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First PIP claim
We at Isos Housing made a claim with a resident for Personal Independence Payment this morning….
The client was asked for the following:
• National Insurance number
• Date of Birth
• Security Questions- this is worrying, as the questions were such things as ‘when did your other benefits start’?. Luckily the adviser was nice, used common sense and was not unyielding. It’s an unknown whether or not that was because I was on the phone.
• Confirm address
• Residency; whether she is an EEA National, whether she had been out of the country
• Client is then asked whether they come under the special rules- interestingly, DWP didn’t ask about the length of time they needed help for
• Client was not asked if they lived in supported housing, ‘sheltered accommodation’ or was in a nursing home
• Which healthcare professional would be best to contact. Client said GP. Client was then asked to give name of GP, address including postcode and telephone number.
• Client was then asked if she agreed for the DWP or another organisation acting on its behalf to contact that healthcare professional
• Client was then asked for bank details including sort code etc
• Client was then asked how they preferred communications- telephone or letter.
• Client was then asked if they have any ‘mental health problems’- the operator then read a (very) long list of conditions from ‘learning difficulties’(?) to psychosis. If an applicant says yes to any of these, they get an extra 2 weeks to arrange help from a support agency. Operator mentioned ‘CAB or other support agency’.
• A declaration was then read out.
The next part of the form will now be sent to the client. Because we were only the second people who had called since 8am, the operator estimated that the form should reach her by the end of the week.
Timescales
Reportedly, the client has 19 days to return the form before they are sent a reminder from DWP to return it. If the form still has not been returned after 30 days in total, the claim will be closed. As above, if the client has indicated they have mental health problems, they will get an extra 2 weeks to enable them to source support.
The process took 30 minutes and included me grilling them about timescales, the tenant looking for her bank details, me Googling the GP’s postcode and telephone number, and the ‘system going slow’
Conference calls are the way forward….
Lee
[ Edited: 8 Apr 2013 at 03:30 pm by Lee Forrest ]“If the form still has not been returned after…........ the claim will be closed”.
I hope that doesn’t mean what I think it means.
I think it does…. Probably in the spirit of not supplying the DWP with ‘additional information’....
You’re welcome. I’m looking forward to reading other experiences.
Attended a Welfare Reform event held by DWP in Feb. We were assured that if a claimant did not return the paper claim they would be contacted by phone to find out why it had not been sent back and make sure no one (especially those with mental health problems) did not ‘slip through the net’.
There was also a comment that ATOS may obtain medical evidence prior to medical so it is interesting that this claimant was asked for GP details at such an early stage.
Thanks for original post, it will be helpful to compile a list of required information to help with the initial claim/advise clients what they will be asked.
We tried to make a claim today
We were told the computer is down and to phone back later in the week
We tried to make a claim today
We were told the computer is down and to phone back later in the week
You couldn’t make it up.
Very helpful. I am presenting some training on PIP this week so the above is most useful. [ we are not in the PIP catchment area at present of course ] but all first hand info on the system is helpful in these early days
further to previous posts above , we here in Ashfield, Notts have a current DLA claimant who has a renewal due in June 2013 who tells us that he has been invited to claim PIP and when he called the PIP number a claim was taken, part one by phone then part two posted out to him with information on the asessment that he will get by a home visit. we are not in the PIP trial areas, should this be happening ??? claimant described the call and the process exactly as per PIP protocol, unfortunately we have not yet seen his paperwork
further to previous posts above , we here in Ashfield, Notts have a current DLA claimant who has a renewal due in June 2013 who tells us that he has been invited to claim PIP and when he called the PIP number a claim was taken, part one by phone then part two posted out to him with information on the asessment that he will get by a home visit. we are not in the PIP trial areas, should this be happening ??? claimant described the call and the process exactly as per PIP protocol, unfortunately we have not yet seen his paperwork
This seems wrong. The PIP (Transitional Provisions) Regs prevent any claim by a ‘DLA entitled person’ from being made before 7 October 2013, and prevent an invitation to claim from being issued - see Regs 3(1) and 4(2) here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/387/contents/made
Note also Reg 25 of the UC, PIP, &c (Claims and Payments) Regs (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/380/contents/made ) which allows the PIP claim to be treated as a DLA claim if the DM thinks there is no PIP entitlement.
The problem here for me is what happens if the client doesn’t return his DLA renewal forms and get a decision by June. (Has he already done so? Were they sent to him? This should have happened before the PIP Regulations were even published…) If no renewal claim is made, then come June he will no longer be a ‘DLA entitled person’ and will be eligible to claim PIP. In fact, I think that he can be awarded PIP on the claim already made, see UC, PIP &c (C&P) Reg 33, which in my view isn’t limited to awarding PIP when the needs haven’t lasted three months at the date of claim, but also applies here.
If he has returned his DLA renewal form then PIP (TP) Reg 6 prevents him from being able to claim PIP, even if no decision is made on the renewal claim until after the DLA award ends.
For completeness, if refused DLA on the hypothetical renewal claim, he can claim PIP the next day, even if also appealing the DLA refusal. What he should do if this happens makes my brain hurt a lot.
Unless he is likely to be better off on PIP, then I think he should try to get a DLA claim form submitted before the existing DLA award ends, if he hasn’t already done so. Of course some people will be better off on PIP.
Arrgh! Having typed all that I’ve realised that NG postcodes aren’t even in the PIP pilot! See Sch 3 here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/358/contents/made . Unless he lives in the pilot area he can’t claim PIP whether he gets DLA or not until 10 June (the current planned date of national rollout for new claims).
I think I’m right about the above though, so on the off chance that your client is living in the pilot area I’m posting anyway. I’m sure that if it is all nonsense the community will advise.
I’m off for a lie down.
Jon
I am asking for futher details from the client, we are certainly not in the piliot area, Thanks for the update. I will keep posted as info arrives, on the face of it the claim looks like a PIP claim, sounds like a PIP claim, and smells like a PIP claim !!!
I’ve just tried to claim PIP for the first time for someone from Bury (Oldham postcodes not yet involved). The claim is under special rules. After 30 minutes in the queue I hung up! I’ll try again tomorrow….if I’ve got the time! The claim line is supposed to be open until 6pm but I might not try so late again.
Just filled a PIP form in. Took the enclosed envelope. Slid the filled in PIP form in. Afixed the stamps and just realised the window in the envelope displays the clients not the DWP address. So if you fill it in via paper you can now post it back to yourself so you WILL do it on line.
so it’s not a prepaid envelope??
You need to put the form with the back page at the front then the address shows through the window and its Freepost address ;)
ah right, that’s better