Dla to pip I have been for assessment but no reply

I had to ask as my friend got changed over without a letter but had to double check a bit confussed why she did not.

​More or less in same position DLA-PIP.

​Was told it would take either  4-6 or 6-8 weeks.

​Of course there is absolutely no stress in the waiting!

Re your comment about recent enough evidence. Do the DWP actually take the time and trouble to look for evidence that has been used for other benefits?

With some conditions that are permanent with no chance of recovery, the needs will only increase over time.

You mention to the poster that both DLA and & ESA evidence could be relevant. Could DLA evidence from early 2012, IIDB & ESA evidence from 2013 be relevant if it all eventually resulted in substantial awards being made based on it?

If it can be used, how can you force the assessor/DWP to get the files and look at it?

A lot of questions I know but I believe that what you are saying could help the poster and many others to seek that option.

Where a claimant is claiming other benefits, the DWP are now beginning to examine evidence submitted for those claims.  They stress that medical evidence should be recent and relevant, but I take your point about conditions which are never likely to improve.   From my own experience I have seen instances where the DWP have not considered medical evidence submitted by a claimant from 2012/13 even though they have a substantial and stable condition - the DWP position was that they don't consider anything further back than the current year to be recent.  They do seem to be looking at claims for other benefits a lot more lately though and I think it is always worth stating on the PIP form is you are in receipt of any other disability benefit, as if there is good, recent evidence for that claim, it may save time and effort if they can apply it to the PiP claim. 

I seem to be saying this a lot. Get your MP involved and ask them to investigate why you were turned down.  The problem with 'walking into their office' is that they know before you even get there, how far it is from the waiting room to the consulting room - it's at least 20 metres and if you can walk there and back you are likely to be judged as not qualifying for the mobility component.  As for the care component, it is not your disability or the symptoms which score the points, it's the effects of the disability on the range of activities in the assessment.  Lots of people fill in the forms and go for assessments without ever realising this - just stating your disability and symptoms is not enough, you have to clearly state how it affects your ability to do things like cook a meal, shower or bathe, go to the toilet etc. If you'be been to tribunal already there is little you can do other than apply for permission to go to tier 2 tribunal.  The trouble with this is that you cannot appeal to a tier 2 tribunal unless the adjudicator agrees that the decision is wrong on a point of law. You absolutely cannot do this on your own - get some advice from a benefits adviser and make an appointment to see your MP to see if they can help - it may also help to tell your GP what has happened and sent if they can help.

With what you are saying and that you can only walk for about 10mins before you have to stop for a rest – that 10 minute walk would lie somewhere between 125 and 250 metres depending how slow you walk. You state that you could walk to the assessor’s room – that would be at least 20 metres.

So in any event you have not only shown that you can walk at least 20 metres but your statement shows that you could actually walk a lot further – up to 250 metres.

The limit to get enhanced mobility is no more than 20 metres.

As for driving a car – this is how the DWP view that activity:

“It is noted that xx can drive a car. The activity of driving a car is in itself a multitasking activity requiring significant physical function in terms of grip, power and upper and lower joint movements in conjunction with substantial cognitive powers of thought perception, memory, reasoning, concentration, judgement and co-ordination. It is considered that if xxx’s functioning was as affected as claimed then he would not be fit to drive and would be a severe danger on the road. There is no evidence to suggest that DVLA have been informed of such”

As for others that get PIP who in your opinion are not as disabled and have less needs than you have, I used to have DLA – High Mobility & Middle Care for 21 years. The DLA to PIP transition was messed up so I claimed Attendance Allowance – Result Zilch

I can’t legally drive anymore because of my issues and the drugs I take.

Yep, I agree.  I have seen similar statements on several assessment reports where the claimant drives, and the walk from reception to exam room in all assessment centres is carefully measured and the length of time for which you say you can walk gives a fair indication of how far you can walk at an aberage pace - although they do have to take into account whether you walk very slowly or have significant difficulty or pain and if you cannot do it to an acceptable standard or in less than twice the time taken by a non disabled person, then you cannot complete the activity.   The activity of driving a car is used to lower awards for a lot of claimants because they rationalise that if you can drive a car, your limb strength, coordination and dexterity are such that other activities in the assessment calling for similar attributes should present no problem.  This is why I always stress that if you have any adaptations to your car made with your disability or condition in mind - such as hand controls, swapped accelerators/brakes, steering ball on the wheel to aid with grip and turning the wheel, or anything else of that nature - make it crystal clear on the application form and tell the assessor at the face to face assessment.  If you have these types of adaptions it means that you are assisted with driving despite reduced function, and they cannot apply the same reasoning to other activities.  

The only clarification I would give in respect of other people who receive PIP whose conditions seem less than your own, is to say that PIP is a very different benefit to DLA and does not concentrate on the disability itself, but assesses quite harshly the effect of that disability on carefully prescribed activities.  You can never know the full extent of someone else's condition and no one condition or disability affects sufferers of that condition in the same way.  What seems simple on the surface may have a profound effect on someone's ability to complete the activities assessed in PIP and in all honesty, speaking as a disabled person myself, there are personal and quite unpleasant effects of my condition which even my best friends don't know about and which are embarrassing to discuss even with the medics involved in my treatment.  You can never know everything so it's best not to judge.