A few months ago we published a set of PIP GP Notes in the members area. These are a copy of the PIP descriptors you can take your GP to ask them to select which ones they think apply to you, add any comments and sign and date as evidence for your claim or appeal.
We’d be grateful for any feedback about whether you’ve used them, how helpful you found them and any changes you would suggest before we decide whether to create a similar resource for ESA.
Many thanks to Gordon for taking the time out of his demanding moderation schedule to create the notes for us.
Comments
I had pencilled in the answers and comments. She just wrote over it in ink.
I had an initial appointment and nervously mentioned the form as I really thought she/they wouldn’t have the time + would say so! However, she then told me to book a double appointment + not only completed the form but added loads of stuff I hadn’t even thought of!
I used your GP notes and my doctor completed them, he ticked the descriptors that he thought but only added short comments in a couple of them. I cannot say if they made a difference to my claim because when I attended my PIP F2F the HCP told me and my partner that they had not read all of my paperwork, he went on to say that I should have not been called for a F2F as anything you send in is checked by a nurse first to avoid unnecessary assessments.He also went on to say that if I did not get an award I should appeal straight away !
Is there a search box I can use, which will give me the link?
Many thanks
Firstly Click on members only guides. Then Click on PIP .And underneath the title PIP resources the fifth one down you will see in bold blue , PIP GP Notes , Click on this to reveal contents
https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/help-for-claimants/pip#claims
If a PIP adverse decision ends up at an appeal tribunal and a GP says "Mr/Mrs .......... tells me....." when referring to the descriptors, there is a distinct possibility that the tribunal will dismiss it out of hand as not being independent, and therefore render the information useless.
Bearing in mind a claimant may have to pay a substantial fee for the GP to complete a descriptor form, if it is rejected, it will prove to be a waste of money. I am not saying that all appeal tribunals will adopt this attitude, but from experience they tend to be sceptical when a claimant requests information in support of a claim/appeal, and mayl ask if an appellant has simply "put words into the GP's mouth" rather than their own actual knowledge of the patient? However, it will be for the tribunal to weigh the (medical) evidence and say why it accepted or rejected it?
There is, as mentioned in a previous post, that a GP may refuse ooint-blank to complete the descriptor form, in which case it will be for an appellant to persuade the tribunal that they are entitled to a Personal Independence Payment