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PIP changes of circs… 

Dan_Manville
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Mental health & welfare rights service - Wolverhampton City Council

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Joined: 15 October 2012

How do

I’ve a question about peoples’ experiences of notifying changes of circs.

A while ago one of my clients got caught in the PIP lobster pot after notifying a rather minimal change in meds. I didn’t think much of it at the time as they’d plainly qualify.

Now another of my long term clients has been admitted and if past experience is anything to go by, if they pass 28 days (as is likely) then a PIP claim might be looming. This one is all supervision needs and I’m more worried about the prospects should they be invited to claim PIP.

Now the only changes that should trigger a change are those changes that might affect the rate payable. Someone already on high care and low mob with no physical problems who ends up psychotic and in hospital is in a position where the admission shouldn’t indicate a change in award; however I’m worried about how voraciously the lobster pot is being policed and whether I need to be in a position to do something about it.

So, in peoples’ experience are the PIP unit being reasonable where people have a change of circs or should I be ready to tool up for a JR on the assumption they’ll be inviting a new claim?

I know there’s the possibility of appeal however last time we ended up appealing it put said client in hospital so I plan to pull the biggest gun possible should I get a whiff of a PIP claim form…

Thanks in advance.

[ Edited: 23 Jul 2014 at 01:12 pm by Dan_Manville ]
Julie Stuart
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Macmillan benefits adviser - Edinburgh Welfare Rights Service

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In most cases I’ve not been the one contacting DLA so what I have is all about what the client has said happened during the conversation but it does seem from what they have said that when the client has phoned saying ‘do you need to know about this change?’ the result has been ‘you must make a PIP application’.  I have one particularly annoying one where the client’s ex partner contacting while he was having a bad reaction to chemotherapy - all very temporary, a month later needs would have been back to the general background needs that gave him the DLA award in the first place.  The ex didn’t make it clear she was an ex and they took that as her informing them of a change of circs on his behalf and required him to claim PIP.  He doesn’t want to cause bother with the ex and won’t let me argue with the DWP about whether or not it was a legitimate reporting of a change of circs.

As far as I can tell, the client contacting for minor reasons will trigger it so I am now advising they don’t contact before getting advice on whether they need to.  Also getting clients who have misunderstood the letters as requiring them to claim PIP immediately or lose their DLA as well.

Stinks

Dan_Manville
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Mental health & welfare rights service - Wolverhampton City Council

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Julie Stuart - 25 July 2014 08:46 AM

As far as I can tell, the client contacting for minor reasons will trigger it so I am now advising they don’t contact before getting advice on whether they need to.  Also getting clients who have misunderstood the letters as requiring them to claim PIP immediately or lose their DLA as well.

Stinks

Thanks Julie

i will speak to our Macmillan team about this too (looks like most are on their hols though) but do you have a way of asking your Macmillan colleagues whether they’ve got other examples?

[ Edited: 25 Jul 2014 at 09:18 am by Dan_Manville ]
Julie Stuart
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Macmillan benefits adviser - Edinburgh Welfare Rights Service

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Total Posts: 39

Joined: 23 June 2010

Unfortunately not outwith the Edinburgh service - we do meet up within Scotland about once a year and phone contact with nearby services is pretty regular but that’s about it right now.  The bit about misunderstanding the letters does apply to other colleagues in WR in Edinburgh though - we’ve had several through the door, if it relates to cancer it comes to our team but it’s a more general problem is my impression.