The latest review form for personal independence payment (PIP), which the DWP began issuing in November 2024, seems designed to encourage claimants to give as little evidence as possible and thus risk losing or reducing their award.
The PIP Award Review or AR1 form, is sent to claimants prior to their award ending to make sure they are still getting the correct rate.
The original idea was that the form would be much shorter and easier to complete, at just 17 pages (excluding explanatory notes)compared to the 38 pages (excluding explanatory notes) of the PIP2 “How Your Disability Affects You” form used for an initial claim.
The original PIP review form focused solely on changes in your needs since you were last awarded PIP.
In connection with each of the daily living and mobility activities, the original AR1 form asked:
- Tell us if something has changed and approximately when.
- Tell us how you manage this activity now, including the use of any aids you use.
- Tell us about any changes to help you need or the help you get from another person.
The new AR1 form, however, is much more like the form you made your initial claim on. It is 25 pages long, excluding notes. For most activities you are now not asked if your condition has changed, but instead:
- Can you manage this activity safely and without difficulty?
- Do you need an aid?
- Do you need prompting?
- Do you need help from another person?
- Please tell us why and when these needs began.
We have always advised members to give the same level of detailed and up-to-date evidence in a review form as they did in their original claim and not rely on simply saying “No change”. So, from that point of view, the new AR1 form fits better with our approach to giving evidence.
However, the PIP2 form gives you a whole A4 page to describe your needs, as well as a page on which there is a more detailed explanation of what is taken into account and a sample answer.
The new AR1 PIP review form, on the other hand provides no examples and only tiny boxes in which to provide evidence.
It is by no means certain that, just because you currently have an award of PIP and your condition is unchanged - or has even deteriorated - that you will still get at least the same award. Many readers have had to go to tribunal to get their award reinstated after losing it on review.
And the latest official figures show that over a quarter of claimants are worse off after a review:
- Award Increased 19%
- Award Maintained 55%
- Award Decreased 7%
- Award Disallowed 19%
So, our advice is never to be restricted by the boxes on a PIP review form, but instead, use as many additional sheets as is necessary to give detailed evidence about your needs.
Our 140 page members’ Guide to PIP Claims and Reviews has been fully updated to take account of the new PIP review form.
