Personal Independent Payment FAQs – Assessment
21. How will I know which provider will carry out my face-to-face consultation?
22. How did you select the assessment providers?
23. I have a life or indefinite award period for DLA. Will I have to have an assessment even though my condition has not changed or is never going to change?
24. Will there be automatic entitlement to Personal Independence Payment for people with certain conditions like DLA?
25. How will my entitlement to Personal Independence Payment be assessed and decided?
26. Can I bring somebody with me to the assessment?
27. I am housebound. Will my assessment be carried out in my home?
28. Will the person accompanying me to my assessment be able to claim expenses?
29. I cannot attend the consultation appointment, what should I do?
30. If I am awarded Personal Independence Payment will I need to undergo further assessments in the future?
31. Has the DWP asked the assessment providers to meet any targets in relation to the Personal Independence Payment assessment or the number of people who receive the benefit?
21. How will I know which provider will carry out my face-to-face consultation?
Atos IT Services UK Ltd will carry out face-to-face consultations in Scotland, North East and North West England, London and Southern England.
Capita Business Services Ltd will carry out face-to-face consultations in Wales, Central England and Northern Ireland.
22. How did you select the assessment providers?
The providers have been decided on a regional framework to help improve the quality of service through a more tailored approach to local needs. The successful bids demonstrated strong evidence of working with a range of partner organisations such as health groups and the voluntary sector, and of close working with disabled people’s representative groups.
We’ve been very clear that the assessment must be consistent and of the same high quality throughout the country. Both providers will be working to the same legislative framework and criteria, which introduces a more objective, accurate assessment. DWP will be closely monitoring and auditing assessments to ensure their quality and consistency.
23. I have a life or indefinite award period for DLA. Will I have to have an assessment even though my condition has not changed or is never going to change?
Yes, but not all these assessments will involve a face-to-face consultation.
Most people will be asked to have a face-to-face consultation with a health professional, as part of their assessment.
But, people with the most severe health conditions or disabilities, might not need to attend a face-to-face consultation. This will be decided on a case by case basis.
Exceptions will be made for claimants who are terminally ill (see answer to question 24 for further details).
24. Will there be automatic entitlement to Personal Independence Payment for people with certain conditions like DLA?
No. Entitlement for the new benefit will be based on how someone’s conditions or disabilities affect them.
In Personal Independence Payment we want to treat everyone as an individual. The benefit will go to those individuals whose impairments impact most on their ability to participate in society.
The only way to accurately decide who should get the new benefit is to assess everyone individually, looking at their personal circumstances and any barriers they may face. This is because people’s health conditions or disabilities can affect them in very different ways and some individuals have more than one health condition or disability.
The assessment for Personal Independence Payment will make greater use of evidence from the people who support the applicant (such as a GP, consultant or specialist nurse) and help us to accurately and consistently assess them to decide their entitlement.
Exceptions will be made for claimants who are terminally ill and who are not expected to live for more than six months. We will deal with these claims quickly and the person will not need a face-to-face consultation, or to fulfil the three month qualifying period.
25. How will my entitlement to Personal Independence Payment be assessed and decided?
The assessment for the new benefit will look at your needs to help us decide your benefit entitlement.
It will involve health professionals considering your personal circumstances to understand how your condition or disabilities affect you.
The health professional will consider the evidence provided by you and any professionals that may support you on a regular basis, such as your GP or consultant, they will also consider non-medical evidence such as a statement from your social worker or family member.
Most people will also be asked to a face-to-face consultation with this health professional as part of the claim process. The health professional will provide advice to a benefit decision maker at the Department for Work and Pensions.
The benefit decision maker will then use all of this information to decide whether you are entitled to Personal Independence Payment, at what rate and how long your award is for.
26. Can I bring somebody with me to the assessment?
Yes. You can take someone with you for support and they can take part in the discussion too.
27. I am housebound. Will my assessment be carried out in my home?
Yes - home visits will be available where necessary and you can have someone along for support.
The assessment provider will undertake a Consultation in your home on the following occasions:
- at the request of DWP (these will be exceptional circumstances);
- at your request, if required by an appropriate health condition or disability or
- when you provide confirmation from your GP or other Health Care Professional that you are unable to travel on health grounds
28. Will the person accompanying me to my assessment be able to claim expenses?
Yes - the assessment provider will pay your travelling/other expenses and those of a person accompanying you when you attend a face-to-face consultation.
The provider will reimburse the following expenses:
- Travel by public transport based on the cheapest reasonable return fare;
- Travel by private motor vehicle paid at the appropriate standard rate as defined by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs;
- Taxi fares if public transport is not available or the Claimant is unable to use it (for example, people with mobility issues) and where prior approval has been given by the assessment provider, or, if the Claimant did not seek approval, it is clear the claimant required a taxi to attend the face to face Consultation;
- Other expenses: miscellaneous costs incurred, such as parking and bridge tolls, and congestion charges. These costs will only be met if they relate to the journey to or from the Consultation. Other costs such as loss of earnings will not be met;
- Pay the fares of a companion or carer or young children who would otherwise be left unattended.
29. I cannot attend the consultation appointment, what should I do?
If you are unable to attend the appointment you must tell the assessment provider. The assessment provider will offer you a further date for a consultation.
30. If I am awarded Personal Independence Payment will I need to undergo further assessments in the future?
Probably. Awards of Personal Independence Payment will be based upon your circumstances and will look at the impact of your disability or health condition and the extent to which you are able to live independently.
Over time, people’s conditions can change and we want to make sure that a person’s award of benefit reflects their current needs.
At the moment there are no regular checks under DLA, leaving disabled people at risk of receiving incorrect levels of support.
The length of award you get will depend on your individual circumstances and the likelihood of this changing and you will need to be reassessed once your award ends.
This will be determined by the benefit Case Manager, following advice from a healthcare professional.
Some people will get short awards (for example this could be up to two years) and others will get longer ones (such as five or ten years). Others will get indefinite awards, which will be subject to review.
31. Has the DWP asked the assessment providers to meet any targets in relation to the Personal Independence Payment assessment or the number of people who receive the benefit?
No. To have any such targets in place would undermine the principle at the heart of the benefit.
We are clear that every individual case will be considered on its own merit and priority in the benefit awarded based on individual circumstances.
DWP will be closely monitoring and auditing assessments to ensure their quality and consistency.
