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Don’t forget your travel expenses form

If you have a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) consultation at one of our PIP centres or one of our partners’ centres, remember to collect a form for your expenses while you are there.

Where might you have your PIP consultation?

Most people who claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP) need to have a face-to-face consultation as part of their assessment.

Can you have a companion with you for your PIP consultation?

We want to make sure that you know that you are welcome to have a companion with you during your consultation. A companion can be anyone you choose: from a friend or family member to a support worker or carer. We know that having someone with you can help to make attending a consultation much less stressful. If your consultation is at one of our consultation centres a companion can also provide practical or emotional support while you are travelling and whilst waiting to go in.

The role of observation in the Personal Independence Payment assessment

An aspect of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment that is sometimes misunderstood is how informal observations are taken into account. The PIP Assessment Guide, produced by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), is very explicit about this (we have included the relevant extract at the end of this item).

Our role in the delivery of Personal Independence Payment

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have overall responsibility for PIP, and directly manage the claim, decision making and payments part of it, as well as the overall policy that sets out how it works. The assessment part of the PIP process, which happens when you first claim PIP as well as periodically while you receive it, is managed by assessment providers, one of which is Atos Healthcare (we cover Scotland, the north of England and the south of England including London).

What to have with you for a PIP consultation?

One of the key things people want to know before their Personal Independence Payment (PIP) consultation is what they should have with them.

When would you have a consultation at home for PIP?

For people who do need to be seen in person most consultations take place in one of the consultation centres around the country. However, if it is clear from the information that we have that travelling to a consultation centre would cause significant distress we will automatically arrange for the consultation to take place in the claimant’s home.

The PIP claim process for people who are terminally ill

For anyone who is terminally ill and not expected to live more than 6 months, there is a special fast-track PIP claim procedure called Special Rules for Terminally Ill.