YESSS !!! I WON !

The first thing is to try and remain calm about this. Easy to say but you have joined B & W which is the best thing you could have done to get your correct entitlement.

Have you had your claim pack for PIP? They cannot just end your DLA without giving you a chance to claim PIP. You need to have a claim start date before your DLA runs out to get a continuation of benefit even if it is delayed by the process.

Once you have your form or before, you can work through our guide to claiming, work out where you think you score points and prepare your evidence. You will have up until the actual assessment if there is one to submit your evidence. In any case it will be a matter of months before a face to face assessment.

You need to see the locum GP or the longest serving partner in your practice to talk about them supporting your application. Any letters or other evidence your GP supplied should be on your medical record and therefore available for them to read. The PIP claim will have no effect on your ESA. It may in fact help that you are in the support group. You should look out the decision paperwork and study where the decision maker gave you points as this should be the basis of your PIP claim.
You may not be called for an assessment. Some claims are settled on the paperwork alone.
The DWP will not write to your GP. It is up to you to gather your evidence.

Foss, in your reply to Dougle you state that the DWP will not write to his GP. How can you be sure of this?

Do they not write to anyone that one might list on a PIP application? If not, why do they ask for a list of people /health professionals that know/treat you?

(Apologies to Dougle.. not meaning to highjack your thread but this point is both interesting and important)

Hi and thanks for the advice. I just got the letter yesterday saying that my DLA award is to end and that I must tell them if I wish to apply for PIP before or by December 2nd 2015 . I do of course want to apply.I desperately need my car .
As i say my main worry is that my GP who is superb and i get along with very well , just happens to be on long term sick leave himself and i do not know any other doctor in the practice because I have been seeing my GP for 20 years now on a monthly basis. My fear is that if i ask another doctor for support that they may just give a cursory letter because they know nothing of me personally.In fact,i would feel very rude asking another GP that I have never even met.
But thanks for the help on that ,i appreciate your advice.
I didn't realise that the PIP people might use my doctors previous support letter .It was actually some years ago now that he wrote that for me,Excellent if that is possible.
I have been ill so long now that i have not had any treatment at the hospital for years because they say nothing can be done to improve things for me and that i should just keep taking my medications and try to cope as best i can.For that reason i have no recent supporting evidence and that worries me.All my evidence is a few years old you see and dates back to my DLA award ...scans etc.
I always imagined that if I failed to win PIP that it would be used against my up coming ESA review.One reads such horror stories .
I will get the forms through and use the guides to fill them in.It helped in the past for certain.
Thank you and forgive me if I repeat myself ,i am in a bit of a mess with stress.

Hi Mommaduck

I only know that no claimant has had the DWP write to their GP for evidence. They ask for a list the same way a court asks for a list of witnesses, they cross reference who you got evidence from and who you didn't. They are not in the habit of helping you compile your evidence. They are the opposition.

You should not feel in the least bit rude asking for support for your claim from any GP in your practice. Your GP is off sick. Another GP has to cover his patients.

Your claim file at the DWP will cover everything you've ever applied for. They can go back and read any of it. They may well go back to your ESA claim and decision by the assessor at your WCA. In some cases this is resulting in an award without another WCA.

There are a lot of people who were diagnosed a long time ago and who have just had to go away and live with it. I am one of them. The main thing is to get evidence of how you are affected day to day. Do you have a carer or anyone who comes in to help. Do you have any therapies or treatments? You refer to us and our Xmas being ruined. Even if this is a spouse or partner or other family member they can still provide a statement of day to day life. Don't forget your medication regime. Our guide is detailed and you need your claim to be detailed too. You cannot send in too much evidence. Overwhelm them with it.

Hello Foss, yes I have a wife and a son that lives with us still.He acts as my carer during the day because my wife works so I will get my son to write a report about my needs and what he has to do for me etc. I feel lucky to have support.
You have given me hope at least.
I will approach another GP at the surgery.
I was placed in the SUPPORT group for my ESA without the need for a Face to Face a few years ago now. And I think it was down to my GP writing to them as much as anything.My ESA is due for review next year I am told.
Hopefully they might consider my previous evidence and the fact that i am in the SG as favourable.I realise that you cannot be certain of these things mind.My health has only worsened.
Iil let you know how things go eventually in the hope that it will help others.
Thanks so much .