We know that many people have conditions or disabilities that may vary over time. They may have good and bad days, good and bad months, or good and bad times within a day. If you have a fluctuating condition, you will want to be sure that it will be fully considered during your assessment.
PIP assesses your ability to perform 12 daily living and mobility activities, such as preparing food, communicating verbally, and planning and following journeys. It is not sufficient to be able to complete these activities once, or occasionally; PIP assesses your ability to undertake tasks “reliably”. Reliability has four components each of which must be satisfied in order for an activity to be undertaken ‘reliably’.
The PIP consultation will be conducted by one of our Health Professionals, who is trained is disability assessments for PIP, and will be able to assess the impact of your health condition or disability on daily life.
Mental Function Champions (MFCs) are experienced Health Professionals who have direct and relevant work experience of helping patients with mental health problems and who can advise the HP on any aspect of the effects of mental health conditions on someone’s everyday life.
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 us (we cover Scotland, the north of England and the south of England including London).
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.
Most people making a claim for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will be asked to attend a consultation either in a consultation centre or in the home. If you are unable to attend your appointment please let us know as soon as possible so that we can rearrange it to a suitably convenient date and time.
PIP is a ‘personal’ payment and recognises that everyone is different. Even two people with the same condition can be affected in different ways – so a key part of the new benefit is making sure that the DWP can have a fuller understanding of how your disability or condition affects you. In some situations, the Health Professional (HP) will be able to complete the assessment report using the information already provided by you and we will not need you to attend a consultation.