The figures are for NEW claimants and NOT a total overall picture. People being in any of the groups and dying afterwards(even by a few weeks) DO NOT have an affect on outcome figures for NEW claimants. The outcome has already been established.

Also any period after which the contribution based benefits applied for, would NOT affect outcome figures for NEW claimants. If somebody has too much capital and/or income why should they continue to get benefits? Not exactly a new concept.

Well my MR failed still with zero points, so just need yet another tribunal to sort out. Even with extra evidence and proof of things like side effects they seem to not even took any notice and still 0 in both.
Well I do have the advisor to go with me this time (done esa and iidb tribunals alone and won both) so I will need another battle to plan for.

Anyone here got experience of a PIP application that's paper-based?

My son had DLA for life (both components at highest level). He has autism and a couple of other conditions. I was dreading the face to face interview - in fact felt it totally inappropriate for any young person with autism.

A lady from a local disability support group helped me fill in the PIP forms. I asked her whether I should put in a covering note,saying about my fears about him being called for a face to face. She said in the 3 years she's been doing this as her job, day in and day out, she only knew two people who have avoided the face to face and had a paper based interview. So it wasn't even worth me voicing my concerns. So I didn't.

This was a month or so back.

Anyway I started to regret not writing a covering note, so decided today to ring up the DWP as I still hadn't had the dreaded letter about the face to face (I'm my son's legal appointee), and the DWP tell me that the case is now already with their decision maker and that CAPITA said they had enough information from the form and a letter from his GP, to send back to the DWP.

No face to face.

I couldn't quite believe it so asked the woman to repeat it back to me about 3 times.

We could hear this week. We might not hear for two months.

But no interview! I'm so relieved as I really think this would have pushed my son (who is still blissfully unaware of the whole thing) over the edge.

I have been frantically Googling all afternoon, and apparently a paper based application means one of two things - either you don't have a prayer so it's not even worth them considering the interview, or you have, at least, some kind of award.

Now we know he won't get enhanced for getting around and have already reconciled ourselves to losing his Motability car.

We just want him to get some kind of award of PIP. It is not his fault he is disabled, and it does incur extra expenses and people helping him out, for him to function (which he does, because he's helped out).

Anyone here had a paper based PIP application - and what happened?

I am on one hand so relieved he doesn't have the ordeal of the medical but on the other, so worried they're going to dismiss him out of hand.

I'd love to know what the observations are of those of you who have helped others apply, and the outcomes for those of you who have had a paper based application?

I voluntarily switched from DLA to PIP 2 years ago and it was done on a paper based assessment (with Capita)...probably because I sent in about 15 pieces of evidence from 10 different sources and it was very obvious that I met the eligibility criteria. I got enhanced rate of both components for the maximum 10 years. It took about 16 weeks but waiting times are not as bad now. When PIP was being introduced, the government said that they expected that 25% of cases would be paper based, but the first National Audit Office report found that only 3% of Atos and 2% of Capita assessments had been paper based. Hopefully those figures are now increasing.

Ime, a paper-based decision always means an award. I've never had an application declined on paper, and I would guess that those that fail do so because they simply haven't claimed enough points on the form, don't meet the residence or age requirements, or haven't got conditions that meet the 3 months/6 months rule.

None of the above would apply if I did the application! smug

Hi Lakie. I used to help people with DLA applications and appeals when I ran a local support group for a national charity - we never lost an appeal. But PIP is so different and I have been so long out of the system - as my son got a For Life DLA award when he was very, very young. Someone on another forum advised me to go to this disability support group because they will only help you with the MR if they helped you fill in the form initially. And I'm glad I did because the adviser there knew the ropes so well!

But when I asked her, at the end of the day, about writing a covering letter to explain why a face to face wasn't suitable for my son, she literally laughed and said she only knew of two cases in the whole nearly 3 years, that had a paper-based assessment; one was a suicidal woman with other problems and the other, I think she said, someone with a severe learning disability...

She said there was no point as they pretty well never do a paper-based assessment.

I'm wondering whether there's been a memo from on high, since the recent embarrassing media stories, that means suddenly less people will be called to an interview?

Thanks for your answer. It's great to get a response from someone who's likely to know the odds! Sounds hopeful, then? I'm told it could be any time now that we hear, or a few weeks but then the DWP woman said to me if I phone next week, they will probably be able to tell me over the phone, as I'm the appointee.

Will let yous here know the upshot. I's either worst case scenario or not so bad. Which is true about everything in life but then again, we've had several years of worry about this. And all along for me, my biggest concern was him getting called to interview.

How do I get the ESA assessor to come to my home? The centre I have to go to is two trains away and I hate traveling alone, I asked my mum if she could come with me but she's working all day, I can't expect people to take time off of work just to help me get a train.

If you have difficulties making the journey, because of medical reasons, they may let you have an assessment at home. You would have to contact them and explain why you need a home visit.
If it's because you just don't like travelling alone, but can make the journey, I don't think they'll do a home visit.
All you could do is ask really.
On your application did you say you would have difficulty travelling at all?

Don't know about ESA but I have read that for PIP, if you get your GP to write them a letter why a home based assessment is necessary, you stand a better chance of persuading them...

I did, I mentioned travelling but if worst comes to the worst I will do it, but I've read how even turning up alone means I'm not "anxious enough", this is all quite stressful in all honesty.

was hoping someone could shed some light, my mother was previously on lifetime DLA for a whole multitude of physical problems, however now its PIP she had to have a medical assessment with ATOS at home. (2 weeks ago).
today she received a letter from DWP saying along the lines that they had all the reports/evidence and they are sorry but its taking longer than usual to make a decision and that they would be in touch 'soon'.

its only been just over a couple of weeks and she was told it would take 6-8 weeks so why has she received a letter saying it was taking 'longer than usual' , and what could this mean?

I understand that for ESA the rules are to get a home visit it either has to be at the request of a doctor e.g. a letter or be more than 90 minutes away from a DWP test centre based on a one way journey. My advice would be to try to get a home visit recommendation from a doctor.

I wouldn't read anything much into it except that it probably means that they've got a lot of work on and that there's a backlog.

Everyone gets that letter when the info has been compiled by Capita or whichever cowboy outfit it is, and sent back to the DWP. The Decision Maker at the DWP now looks at it and makes their decision. Sounds like your mum is at the same stage my son is as we had that letter last week - posted a week before. I was told I might be able to get the decision over the phone, if I call next week - so they seemed to reckon a turnaround of about a fortnight from getting that letter. But people online seem to have waited 2 months from the point they get the pointless letter...

Might be worth in the meantime getting a hold of a copy of the medical assessment. You might get an idea of the potential outcome and if there is anything you disagree with, they might consider any new information sent in.

my mother has been dissecting every detail of her assesment so i dont want to encourage her more . shes got it into her head from looking online that shes failed because she managed to open the door to the assessor, which is probably looking into it abit too much! And ironically a couple of days later she managed to dislocate her shoulder from opening said door! We have had to get the doorman round to take a look at the handle.

i am wondering how likely it is she she has failed the assessment as she was previously on 'indefinite DLA', whats the statistics of those on lifetime DLA then failing the PIP. She has a whole wealth of medical evidence from the hospital and GP aswell as a big box of god knows how much medication,
I find the whole process bizarre to be honest,

I don't know if anyone has compiled and published the data, but anecdotally, what I'm seeing online is many people who had very longterm, top DLA awards, getting nothing, or standard on one or both. Meanwhile, have seen quite a number of totally new applicants, whose problems often sound a lot more minor, getting enhanced.

There is no law to it and no pattern to it, according to people who see this all day every day. But I rather suspect that there is some kind of bias against those changing from DLA, especially when they had the high rates - so the government, when it does have figures, can wave a piece of paper saying "See how many dodgy claimants there were under the old system?" Meanwhile "We are actually giving help to more new people who wouldn't have been considered for DLA!" As many of the happy customers I have seen on several forums, have all been new claimants.

Could just be a coincidence.

But I suspect it is harder for people who had particular high rate mobility on DLA, get enhanced on PIP. I did see one forum with a thread contributed to be a number of people who advise applicants, and many of them were saying a while back they had a spate of people getting enhanced for daily living, who didn't even need it - and turned down for mobility, who did...

Motability is clearly too expensive for the government.

Yet it costs less than MPs' expenses for just a few hundred MPs. Interesting.

I feel ever so anxious and nervous today, my hands are actually shaking visibly if I stop typing for a moment, feel like I've got loads of energy but that tiredness is slowly looming.

I am petrified of working on a day like today, it keeps me up at night thinking about it. I just feel I am really trapped, I don't know what to do regarding ESA.

I'll type back later guys when I'm more calm and together, thoughts racing at present! x

Stephen, have you got your GP to get you a letter re. having a face to face assessment at home?

No. Apparently I'm okay enough to go to the centre?

I think I present myself too well at the GP, but why should I sacrafice my own dignity.

If the location of the assessment centre is more than 90 minutes away by public transport for a one way journey then you can request a home visit. You can take someone with you into the assessment if you feel you need support.

Again, more advice (and please do use them if you ever need to appeal) is available from your nearest Citizens Advice Bureau: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/ab...advice/advice/

Its worth making sure everyone involved in care/treatment is 100% aware of the situation you are in.
Because of the added pressures aspects like this often get overlooked because they simply don't have enough time.

Might be worth writing a letter. Explaining the reason you are doing it and able to put everything down.

Guys I'm somewhat confused

I went to my GP today, explained at present I am on no benefits at all and I would like to make a claim for ESA. They have given me a small paper saying 'statement of fitness for work for social security or statutory sick pay'.

A box is ticked 'not fit to work' and it says 'this will be the case for' and my doctor has written 28 days

Is this right?

Also where do I send this sick note?

I'm quite confused now.

For 28 days? What use is that? Do you have a long term medical condition?