Withdrawing PIP

Hi JenBiddy40

The DWP rarely contacts the DVLA. I have known them to do it to three people. 1. The claimant said the DWP didn't take their physical disability seriously, and their physical limitations were extreme. This was during the Mandatory Reconsideration, and the DWP wrote to the DVLA and said, 'If the claimant was as physically disabled as they were claiming, then they were not fit to drive. They subsequently lost their licence. They also didn't win their Mandatory Reconsideration. " 2. The second claimant had serious mental health difficulties and the assessor was seriously worried that they were a danger to themselves and others, and this was based on what they said at the assessment. Again, DVLA took away the licence. The family were relieved because they didn't want the claimant to drive, but hadn't been able to stop them. 3. The third claimant had a dementia diagnosis and again the assessor was very worried about them during the assessment and rightly reported them. The claimant was cross, but the family were not. But this is not something that happens often, and there are plenty of people with all sorts of conditions who drive - and the DWP knows that. There is no perfect answer and it's even hard to tell you what to say, because different assessors address the issue in different ways (and some don't even mention it).

The one tip I would say is don't try to 'over explain' in your wish to tell the truth. Eg don't give more information than you are asked for because assessors can easily trip people up when they do that, even when they don't mean to. What you said about your driving is fine, and you don't have to justify the impact to the assessor. If asked about it, simply repeat what you wrote on your form. If something has got worse, that's fine and say so. Just try not to overthink it.

BIS