PIP benefits: What to do if the government reviews your payments this year

Your PIP benefits can be reviewed at any time by the government - but what should you do if this happens?

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has the power to examine your Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claim at any time - even if you are already getting the benefit.

While it's rare, it is worth knowing how to handle these reviews if they happen to you.

When you get a PIP award from the DWP, you will be told how long it will last.

PIP awards are normally given for anywhere between three months to 10 years.

Normally you will get a review up to a year before your current award ends.

But the DWP can reopen the claim and review how much you are given at any point, the Liverpool Echo reports.

The review can mean you get more PIP, but can also mean you get awarded less (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

What happens at a PIP review?

The DWP can decide to:

• Extend your PIP award
• Raise or cut your payments
• End your PIP claim

A PIP review always follows the same stages:

1. You get a letter and have to complete the form called 'Award review – how your disability affects you'.
2. Return the form with any extra evidence you want to attach.
3. The DWP weighs up your answers and may ask you to meet a member of staff.
4. You get a letter from the DWP with their decision.

Returning the review form

You normally one one month to return the form, but the timeline will be clearly stated on the letter that comes with the review form.

This means you need to post it earlier than the deadline on the form, to ensure there is plenty of time for it to arrive before the deadline date.

And because it may have taken a few days to arrive and you have to allow time to return it, this means you may have less than one month to complete the form itself - so don’t delay filling it in.

If you don’t return your form before the deadline, your PIP may be ended even though it might be years before your award was due to finish.

What to be aware of

When you complete the PIP Award Review form, it’s important to remember that you are trying to convince a DWP case manager, not a health professional.

So make sure your evidence is sufficiently accurate and detailed for a decision to be made.

The point of the PIP Award Review form is to speed up the renewal process and potentially cut DWP costs by not involving Independent Assessment Services or Capita.

So, good supporting evidence, especially medical evidence, may make a big difference.

This is likely to apply whether you are stating that your condition remains the same or that it has deteriorated.

Completing the form

As with the standard PIP claim form, it’s worthwhile using additional sheets if you can’t fit everything you want to say in the boxes on the form.

Make sure you include your name and National Insurance number on the top of every additional sheet you use and attach them to the back of the form.

List any changes on the review form

The form now takes you through each of the daily living activities covered in your original PIP claim, from preparing food and eating and drinking through to mixing with other people and making decisions about money.

It also covers the two mobility activities, planning and following a journey and moving around.

For each of these activities you are asked the following questions about any changes since your claim was last looked at by DWP:

• Tell us if something has changed and approximately when
• Tell us how you manage this activity now, including the use of any aids you use
• Tell us about any changes to help you need or the help you get from another person
• Tell DWP if something has changed and approximately when
• The activity may have got easier because you have new aids or adaptations, you have more effective medication, you have learnt how to manage things better or simply because your condition has improved over time
• The activity may have got harder because your condition has deteriorated or because you have developed a new condition

Or things may not have changed at all since you made your last claim for PIP.

If there has been no change in how hard or easy you find an activity then you should still give detailed information about the difficulties you have with each activity.

Supporting information

When you return the form you should also send supporting information to show how your health condition or disability affects your day to day life.

You should include copies of any of the following documents:

• A list of your prescriptions
• A copy of your care plan, if you have one
• Any paperwork you’ve been given by health professionals, including reports and letters (not appointment letters)

It’s also a good idea to attach any documents to the form so they don’t get separated.

You should not send:

• Original documents
• Appointment letters
• Copies of anything you’ve already sent to the DWP

If you need help completing the form, Citizens Advice have a dedicated section on their website and advisers who ma be able to offer additional support - find out more here .

What happens after yo u return the form?

The Award Review form goes to a DWP case manager initially, rather than a health professional.

The case manager can also contact you or your carer for more information, but cannot send for more medical evidence.

If the case manager cannot make a decision, then all the information is forwarded to Independent Assessment Services or Capita for assessment by a health professional.

The health professional will initially attempt to make their assessment solely on the papers you submit.

Only if that isn’t possible will you be required to attend a face-to-face, telephone or video call assessment.

A decision will then be made by a case manager in the normal way.

If you think you can't meet the deadline

If you are not going to be able to meet the deadline, call the DWP on the phone number on the front page of the letter it sent you and ask for an extension as soon as possible.

If you are granted an extension, make sure you make a note of the date and time of the call and the name of the person you spoke with as well as the new deadline, which will usually be an additional two weeks.

Whatever you do, try to scan or photocopy the form before sending it so that you have a copy form your records. You could also take pictures of each page with your mobile phone or tablet.