2 PIP applications 1 week apart

I've mentioned in a previous post I have twins, each turned 16 receiving DLA higher rate for both components for non physical disabilities.

Being twins (born the same date) I suppose thats why both PIP applications were posted the same date,given the same deadline date etc.

I was in the midst of a house move during the PIP application process.

The initial phone calls were made and al was ok. About a week later I received a letter about my son claiming there was some anomaly and I needed to call in. I did- according to PIP my sons name was slighlty different on one database than it was on another. It was an identity anomaly issue which was cleared up. However- this small detail resulted in my sons PIP claim being halted by PIP as soon as their systems spotted it.

In the mean time my daughter- his twin sister- had her PIP application continuining hitch free.

I receive my daughters claim pack with a dealine to send it in by. A week later I receive my sons- with the dealine exactly a week later than my daughters.

So although they started as identical in timeline the appearance of this name anomally stalled my sons claim by axactly a week.

I called PIP and extended the deadline on both applications.

Filled in my daughters, sent it off by special delivery 18/4 because the deadline was Sunday 21st April.

Took two days off from filling in PIP applications then carried on with my sons PIP application filling in.

I had no idea what the claims process was (still dont really) and for the following week from 21st onwards I was doing what the day requires with the kids and filling in my sons PIP form.

That was completed and sent off special delivery exactly a week after my daughters as his deadline was the 28th.

I was taken by suprise when I received a phone call 29th (which was relating to my sons PIP claim simply because I didnt know that could or would happen.

#As explained I was handling a house move with 2 disabled kids etc. I was working on an immediate priority basis going from one must deal with before anything else right now situation to the next. I had no time to sit back or think about anythign else.


I took the PIP call (the experience and end result is the subject of a seperate post here overtunring a phone assessment decision in under 8 hours) Monday for son, a following Tuesday for the same and another Wednesday for the same again. Spent thursday wondering what the heck was going on, didnt sleep, got to Friday morning,complained and the whole thing with my sons claim was resolved and completed in a new phone assessment phone call.


Because every day since April 18th had been taken up with PIP (either form filling or planning, thinking how to word answers, gathering evidence chasing up someones promised medical reports that hadnt yet arrived etc) I had not had a single day that wasnt under the kosh of focus-focus-focus.


The week after my daughters claim was sent in, I was continuing to fill in my sons caim. Then Immediately taking calls I didnt know were supposed to happen from an assessor for my son that was a bad situation involving complaints etc that stretched out for the whole week after my sons claim had been completed.


So it was yesterday- Saturday- that was the first time since April 18th when I hadnt been tackling PIP applications/PIP phone calls as well as the daily issues and situations here at home.


I start thinking its odd how my sons claim was immediately picked up on and had a call from an assessor. I checked for the first time on track and trace that his claim which was posted April 25th by special delivery- was received on April 26th (Friday), which meant the assessor was working pretty darn fast becase I know it takes a day at least for the DWP mail handling to pass on a received form to the department its meant to be in to be looked at. So It arrived on Monday and that same day- someoen was calling me up for a PIP application that contained umpteen pieces of medical evidence and documents and over 50 pages handwritten by me of additional extra info from every one of the questions.


But by the same token, my daughters PIP claim- not a thing despite hers being shipped a week earlier by special delivery.


I had a sick feeling in my stomach as I typed the special delivery trackign code into track and trace. First word I saw was delivered. Then I saw when.


I shipped it (proof of shipping etc still here stapled to my daughters PIP application details) April 18th by special delivery. It should have been delivered the following day on Friday 19th.


The full details show it was received at the relevant Royal Mail depot/handling site for delivery to be made on the 19th (it actually does state that on the track and trace in not so many words), then it just sits there inexplicably and doesnt get delivered until the 23rd. The deadline for my daughters PIP application was Sunday, April 21st.

I cannot ring the PIP helpline- until Tuesday presumably because its the bank holiday to find out whats going on.

It is as of today exactly two weeks past my dughters PIP deadline.


I can imagine the kind of questions Im going to get- why has it taken you so long to ring in blah blah blah.


The fact is I can evidence when the application was shipped, the delivery address,the tracking number and by what method I shipped it.So the proof of shipping shows it was by the next day guaranteed delivery service because thse words are actually printed on the receipt along wth the tracking number.


The tracking number also proves date of shipping,method of postage used( special delivery next day guaranteed), shows what happened to the parcel etc.


After discovering this yesterday I had quite an overwhelming emotional response to it.


I know you can go through the motions for compensation from Royal Mail- but right now its not a concern.


I am wonderign if I can draw conclusions that are deeply frightening about the last two weeks in relation to my daughters PIP application.


Firstly I have received no communication (phone/mail) relating to my daughters PIP application. No letter stating the claim was not received. It is now 14 days since her application deadline date.


Secondly within a very short space of time my sons PIP application (a week later) was picked up on immediately and has now (seemingly) been assessed and a report is in the prcess of being written with recommendations for the enhanced rate for everyting to the DWP.


Thirdly- I have only now established that my daughters PIP application inexplicably was delayed for 3 days causing it to be delivered 2 days past its dealine- will the time which has elapsed which on Tuesday when the PIP phone line will be open again, will be 16 days, cause problems with this?

The worst case scenarios Im imagining are- my daughters DLA is stopped ( next payment due in about 10 days-ish), her PIP application has been shut down and the PIP application I submitted which had over 30 pages of hand written additional info on top of the edical docs sent in, have been binned?

I took photos of everything I sent (because i simply couldnt get it to scan clearly on the scanner) so I have photos of every PIP application page filled in, photos of every side of A4 of hand written notes I sent in with the application and the medical evidence I submitted were copies of originals so I can always easily produce further copies of those. But what on earth is going to happen in this, what does it mean,whats the protocol for this?

Can PIP application be a day or two late and it be fine? Can a PIP application take over 2 weeks or more before you could hear from PIP about it?

My partner suggested that maybe its just that PIP are processing my daughters claim in a different way, or are waiting to hear back from some/a medical professional before they begin processing her claim.... But I simply do not know .