PIP decisions

Has anyone seen a PIP decision yet????

3 months to the day after PIP was rolled out nationally, we have yet to see a PIP decision so far as I am aware.  To put that in context our service covers the whole of Derbyshire and has a large throughput of claims.  We are getting increasing reports of people still waiting for claim forms up to 8 weeks after requesting them, and someone who I spoke to yesterday said he was awaiting a medical which had been re-arranged several times.

Funnily enough yes! Not suprising really as Northumberland was one of the pilot areas (sorry Berwickshire, DWP not aware that you part of Northumberland) Requested PIP 1, completed with client & CPN. Submited PIP 2. No face to face , consultation, tell us your story (or whatever guff they want to name it). Client award enhanced daily living and standard mobility until 2015. It’s the only decision we’ve had so far.

I haven’t had any yet and Manchester was one of the pilot areas too. I made 2 claims on the first day of PIP and have still not had decisions. I put a complaint in about the delay about 1 month ago and have not had a reply to that either!

Same story here. We have had one terminal illness decision through quickly without a medical needed but otherwise clients are awaiting decisions.

I have chased this up through PIP office telephone enquiries and their standard response is to supply the ATOS contact telephone number so that WE can ask what has happened to the medical reports that they have not received. I then told them that I would have thought that was THEIR job not ours !!

It’s an absolute farce.

Yep, we’ve had that said to Care managers who have been chasing clients assessments. Who is overseeing this train wreak? Why have the main steam media not picked up on this ?

Gosh that is really bad to have had virtually no decisions from the pilot areas as well!!  I thought the DWP usually put extra resources into new benefits? 

And when you add in the fact that DLA supercessions are due to be migrated to PIP from next month, and the mandatory re-consideration process if and when we do see any decisions things are going to get even worse.

Hi- I posted in the ‘first claim’ thread. Would I be being too conspiritorial to suggest that ‘too many’ applicants are managing to score the necessary points, and that either ATOS are either a) nervous and are triple checking claims; or b) have been ordered by DWP to cool down/ look at the claims again?

I have no idea why things are taking so long, but the ATOS rep I spoke to did say “The government doesn’t realise how many people will be eligible”.

Still waiting here too. I keep thinking that today will be the day but nowt as yet.

i was at the cpag conference yesterday and attended the PIP workshop - no one there had heard of any decisions, apart from special rules, being made.

curiouser and curiouser!

ros - 12 September 2013 12:18 PM

i was at the cpag conference yesterday and attended the PIP workshop - no one there had heard of any decisions, apart from special rules, being made.

curiouser and curiouser!

*engage wide-eyed optimism mode*

Maybe they are waiting to see if the mobility criteria change after the consultation?

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carolinem - 13 September 2013 09:31 AM

Decisions are being made but unfortunately the medical reports have been slower than expected in coming to the decision makers, who are as frustrated as you!

Appreciate you may not know the answer - but what is DWP doing about the delay at its contrators? What confidence can that give clients and advisers in the process.

So that DWP does not get off on the wrong foot from the start and give advice workers the pip - it is not a medical report but an assessment of a persons ability to carry out activities of daily living and mobility activities. DWP are clear that the qualifying criteria for DLA, AA, PIP and the WCA are not medical tests/criteria.

One of the issues that frustrates advice workers is the apparent inability of decision makers to understand and interpret medical evidence, including medical reports, and apply that evidence to the relevant criteria in the qualifying criteria for those benefiits. No doubt this will soon become a significant issue with PIP decisions, mandatory revisions and appeals (assuming claimants ever get any decisions!).

L Forrest - 10 September 2013 03:37 PM

Hi- I posted in the ‘first claim’ thread. Would I be being too conspiritorial to suggest that ‘too many’ applicants are managing to score the necessary points, and that either ATOS are either a) nervous and are triple checking claims; or b) have been ordered by DWP to cool down/ look at the claims again?

I have no idea why things are taking so long, but the ATOS rep I spoke to did say “The government doesn’t realise how many people will be eligible”.

This has occurred to me as well. Given the stated aim of reducing the cost, the daily living descriptors don’t exactly seem overly restrictive to me, given there are ten areas to score from in any combination.

MrFinch - 13 September 2013 02:41 PM

This has occurred to me as well. Given the stated aim of reducing the cost, the daily living descriptors don’t exactly seem overly restrictive to me, given there are ten areas to score from in any combination.

Unless of course a claimant requires supervision in which case it suddenly gets difficult. A lot of my punters can function and the most dangerous activity is contemplating their existence; sadly not an assessed activity.

Of course, people with mental health problems (and probably epileptics will get caught out too) don’t vote so the silent minority will experience the greatest hardship from these reforms and it will do no harm to the “democratic process”

DS1500 requests routinely being picked up by ATOS and followed up with calls to consultants to query.

One can see why that might introduce one or two delays. Bet it goes down well with consultants too!!!

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