LIBRA1's PIP Queries Topic !!!

Hi Libra

I hope you get your award soon. I have just returned my PIP form for mental health problems,
and know I that I am in for a long and anxious wait before I hear anything.

I am praying not to be called for a face to face assessment, my GP has backed me up in writing for a paper-based assessment, but they might not take any notice. I noticed that you didn't have to go to a face to face, so I might also be lucky.

All the best

Vivienne

Hello Gordon and bro58 and Mrs Hurtyback,

Good news. I just got my decision letter in my transfer from DLA to PIP, dated 13th April 2016. As expected, I got awarded standard daily living PIP and no award for mobility, in line with the ATOS report. I have been given a 3 year award, with a 2 year review point in January 2018.

As you may remember, my fixed DLA award expired in mid March but I got a letter extending it for a year pending my PIP decision.

Problem - the letter says contradictory things about when my DLA award ends and my PIP award begins.

The letter says that my DLA must be paid for 4 weeks regardless of the decision. However, the letter is only awarding me 3 weeks of DLA from the date of the decision letter. My PIP then begins the following day, after that. So, even though the letter says I am entitled to 4 weeks DLA (higher rate care, lower rate mobility), I will only get 3 weeks until my money drops from £104.10 per week to £55.10 per week. There are knock on effects to my passported benefits - no enhanced disability premium as part of my housing benefit applicable amount and no severe disability element of working tax credits. In all this is a loss of income of about £300 per month. I thought you were given 4 weeks DLA after a PIP decision as a must, not a discretion, to allow for the adjustment in income.

I have phoned the DWP today to query it and was told the case manager would give me a call back within 24 hours (within working hours), so by Monday.

Has the decision maker made a mistake in only awarding 3 weeks more DLA instead of 4?

Thank you.

Libra1

PS: Of course, I should also like to thank you all for your advice and help with my queries and your excellent guides to help me through this tense and difficult process. I wouldn't have got my award without your help. So thank you!

Hello Gordon,

The decision letter was dated 13th April. It said my DLA would end on 3rd May. It said my PIP would commence on 4th May. So, that is 3 weeks of DLA from the date of the decision, rather than 4 weeks.

Hope that answers your question. The call centre operator told me I would get a call back from the case manager.

Just wondering why the DLA payment is not for a further 4 weeks from the date of the decision.

Thank you.

Libra1

Update:

A really nice lady from the DWP (not a case manager) called back to explain that even though the letter was dated 13th April, the decision was made on 2nd April and it took a while to process a letter out to me.

So much for the 4 weeks notice to adjust to change in income and knock-on effects on other benefit entitlements... when they don't contact you in time to make use of the adjustment period fully.

Strangely, she also said I should ask for a MR as I was 1 point short of the enhanced rate, after I discussed not getting 4 points for needing prompting to eat in severe depression. She was not a decision maker but she said the issue would go to someone higher up than the original decision maker.

She couldn't have been nicer.. but I am frightened of losing the whole award if I ask them to look at it again, even though I know I could get a letter from my GP as evidence of the drastic weight loss at the end of last year as a result of my appetite loss/loss of motivation to eat when my episode was severe.

Thank you, once again, for your site's and all your advisors' invaluable help.