Requesting a review

Hi tiggy

Welcome to the forum, you might want to have a look at the following FAQ which explains where everything is.

Welcome to Benefits and Work

The first question I would ask you, do you mean a review or a change of circumstances?

A review is usually carried out by the DWP whereas if your condition has changed for the worse or better then it is a change of circumstances.

If you reported a change then you would have received a PIP2 to complete this was the form that you filled in when you originally applied for PIP.

If you report a Change then you should do so in writing as the date of your letter will be used to set the start date of any new award, Ideally, send it using a Track'd post so that you have proof of delivery.

Before you report a Change you should be certain that you would reasonably qualify for a higher award, not all deterioration or even new conditions will result in your scoring the points you need for a higher award. See our PIP Claims guide for the criteria that you will need to make. guides-for-claimants/pip

If you report a Change then you will be sent a new PIP2 to complete and it is almost certain that you will be required to have some sort of assessment.

One of the first things is to understand the difference between DLA and PIP.

DLA looks at generic care needs in regard to bodily functions, PIP looks at the claimants specific ability to carry out an activity such as eating. DLA was awarded because the claimant needed an amount of care (in time) during the day, the night or both, to help them with that bodily function.

PIP looks at the claimant's ability to complete specific tasks within the activity and is points-based, these are clearly defined and it is easy not to score points because the claimant has not shown that they meet those specific criteria.

DLA treated the use of aids as a reason to reduce the amount of care needed, PIP treats aids as an indication of disability and in general they score extra points.

DLA's care need was reasonably generic, PIP treats prompting, assistance and supervision as different activities and as a result, they can score different points.

DLA required that the care was required for the majority of the time, for PIP it is the majority of days.

For PIP activities must be completed reliably, this means

• Safely – in a fashion that is unlikely to cause harm to themselves or to another person.
• To a necessary and appropriate standard – given the nature of the activity.
• Repeatedly – as often as is reasonably required.
• In a timely manner – in a reasonable time period.

Although DLA considers these terms, they are poorly defined as they are implemented through Case Law rather than being defined in the legislation as they are for PIP.

Gary

Hi tiggy

PIP isn't based on specific conditions, it is based on how the symptoms you have affect your daily living and your mobility as per the specific PIP criteria.

You need to show that you are affected for the majority of the time. So are you in pain for four out of seven days and what does that pain affect you from doing? Does it affect your mobility or your ability to cook, dress yourself etc. The same applies for your depression, you need to look at each question and state what impact it has.

We have a very comprehensive PIP guide. If you look through that, it will give you some idea of how you might answer questions.

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/help-for-claimants/pip

PIP – how to describe your problems

Three things

Think about breaking the activity down into smaller components where you can identify problems that you would have.

So for Preparing Food; you can break it down into preparing the food and cooking it, you can break preparing the food down into; selecting the right food, checking that it is still good to use, washing it, peeling and cutting as necessary.

Then think of the problems that you have and map them onto the activities, so physical problems might mean that have problems with peeling and cutting, mental health problems might mean that you don't actually get the food out in the first place, cognitive problems might mean that you do not select appropriate food or check that it is still in date.

For each combination explain why you are affected, how and whether help from an aid of a person would allow you to complete the activity, there is a formula in the guide for each activity of the things to include.

Lastly, when you are thinking about each activity, consider whether the problem you have would impact on your ability to do another activity. So physical problems with preparing food may also mean you have problems with washing and dressing, mental health problems may also impact on these activities and cognitive problems may mean that you need help with money.

Let us know how you get on, if yuou have any further questions then please come back to the forum.

Gary