PIP Review Timescales (now becoming backpay issues)

Just another quick update. Had my assessment on 22/2, very pleasant lady who seemed very understanding and sympathetic. Whole process took just under an hour, and within an hour of completion I got a text from DWP telling me they had received the medical report.

I was going to wait a few days, but as they said they already had it, I thought I would ring and ask for a copy. Got through (after being on the phone for longer than the whole assessment took) and they put in the request to send a copy out to me.

Got the report and (bearing in mind I've been through this process a lot of times in the last 15 years) it was the most accurate one I've ever seen. She recorded exactly what I said, took into account everything that affects me, and has put down that I should get enough points to retain my standard daily living, and have my mobility uprated to high. Now I just need to wait on a DM processing it, and hopefully they won't try any shenanigans like ignoring the medical reports findings.

When I rang to ask for a copy of the report they went to great lengths to let me know that it could take 6-8 weeks to make a decision, so still a little while to go yet, but the whole process seems to have gone through a lot quicker than some others on here.

I sent my review form back at the beginning of February 2023 and am yet to get a decision/have an assessment. It really is luck of the draw, I think.

So, I got my decision, and I've been awarded HR Mobility, and SR Daily living until 21/2/2030, as I hoped. Whole process has taken about 17 weeks.

However, I now have another problem/question. They have backdated the award to when I first contacted them on 29/11/2023. so they said that I have an underpayment of £567 due, however this has been referred to debt management, as I have a long standing tax credits overpayment that I am paying back.

Now I have a long standing arrangement in place to repay this TC overpayment from my Income Related ESA, and have been doing so for several years. They have never asked, or (to my knowledge) even tried to deduct money from my PIP for this overpayment. So, the question is, are they allowed to take all of this backpay to put towards this TC debt? even though I already have a repayment plan in place, and have never paid any of my PIP towards this debt?

I could really do with this money, and it just doesn't feel right that money I've been awarded, because I have a disability, can just be held back, especially when they already know my financial situation, hence the fact that I am in receipt of other income based benefits. It's like they are saying, "we understand your issues got worse in 11/2023 and we made your award from that date, but we don't think they have cost you anything to deal with until today so we're keeping the money"

If they can do this, why couldn't they just have taken the cost of living payments they made last year as, to me, it amounts to the same thing.

And yes, you may have guessed, this has got me a little angry

Thank you for your post. I returned a paper review in October 2023. I was getting really worried because my award runs out in May and as yet I've not heard anything apart from the text to say it was received. Its my first time having a mobility car and I had visions of them just taking it off me. Then I keep thinking, has a letter been sent out & I've not received it, what with the horrendous royal mail at the moment. Sleepless nights & constant worry. Which in turn is impacting on my physical & mental health