Assessing appointee for suitability

My daughter has been claiming PIP and her award ended on January 9 2023. She had forgotten this and did not notice until a month later that she was not being paid PIP. I was her appointee when her previous claim was not successful and we went to mandatory reconsideration and then to appeal. She no longer wants me to be her appointee and made a new claim herself. I received a phone call from the DWP about three weeks ago as I was on their records as her appointee. I told the caller that she no longer wanted me to be her appointee. The caller apologised. About ten days later I received a form asking if I wanted to continue as her appointee. At the same time my daughter received a form asking if she wanted an appointee. She said that she wanted my husband to be her appointee. Both forms were posted in the same envelope. My husband has just spoken to someone at the DWP. He told the first person he spoke to that his daughter had given written permission for him to be her appointee. The person said, 'Okay, we can now continue with the process.' My husband asked, 'What process?' 'We'd have somebody visit you.' He asked, 'What's that process? There's nothing on your website. What is the regulation?' The officer didn't know and went to get his manager. She didn't know either and then said, 'There was an internal memo asking for the change in policy from September 2022.' He asked her what the process was. She said that she wanted to protect the customer in terms of where the money went. My husband said that our daughter had made the claim herself and that it included her own bank details and asked what else they needed to know other than that she had agreed to him representing her. She said she wasn't sure, she might have to get someone to phone him back. The line then went dead. On the DWP guidance titled, 'Working with representatives: guidance for DWP staff' on their website the last update is December 2021 and not September 2022. Please advise

Well, this is disappointing! I won't renew my subscription next year.

Hi Eleanor

I am not a moderator but like BIS I too am sorry to hear that because of this issue you wont be renewing your subscription next year and I hope that you may reconsider. This issue isn't really within the remit of this forum as BIS has said and in my opinion your disappointment would be better directed towards the DWP as they should have known the answers to your and your husbands questions! The information you wanted also seems readily available on the internet! Please do a Google search on "process for becoming a dwp appointee" If you do you should find that at the top of the page that comes up is the following:

"DWP arranges to visit the claimant to assess if an appointee is needed. DWP interviews you to make sure you're a suitable appointee. If DWP agrees with the application you'll be sent Form BF57 (confirming you've been formally appointed to act for the claimant). You're not the appointee until this happens."

Underneath that click on the first link that comes up, for your convenience I also give it here: www.gov.uk/become-appointee-for-someone-...til%20this%20happens.

At that link you will find not only the information quoted above but also other information on becoming an appointee for someone claiming benefits.

I hope this helps and that you will be able to complete the appointee process without further complication.

Kind regards

Mr B

Just been through this with my daughter. It's not so much assessing you for suitability they want proof of identity and they want to hear from your daughter that she agrees to you being appointee and she needs an appointee. It's nothing to worry about.