What happens at a PIP assessment?

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An assessment is a look at the 12 tasks, not a diagnosis and not a physical exam in the way a hospital means it. It can be by phone, by video or in person. You can have someone with you. The health professional writes a report. A DWP case manager makes the decision. Take real examples from ordinary days: what happened, how often, who helped, and what went wrong. A diary of a week is more useful than a list of conditions. You can ask for a copy of the report after the assessment. What they are asking They work through preparing food, eating, therapy, washing, the toilet, dressing, speaking, reading, being with people, money, planning a journey, and walking. For each one they are applying the reliability tests: safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, and in a reasonable time, on more than half of days. How to prepare without inventing a story Write down a normal week before you go. Note which days a task failed, and what the other person did. Do not rehearse a worst day that is not most days. If you walked from the car park, or managed the call, say what it cost you afterwards. They can see the journey. They cannot see the next day unless you tell them. After the assessment The report is advice. The decision letter is the decision. If the letter is wrong, the next step is a mandatory reconsideration, usually within one month, not another assessment request.