be having further treatment so is there any way to have the errors noted without asking for MR?
My review might be the last one I have before I reach state pension age (9 years to go), and I don’t think I will have much in the way of formal medical evidence as I won’t be having further treatment (apart from medication) as there isn’t much else the doctors can do to help. I’m not sure what I can do about this? How have others in a similar situation managed?
Does 4 and a half years for a first award (mainly complex PTSD with dissociation and major depressive disorder which are all long-term conditions) seem about right? I know every case is different but I didn’t know what seems to be ‘average’ for a first award.
Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.
I hope sharing helps others who are waiting to hear or considering applying for the first time. A HUGE thank you to all the mods, forum posts, tech bods etc. This site is amazing and I will keep up my subscription each year as it is worth its weight in gold. Thanks again,
Mel0308

Hello mel0308
It's great to hear some good news on the forum, well done you at least you can hopefully have space to take a breathe and not worry about the PIP trial for now.

As for "Formal medical evidence" for future reference, May I ask if your GP practice has Patient 'Online Access'?

My GP practice uses a system called SystemOnline, which allows me to reorder repeat prescriptions, book appointments (Pre-pandemic) access prescribing history, patient records and summary patient record. you are entitled to access your own medical records held by your GP/Medical Practice at no extra cost, subject to the requirements of your practice to do so.

Going forward , It is a very useful source of corroborating information and supporting documentation that claimants are/have been in contact with their GP/nurse/health practitioner about their ongoing health issues etc. Also, it is possible to provide a history of medications that may have been prescribed as well as any referrals made to other specialists.

If you choose to access your medical information in this way, a word of caution, CHECK THOROUGHLY FOR ACCURACY and remove any irrelevant or inaccurate information before using it.

Wishing you well
SUE

Many thanks for the message Sue.
I included all relevant entries from my online GP record with my other evidence, which I’m sure helped. Many of my online record entries are just one line and don’t give further details, so perhaps I will ask for a subject access request to get the ‘whole record’ when it comes to review time? I think the more evidence you can provide the better as DWP won’t just take your word for it and look for any excuse not to award you points.
As you and LL26 both said, it is such a relief to have some respite from PIP claims and paperwork - at least for a while. I will still be keeping up with my membership, the forum and all the useful posts from mods and members in the meantime - I am convinced I wouldn’t have got my award without them! Mel0308

Hi Mel0308,

After being a forum and website member for several years, having read hundreds, if not thousands of posts, four-and-a-half-years for a first time award seems very good.

My first award was for two years, which did seem about average for a first award given my conditions, but that was back in 2014.

I wouldn't look too far in the future as regards pension age and further reviews for now. We are soon have some form of regime change with a new Prime Minister and the next general election may soon follow.

Who knows what will happen.

Enjoy for now!

Regards,

Phrank.

Hello again mel0308

I have no doubt that you have taken a huge sigh of relief now that you've successfully navigated the onerous PIP process, well done you. May I make a suggestion, I don't mean to rain on your parade. Might it be much less stressful for you, to submit a Subject to Access Request to your treatment centres/hospitals some time in advance of May 2025?

It's been a while now, but as a 'Benefit Newbie' I had no medical evidence as such as I didn't realise that the onus is very much on the claimant to provide their own. I believe access its much improved now and certainly a lot quicker than in the past but with 4 different hospitals to approach in different health authorities, it took a while. Again, very well done
Sue