Hi just had my son's fenewal forms for Esa and now today request to switch from Dla to PIP. He was put in the Support group before after reconsideration he has learning difficulties and mental impairmemt. i am his Official Appointee can uou tell me if he has to go for a face to face assessment for either of them (hopefully not) will i be able to answer the questions or not please as he will not understsnd really. Thanks
Whether a face to face can be avoided will depend entirely on how well you explain his problems in completing the activities for each benefit and how much his evidence supports those limitations.
There is clear guidance in the PIP Assessment guide for assessors, whilst they may direct questions at the claimant they should accept that the appointee may be the one that responds.
For ESA the situation is far less clear as the WCA handbook appears to cover nothing more than verifying that the claimant and appointee are who they say they are. There may be a fine line to walk on this which you will have to decide on the day, whilst it would undoubtedly be unreasonable for the assessor to refuse you permission to answer on your son's part, they may do this and your persisting on answering could lead to the assessment being curtailed.
Gordon
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
