Preparing for your PIP assessment
Knowing your rights before your Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment can make it less stressful.
PIP assessment letter
You should get a letter with the date of your PIP assessment. It will tell you if Independent Assessment Services or Capita is doing the assessment. Your letter must give you 7 days' notice.
Telephone assessments and coronavirus
Face-to-face medical assessments have been suspended until 19 June 2020.
Warning
If you cannot answer the phone
Contact the organisation that sent the letter to you:
Say that you cannot answer the phone. They should then take you off the automatic system that sends out appointments. You should only get a new appointment if things change.
In your assessment
You will have questions like the ones on your application form. You will need to talk about your condition and how it affects you.
Keep a diary and have notes in front of you to help you answer.
Warning Postponing a PIP assessment
If you cannot make your appointment or you are going to be late, you must call the assessment centre.
Your PIP cannot be refused if you have a good reason for not attending an assessment. For example:
- A birthday or holiday is not a good reason for missing an assessment or asking for a different date.
- A fluctuating medical condition is a good reason for postponing an assessment.
If you postpone your assessment more than once, your assessor will discuss this with you.
Reasonable adjustments
You should contact the assessment centre about reasonable adjustments you need as soon as you get your assessment date.
For example:
- requesting a specific time of day for your appointment
- an interpreter or signer
- asking for a male or female assessor
Having someone with you at your PIP assessment
You can have someone with you at your assessment. You can ask:
- your partner, a friend or family member
- a carer or health professional
- an advocate, trade union representative or social worker
Assessments can be stressful. Having someone with you can help. They can remind you about how you cope on bad days, things you can and cannot do for yourself. They can also make notes. Tell the assessment centre if you plan to have someone with you.
Warning Recordings
Many tribunals and appeals are continuing by telephone. These operate with a freephone telephone number. This is a standard teleconference so you can have someone to support you by phone. All calls are recorded. You can request a copy of the recording.
Last reviewed by Scope on: 13/05/2020
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