However, HPs should be prepared to adapt their approach to the needs of the particular claimant, not taking a prescriptive approach and ensuring that claimants are able to put across the impact of their health condition or impairment in their own words. If you live in Great Britain, you can call the Department of Work and Pensions who are responsible for giving these benefits to eligible people at 0800 917 2222. Cost-of-living crisis and your mental health. It's not based on the condition you're in or the medication you're taking. Too many people in Northern Ireland have had claims for their Personal Independence Payment (PIP) "unfairly rejected", an investigation has found. 1.6.58 Upon prior request, providers have the facility to audio record telephone and face to face consultations. He lives in supported accommodation and there has been no change to his functional ability in the last few years. Consent may need to be obtained at other points during the examination as the HP should explain throughout what they are about to examine. Attendance Allowance (AA) for people at State Pension age. It is paid to make a contribution to the extra costs that disabled people may face, to help them lead full, active and independent lives. As the disabling condition was substantially the same she did not have to fulfil the 3 month qualifying period. Pip telephone assessment experience. Should the AR1 be subsequently received by the DWP, it will be tasked to the document received work queue for the appropriate AP. Daisy2016 Forumite. Safely: Can you do the activity without causing danger to yourself or someone else? Such telephone calls should be made by approved HPs, not by clerical staff. 1.4.17 The DWP currently pays for 2 specific forms of evidence: factual reports from GPs and GP- and consultant-completed DS1500s. 1.2.1 The HPs role is to assess the overall functional effects of the claimants health condition or impairment on their everyday life over a 12 month period, using the assessment criteria. Where a claimant has a PAB they would not be classified as requiring additional support from DWP. They themselves do not have to attend. You are most welcome to join today! Functional examinations may cover one or more of: 1.6.38 Before starting a physical examination, the HP must explain the procedure to the claimant, and obtain explicit verbal consent to continue. Personal injury is a legal term for an injury to the body, mind, or emotions, as opposed to an injury to property. This is why you should always renew your PIP form to make sure that it corresponds well to how you are coping with your mental health condition. The Mental Health and Money Advice website has more information about the evidence you need to support a benefits claim. to intervene on your behalf. Hello and welcome, when you we and I apply for pip we fill in a detailed questionnaire answering questions relating to each of the PIP descriptiors and where we feel necessary add more information reference to the descriptiors we need to. These times have reduced significantly from the peak in July 2014 (42 . If Providers are required to gain consent, claimants do not have to write the consent statement in their own words; Providers can use their own words. (More information on the additional support marker is in the following section.). She is under the mental health team who are treating her with combination therapy, including several medications and psychological therapy. Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for people under 16. If youre in the armed forces or a close family member of someone who is, the rules on living and registering in England, Wales or Scotland isnt practised. 1.3.10 The HP should document a fully justified choice of further action taken during the initial review, providing this to DWP as part of the case documentation. Where deemed necessary, they may be asked to provide other free of charge relevant evidence to support their request, for example evidence from a social worker, community nurse or carer that shows why a home consultation would be appropriate. 1.15.20 Where the claimant has told DWP that they want an attorney to act for them, the attorneys details will be on the DWP system (CIS) if it is a PIP claim. . 1.15.34 It is important that in all telephone contact with claimants or their representatives, the correct person is being spoken to. If this is not feasible for example, if the consultation is carried out in the claimant's own home the HP should make a note of the circumstances and carry out such assessment as they can while the claimant is sitting or standing. In the case of sensitive/special information, the claimant must be fully aware of the nature and content of the information being processed. the safety implications for a home consultation for the HP for example, where the claimant has previously displayed unacceptable behaviour towards the DWP and this has been noted in their case file. PIP is not a compensation payment for ill health / disability; it is to help people with the increased costs of daily living in cases of long term ill health or disability. 1.11.2 The AR1 will be returned to the DWP by the claimant and, where possible, a proportion of planned award reviews will be completed by DWP CMs, who will compare the new information against the evidence from the previous assessment. The HP should explore any variability or fluctuation in the claimant's condition and functional ability by asking the claimant what they can do on good days and bad days. Therefore, consent to inform the GP of the unexpected finding should be obtained from the claimant. HPs should allow a companion to contribute and should record any evidence they provide. 1.10.5 The HP should clearly outline their reasons for selecting the no review required option using the free text box for example, the claimants level of functional ability is stable and will not improve or deteriorate in the long term or the claimant is due to undergo surgery and it is likely they will no longer experience their current functional limitations in X months.. Ask for an interpreter or signer if you need one. 1.8.10 It is essential that the CM is made aware of the evidence the HP has used to complete the assessment report. Helping you understand, manage & improve your mental health and money issues. This should be explored through further questions to develop this detail. They can help you feel more comfortable, add information to what you say or take notes. The claimant or companion may keep the notes and do not have to provide a copy to the HP, although the HP may record that notes were taken. In deciding their advice, the HP will need to weigh this inconsistency and decide, with full reasoning, which descriptor is most likely to apply. 1.6.23 The HP should record the occupation and the nature of the job for example, activities on a daily/weekly basis, including any reasonable adjustments made by the employer. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. HPs need to ensure that they explore claimants functional ability in everyday life and in a variety of environments/situations that may not be ideal. In addition, young people may have limited experience undertaking many activities unsupervised in an independent environment. Mr X has diabetes and depression with agoraphobia. They should also provide advice on the mobility component based on the evidence received with the referral and/or gathered at the consultation. Most people claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will be asked to attend a PIP medical assessment with a healthcare professional. In the case of an appeal, the claimant, his/her representative and members of the tribunal will see a copy of the report. It is not intended to cover all the requirements placed on APs as part of the PIP assessment contracts, their full business processes, or work carried out by DWP to monitor and manage AP performance. 1.6.52 Claimants have a right to be accompanied to a consultation if they so wish. As with appointees, the deputy can nominate another person to accompany the claimant. 1.8.3 The nature of the information required in reports varies depending on the nature of the activity. However, the companions may play an active role in helping claimants answer questions where the claimant or HP wishes them to do so. This information should be included in the assessment report provided to DWP or via the PIPAT. Claimants who have recently completed a cross border move from Scotland to England/Wales may instead provide the Scottish equivalent form BASRiS (Benefits Assessment under Special Rules in Scotland), where the BASRiS form is less than 6 months old. For example, doing housework provides information about mobility, manual dexterity and fatigability. 1 comment 100% Upvoted Log in or sign up to leave a comment It is also recommended that the HPs could also consult with clinical coaches or other experts prior to the assessment for advice and support on how conditions present and how this might affect function. The PIP medical assessment consists of several parts and will last on average, 60 minutes: Discussion and questions: The Health Professional will ask you questions about how your health affects your everyday life. The consultation starts at the point the claimant begins to converse with the HP on the telephone, enters the assessment centre or is met at their home and concludes when the claimant ends the telephone conversation, leaves the premises of the assessment or the HP leaves the claimants residence. 1.14.4 In most cases it should be possible for CMs to identify those cases where a claim has been made for substantially the same physical or mental health condition or range of conditions. The Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP) commissioned NatCen Social Research to conduct two surveys to examine the claimant experience of telephone assessments and to gauge preferences for. The HP will choose a descriptor for each activity and a DWP CM will review the suggested descriptors and decide if the evidence supports those choices. If you say you came alone on the train, theyll make a note that you can travel alone on public transport. In such cases the claimant may not be able to give an accurate account of their health condition or impairment, through a lack of insight or unrealistic expectations of their own ability. Does medication affect PIP value? Such cases will be flagged to the AP at the point of referral. 1.6.42 Clinical findings from a musculoskeletal examination should be recorded in plain English, for example able to place hands at the back of the head, able to reach above the head to help the CM understand the details of the examination. 1.5.1 HPs should carry out assessments using a paper-based review in cases where they believe there is sufficient evidence in the claim file, including supporting evidence, to provide robust advice to the DWP on how the assessment criteria relate to the claimant. More information on claimants who require additional support can be found in section 1.12 of part 1. HPs will be required to advise on whether the claimant satisfies the SREL provisions (see below), and provide advice with appropriate justification to the DWP. If the HP notices that a claimant is covertly recording their consultation, the restrictions above should be explained to the claimant. Helps you take control of your household spending. If a claimant is unable to complete an activity or needs support to do so at a point in the day when you would reasonably expect them to complete it, the need should be treated as existing for the whole of the day, even if it does not exist at other points in the day. Failure to provide this may result in the advice being returned for clarification or rework.