Decision Making

HI there, does anyone know if the original PIP paper form about how your disability affects you is sent to the decision maker for them to consider as well as the health professions report? Or is it only the report from the health profssional.

I have a long standing brain injury was at a PIP assessment today with my carer and the health professional showed no insight into my condition. He was a paramedic he said and even admitted he didn't know anything about brain injury.

Obviously I am quite worried about this. Especially since he refused to take my addittional medical evidence that I'd brought. I hope a decision maker will be able to take what I've written on my form into consideration because I have no faith in this person writing anything accurate about me.

Hi Lynsey,

The DM should have a copy of your form and everything else that you have submitted. However, the DMs have no formal training and they do give most weight to the HPC's report.

You mention extra evidence that you wanted to submit on the day. Did you also send this to DWP?

Hi there, I was told to only send medical evidence that was 2 years in date. My brain injury was 20 odd years ago but it's unlikely my conditiion will ever change. I didn't send any medical evidence in just my form and a letter from my carer. i later found out i could send stuff in that was older if it was a long standing one that hadn't changed. I took a folder of stuff to the assessment and apart from one letter that stated I had had many memory tests done proving I had a cognitive impairment he point blank refused to look at ithe rest of the stuff and said it would not fit in the envelope for sending anway additional info.

I have decided now just to wait and see what happens and not send any additional stuff because I'm worried it will hlold up my claim even longer.

My carer did say that the HP clearly didn't really understand my condition but that it was quite obvious i had problems answering the quesetions and was getting very disorientated and upset and she had to answer half the questions for me. I don't think that the HP will find any inconsistencies in my form because everything i've said was true.

I guess I will just have to wait and see.

Having read the appel booklet on the website already my carer and I were able to identify several things that the HP didn't do at the assessment that he should have done. So we taken notes of this in case it is needed in an appeal.

Thanks Gordon.

I will hold off from doing that till i see what he has said about me. It may be that he agrees with what I have said in my form. It's very hard to tell because I couldn't see what he was typing. I would't want to get anyone into trouble unneccesarily.

He did say I could send the stuff off myself if I wanted and said I could take an envelope to copy down the address.