In the proverbial?

[Philip]

I had a letter last week from the house of plenty, DLA that is, I called them and they said that in two weeks I shall receive a form to fill in regarding my PIP and today I received my form from them also a letter they are coming to mine to interview me, no time to fill in the form or get help with it or get other evidence together. What a bunch of T##ts. Why do they always send the big brown envelope on a flipping Friday.

[Leonwp]

This doesnt sound like the normal format for switching from DLA to PIP, you normaly get a notification that DLA is ending then informed that if you wish to be considered for PIP you should ring the application line, then they send you out a form which you have to return within 28 days, then they decide on that information if they need to carry out a face to face assessment (99% require one) you may then submit a request for a home assessment if you feel you are unable to attend a designated centre. An assessment is then carried out including questions and a physical examination if required and after that the information with an opinion is sent to a DWP asessor who you never see who is the person who makes the decision as to the award and the level of the award and period of the award. I understood that the process was inflexible in normal circumstances unless terminal illness is stated or fraudulent claims are suspected. But it appears you are being missed a few stages of the process which may be good news or bad news depending on your view. Do you know why they seem to be changing the protocol in your case and do you want to contest it?

[Philip in reply to Leonwp]

I received a letter and I did ring them and they said " I will receive a big brown envelope" but they did ask about mental health issues, so I said I have Dementia and he said ok. Then when the big brown envelope arrived with a letter in a separate envelope saying the are coming to visit me the Wednesday of next week, my head is done in confused and really stressed out.

[Leonwp in reply to Philip]

Phillip i am very unfamiliat with your rights with mental health issues, this is something of a concern i have had for a long time. I was declined twice for DLA and i fiught like a starving rottweiler hanging on to a bone to get my reward, i won because of my ability to logically present written arguements to a proffessional standard and meticulous attention to detail, all the time i was fighting my main thought was that if i had not been as sharp as i was i would have no chance. I strongly feel that you should do all you legally can to delay this appointment until you have the correct advice and support sir.

[Philip in reply to Leonwp]

Thank you for your help.

[MrsBones123]

Had my PIP form yesterday too. Urgh. They always arrive on a Friday for some reason, probably in case you were planning a nice relaxing weekend

You could try ringing them on Monday and saying you need more time with the RA affecting ability to write etc to get a bit more time to fill in blasted form and gather evidence.

Good luck.

[Philip in reply to MrsBones123]

My wife is phoning them on Monday, I hope all goes well for you.

[MrsBones123 in reply to Philip]

Thanks Philip, you too.

Seen a few posts on here about members getting pip forms recently, think they must be doing everyone with DLA ending.

[Philip in reply to MrsBones123]

I was put on indefinitely, so in reality mine wasn't getting to renewal time. Bunch of sods.

[MrsBones123 in reply to Philip]

I meant DLA as a benefit ending and changing to PIP. Sorry, didn't make it clear, blame MTX foggy brain

Don't see why people with indefinite awards can't just be automatically change over. Bureaucracy.

[GranAmie]

any CAB near u - sometimes they'll send an advisor 2u 2help - best of luck

[Philip in reply to GranAmie]

Yes we do have a CAB in Southport but I've been waiting for a welfare rights person but not heard a thing from them, TY,

[Nik8210]

There are some areas now where all assessments are done in the persons home. The cab website has some good guidance if you need support or advice.

[Philip in reply to Nik8210]

Thank you, I'll go see in a minuet

[ruth_p]

Because they are closed at the weekend and you can't ring them.

[Philip in reply to ruth_p]

Absolutely right, they have done this for years lol, TY.

[premierscfc]

We used the Benefits & Work website and their guides were invaluable in getting the correct PIP award.

[Hidden]

Hi Philip

I hope that you have managed now to get in touch with the DWP and have got a better understanding as to why you have had no real notice to prepare yourself for this assessment and hopefully to have been given some extra time to sort things out. The whole process of applying for benefits is very worrying and causes people a lot of unnecessary worry so, as others have suggested, pursue the Welfare Rights Officer and contact the CAB to support you. NRAS also produce a booklet to help with the completion of the form so if you would to read this you can download it from this link nras.org.uk/publications/ho... or if you prefer we can send you a hard copy. To order the booklet please either use the order form on the website or send an email request to [e-mail] .

Good luck with this!

Best wishes

Lorraine

[Beverley_F]

I've just had to call them too... Its so stressful