× Members

Unplanned Intervention

More
9 years 10 months ago #136355 by lancashire-lass
Unplanned Intervention was created by lancashire-lass
At the moment I get PIP Daily Living at the standard rate which was awarded in October 2014 after waiting 29 weeks for my medical assessment under ATOS.
Just days before completing and returning my PIP claim form I had a very bad fall and I only mentioned the fall as the last appointment I had with my GP.
Since the fall my health and mobility declined to the extent that I was referred to a spinal specialist and a cardiologist. I took the extra medical reports with me to my assessment but none of them were included in the report.
As a result of my fall I have 2 bulging discs at the base of my spine which have damaged the nerves for my left leg and now need either crutches or a 4 wheeled walker to be able to walk.
On 5th March this year I phoned DWP to inform them of my worsening medical condition, and was informed that an "Unplanned Intervention" pack would be sent out for me to complete. I phoned again on 25th March, the 21st April and the 18th May. Each time I called I would explain why I was reporting a change of condition and each time I was promised that a pack would be sent out, in fact the lady who took my call on 18th May flagged up my request as an official complaint which had to be actioned within 10 working days!
Finally on 15th June - 14 weeks after I contacted them - the DWP phoned me at home to ask if I still wanted to continue with reporting my change of condition as I will have to have a complete re-appraisal of my claim and might have my existing PIP award taken away. :ohmy:
I wonder if I had called to report that I had recovered would it take the DWP 14 weeks to stop my award?

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
9 years 10 months ago #136367 by Gordon
Replied by Gordon on topic Unplanned Intervention
lancashire-lass

Although it should be sufficient to report a change over the phone, you really need to follow up any conversation in writing to protect yourself, obviously this is ,pre important when notifying the DWP of an improvement, but still applies when dealing with a deterioration as it sets the date of when the change should apply from.

Gordon

Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
9 years 10 months ago #136456 by lancashire-lass
Replied by lancashire-lass on topic Unplanned Intervention
Thank you for your response.
On my first phone call to DWP I was lead to believe that I would only be supplying information about my current medical condition, and a case manager would then decide based on that information whether my whole claim would need to be re-assessed.
Do you know if that could still be possible? Or are all changes in medical condition sent for a full re-assessment?

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
9 years 10 months ago #136458 by Gordon
Replied by Gordon on topic Unplanned Intervention

lancashire-lass wrote: Thank you for your response.
On my first phone call to DWP I was lead to believe that I would only be supplying information about my current medical condition, and a case manager would then decide based on that information whether my whole claim would need to be re-assessed.
Do you know if that could still be possible? Or are all changes in medical condition sent for a full re-assessment?


We don't have much experience of PIP in this area as only a few members have reported a change of their condition to date, also there is clearly a difference between how the DWP manage an improvement versus a deterioration but I think I likely that it likely that you will still be re-assessed.

You need to be aware that the Case Manager or Decision Maker is not medically trained and it is unlikely that they will be able to make any valid decision on whether this change effects your existing award or not.

Gordon

Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
9 years 10 months ago #136536 by lancashire-lass
Replied by lancashire-lass on topic Unplanned Intervention
Looks like I will be keeping you posted on this then :)
Seeing that I can barely walk now I can only hope that the latest reports from my GP and the various specialists that have treated me - plus your info and guides - will keep me from losing my existing award. And might even get me a mobility award - fingers crossed.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

Moderators: GordonGaryBISCatherineWendyKellygreekqueenpeterKatherineSuper UserChrisDavid