what does this letter mean ( Pip Application )

He did put lots of other things in, including how I struggle to leave my house at times and can often suffer panic attacks when in public places or meeting new people.

It's rare not to have an assessment, most people have them. I've only ever heard of a few people that have been refused without an assessment. Did you send in other evidence or just that letter from your GP? You need at least 8 points for an award and there's 2 parts, daily living and mobility. It's much more difficult for those with Mental health to get a mobility award but it does happen. Good luck and if you are refused there's always the Mandatory Reconsideration then Tribunal route.

The process of a PIP claim is once you've returned those forms with your evidence your file is sent to the assessment providers. They then look at all of your evidence and the form you filled in, if there's enough of evidence to make a decision they will (altho it's very rare) if there's not they will either contact people on your list for further evidence or send you an appointment. If all you sent was a single letter from your GP be thankful thank they are contacting people.

As for the assessment, as it's only been 9 days since you sent that form back, give it time lol. Some people are waiting months for an assessment. There's plenty of time for that yet. There really isn't anything you can do until you either get that assesment date, or the decision letter.

Like Denise said its a slow process and it's maybe you haven't sent I'm enough supporting evidence, did you send plenty of information to support your claim?? ie consultants, social workers, CBT councillor and anyone else you see regularly

You're really looking too far into this and worrying needlessly. You only sent the forms 9 days ago. I'm not sure what you were expecting in regards to time here but 9 days is nothing. Yes, they've contacted medicals professionals but that's fine, it doesn't mean anything other than they've contacted people for more evidence.

I'm not sure why you though sending evidence of previous medication would help you. A diagnosis, won't help either because PIP is all about how your conditions affect you daily. Not a diagnosis.

Like i said a few times, most people have assessment and it's rare not to have one BUT people DO have paper based deicisons and are successful.

If you recieve another letter that says they have all the info they need then this is when you'll know you won't be called for an assessment.

I know it's very difficult but please try to relax and stop looking for things that will make you think nagative. There really isn't anything you can do at this stage.

Thanks Denise, yes I am over thinking this lol. I think I was just so shocked to hear anything so quickly as had expected a long wait after reading others experiences. I guess I’m lucky to have heard something so at least I know it’s being looked at. Thanks xx

No problem. Jusr re-read you last comment. They do ask for evidence before sending out appointments for assessments BUT it's rare for them to ask anyone for any evidence. I recently read that they did exactly the same to someone else. They've also now recieved an appointment for an assessment.

My advice to you is expect to have the face 2 face assessment. If you do then make sure you answer all those questions with as much detail as possible. You can only cancel an appointment once. They'll be watching you from the minute you arrive to the minute you leave.

If a home assessment is needed then you'll most likely need a letter from your GP stating the reasons why.

Afew days after the assessment you can ring DWP and ask for a copy of the assessment report to be sent to you. This will give you some idea what the decision is likely to be because mostly they go with that report.

Good luck.

Most people do have a face to face assessment, it's rare not to have one. Yes, they do ask when making the application over the phone if they can contact people for evidence BUT they very rarely do this either. Don't rely on them contacting anyone for any evidence. It's the claimants responsibility to send in all evidence to support their claim.

Hi Denise, 

I have been sent a letter for a face to face on Monday !!! They are doing a home visit, although I didn’t request one I am pleased. I spoke to my GP receptionist who said they had been contacted but the letter had been passed to one of the doctors ( Not my usual GP as he is off at the moment ) and that it would take approx 2-3 weeks for the GP to respond. She couldn’t tell me what was in the letter as she didn’t have it. You say they rarely contact people, so any ideas why or when they do contact people? Is it because they think you’ve lied on your form or something? I have been totally honest on my form so wondering why they’re contacting my GP after he’s already written a letter confirming how my illness effects me. Do you think it’s a good sign or bad sign they’ve contacted my GP xxx

Yes, as i thought most do have the assessment. Contacting your GP really doesn't mean anything other than they've contacted them for more evidence. It's not a good or bad thing. Like i said it's rare they contact anyone but it does happen. You could still either be refused or awarded.

They've never contacted my GP for any evidence and i've had 2 assessments for PIP and the same for ESA, even though my last ESA review was infact a paper based decision, no assessment needed.

They did contact 2 people for my daughters PIP claim about 4 months ago though. For my daughter i sent in a huge amount of evidence, yet they still contacted 2 people for more evidence.

You're looking into it far to much and you shouldn't.

During the assessment, you'l be watched from the minute they arrive to the minute they leave. You should answer all those questions with as much info as possible and avoid answer with just a yes or no. If you have someone with you for support unless they are your appointee they will only be able to prompt you. They will not be able to answer any of those questions.

Don't forget that a few days after the assessment you should ring DWP to ask for a copy of the assessment report to be sent to you. This will give you an idea what the decision will be as mostly they go with that report. You'll be able to compare those ticked boxes in the report with the PIP descriptors to see exactly how many points you scored.

Good luck.

Thanks Denise, I’mreally anxious about all of this as I’ve never applied for any benefit of any type before so this is totally new to me. I almost feel like I wish I hadn’t applied because it is really stressful. Can’t wait for Monday to be done. Will definitely ring them a few days after, thank you for that advice, I’d have just been sat overthinking what I did and didn’t say so it will be good to at least have some idea if I’ll be successful in my application. 

Sorry if I have not explained myself properly but I cannot cope with information overload particularly when it is contradictory and one says one thing and one another. Please just all calm down.

Sarah

Sorry if I have upset you.It was not intentional. Coming off this site for a bit

Sarah