PIP -Can you ask to be reassessed if you get worse

Finance and benefits
1

Hi, I was dx in 1994 after 3 years of symptoms. So this year I am 25 years post diagnosis.

I was awarded High Rate Daily Living and Standard Rate Mobility in 2015.

it was reassessed in 2018, and despite me telling them that my walking has got worse - pain, balance, distance etc they didn’t raise my mobility to Higher Rate.

Since then, I have deteriorated further, but my review is not until 2020.

  1. Can I request to be reassessed before 2020?

  2. Will they stop my money while I’m being reassessed.

  3. Has anyone been through this same situation

thsnks for your help

Rae

2

Hello Rae

Yes you can ask to be reassessed. Basically what you are doing is declaring a Change of Circumstance. The DWP will then have to look at the entire claim again.

The difference between standard rate and enhanced rate for mobility is that for standard rate you are expected to be able to walk up to 50 metres, for enhanced rate, it’s 20 metres. Obviously these distances should be reliably, safely and repeatedly.

If you can’t now walk more than 20 metres, then yes it’s worth getting the claim looked at again. If you have any evidence (letter from a doctor, MS nurse or physiotherapist) clearly stating that you cannot walk over 20 metres, they might just accept the change and reassess you ‘on the papers’.

As far as I’m aware, you would continue to receive your current rate while the reassessment is in progress.

Best of luck.

Sue

3

  1. you should ask as soon as you need to

  2. nothing stops, unless they reassess and find you’re better

  3. yup.

Worst bit is that you’re basically starting again, you don’t just ask for the new bits to be considered, you start from scratch and do a whole new application and they assess you again as new. Urgh.