Universal credit and PIP

[Firstshoes]

My dd20 has autism and anxiety with depression. She started claiming UC a couple of months ago. Her work coach said she quite clearly isn't fit for work (she doesn't go out alone and finds it very difficult to speak to people). The work coach advised getting a fit note for 3 months and applying for PIP which we did. We also received a massive form to fill in for UC health thing which means she doesn't have to look for work. The PIP assessment was done over the phone. DD found it stressful and gruelling but had a message today to say PIP has been awarded (no idea what level yet). She has just received an appointment for a video assessment now from the health assessment advisory service. She is so upset having to go through ANOTHER assessment so soon after the PIP one. She doesn't think she can cope with a video one either. Does she have any options at all?

Is the form she's got from UC the UC50?

Unfortunately the assessments don’t cancel each other out so she will have to do the video assessment too:(. it’s a crazy system.

Yes I think it was

It is crazy. I feel sorry for her having to go through it again. Evev worse this time as it's video. She will really struggle with it

You can call up the helpline and the automated system will tell you what rate she is receiving and when she will receive her payment. Backpay will normally arrive in the account before you receive the letter. Unfortunately there is no way of avoiding the assesment, but the work capability assessment is far less intense than the PIP one, in future you could apply to be her appointee and attend/speak at appointments on her behalf.

It's appalling that the two systems aren't married up but as it stands she needs to do it again for UC. It's really worth her while though as it could add additional money to her UC. If she is refused she should ask for a mandatory reconsideration and then if refused again appeal - loads of DWP decisions are overturned by through review and appeal so please encourage her to keep going. If you have a local advice agency/welfare rights unit at the council or at your housing office (if you are in social housing) they may be able to help with these processes. Good luck!!

You can also call and request a phonecall rather than a video call, they are usually pretty good good at accommodating requests like this.

The assessments are similar in construction and methodology but they've a different focus. PIP is about what you cannot do in terms of daily living or mobilising. The UC form is about work and the activities related to it.

If you can help your daughter with the form that would be good. You need to be brutally honest about how her health condition affects her capability. If you think she has good and bad days think of them as bad days and worse days.

The DWP guidance for Assessors is published.

Disability UK also have a good set of guidance on their website

If your daughter is going to struggle with part of the assessment due to her health conditions (eg video) make sure you record this and ask for adaptations.

Let us know how you get on.

It has been suggested that the PIP and WCA assessments are combined.

It would be fair to say the professional view on that prospect is split!!

Thank you so much for all the really useful advice. This is all new to us so difficult to navigate. I didn't realise we could ask for a telephone assessment instead of video so I think we will definitely do that to start with. She will cope a little better with that

Will she give permission for you to speak on her behalf? I had to do this with DS.

Hi yes she would. She managed the PIP one just about. Would they be happy with me speaking for her?

Hi op, my ds is also 20 and has autism, anxiety, depression and OCD. We have claimed pip since he was 16 and he receives the enhanced rate for both elements, I am his appointee as he doesn’t like talking on the phone much.

He went to university last September but dropped out in March due to his MH and he didn’t want to claim UC but in July I told him he needed to as he has no current plan going forward and is not in the right frame of mind to work or go back to university again yet.

I attended with him and they said the same that he’s clearly not fit for work and needs to have the health assessment despite already being on PIP ( surely this should count for something? ) and he’s currently waiting for an assessment. The difference in money is quite a lot so is worth a try. We will appeal if he’s refused.

Regarding pip, I also claimed recently after many years of having health problems both physical and mental and I received a message last Monday saying I had been awarded it but no further details. I rang the automated line and it told me the date and amount of my next payment which I then worked out my entitlement from. Last Friday I received a back payment from April-July.

The letter with all of the above information came on Saturday!

good luck to your dd with her assessment. If it’s ok with you I will post on this thread to update when my ds has had his.

You can work on PIP hence why it's two different assessments. PIP is to help with the cost of being disabled.

Best of luck to your DD, hopefully you can talk on her behalf.

Thank you so much for replying. Yes please do update how your ds gets on. Good luck and I really hope he gets awarded without the need to appeal. We did try to ring the automated line but it kept cutting us off so we gave up in the end. I will ring and see if I can speak for her or at least change to a telephone assesment. Thank you for all the useful advice.

Ahh that does kind of make sense regarding the assessment. Thank you for the good wishes. I know it will be worth it for her in the end but it is such a stressful process. I wonder how people with these conditions manage if they have no support 😞

I know and the reassessments come round again too quickly! There are charities out there like fightback4justice who advocate for people or give good advice.

As others have said there are two different assessments because they they are assessing for different things. Some people will qualify for both, some just for either PIP or LCWRA/ LCW. I never think it hurts to put on a Uc50 form that you have been awarded PIP and vice versa and I know some people will send in the PIP report as extra evidence for trying to get LCWRA awarded.

I do my DS’s, but on speakerphone and he is there, so can chip in if he needs/wants to

Thank you for all the advice. The PIP hadn't been awarded when we filled in the Uc50 so we didn't mention it on there. We will tell them about it at the assessment though. We'll try and ring them today to see if we can at least change to a telephone assessment.

Sorry to tell you this OP but it might help prepare your DD, these are often not one off interviews, she will have to go through this process again.

When I first got DLA it was awarded for life, then it changed to an 'indefinate award', since I have been on PIP the longest award has been 3 years.

Dd had the telephone assessment for the LWRCA thing a few weeks ago. They kindly changed it from video to telephone due to her anxiety/autism. Heard nothing since apart from the dwp asking her GP to get in touch with her about her mental health. Today she has received a message saying that she has to attend the Job Centre for an appointment on Saturday. The whole problem for her is she can't get around by herself which was all explained to the assessor. Why would they offer her a face to face appointment when they know she can't cope and why after she has already had her assessment? Can anyone help please ?

Does it say what the appointment is for? When I had my assessment I had a message on my journal with a letter a few days later stating it had been successful and I was awarded LCWRA. This was only a few months ago. I would add a post to her journal querying the result of the assessment and request that the appointment is changed to a telephone appointment again. It sounds like you may have to do a mandatory reconsideration so it'd be best to start the process asap.

It says to discuss her 'commitments' to get uc. Not a word about the assessment or the fact she has a GP fit note until November stating unfit for work!

This sounds like she may have been awarded just LCW rather than LCWRA which means while she doesn't have to look for work she has to prepare to work in the future and she also won't receive any extra UC. I say this as the only commitment I have is so update them of any changes and I had to accept this via my journal.

I could be totally wrong so I strongly suggest you contact them today to find out the result. But this sounds like they've arranged an appointment with a work coach for her to setup a plan to get her to prepare for work in the future. I would definitely contact them today to start the MR process as it certainly sounds like she needs to be on LCWRA.