PIP Award Review & ESA questions

I've recently been sent a PIP Award Review form. It says that after I return it, I could get a telephone call or have to go to a face to face consultation.


I'm finding the process extremely stressful and it's weighing on my mental health. Luckily a friend is helping me fill in the form, but I don't know if I can deal with another face-to-face consultation at this time. My memories of the last face to face consultation I had to go to are extremely distressing. I really don't want to lose my PIP, but I'm on ESA too, and with my new situation (different housing etc), could maybe just about scrape by on ESA alone.


If I return the form, and don't go to a face-to-face, what will happen? Will I be in lots of trouble? I know I will lose my PIP, will I be at risk of losing my ESA too?

If I do lose my PIP through not completing the award review process, can I re-apply for it when I feel able to go through with the process?

Also, the form asks if I want to give consent for them to talk to 'your GP, other people or organisations.' I ticked 'no,' because I'm very concerned about confidentiality around my mental health problems- partly because I've only recently been able to talk about the events that caused some of them. Also I'm embarrassed about organisations etc knowing about my benefits situation. I think that they will have notes from contacting my GP on file from when they first assessed me. Will ticking no cause me problems?


The telephone calls they make- what are they like?


If they assess me and I fail, will I be at risk of losing my ESA?


Any advice about how to fill in the form? It seems fairly straightforward as most things haven't changed.

Any advice anyone can please give me, on these questions or anything else about this issue, would be massively appreciated.

Thankyou so much

I don't know the answers to ur questions but I have just been thru the same thing with PIP
I had to fill in a PIP review form and was really stressed out about things also got help with the form. with mine things were either the same or had got worse.

but wanted to reassure that I got a letter 3-4 weeks later saying I have been awarded it from the form alone. I had no phone call or face to face meeting. so there is the possibility that u wont have them too.

I believe that PIP is independent of ESA so shouldn't effect ur ESA claim. I know people who get ESA but have not been eligible for PIP but they still get their ESA.

hope this helps to put ur mind at ease a bit.

I have the same thing, got a questionnaire form for pip first then a little while later one for ESA. Filled them both out and got a "you have to attend a PIP meeting" letter about a month ago, where they said I had to go to another county for the interview, so dad rang them up and got it changed to a closer place, why they didn't use it in the first place I don't know. Today got another letter about a ESA interview, great!

You won't get into trouble for not going to the interview but you will likely lose the PIP. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't lose ESA since they are separate.

Yeah I think you could re-apply for PIP later on, I did for incapacity benefit (pre-ESA) after about a year and a half when I got worse.

Never had a telephone call.

You can use some guides from https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/ you have to pay to access but its quite good.

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Originally Posted by mike83

I have the same thing, got a questionnaire form for pip first then a little while later one for ESA. Filled them both out and got a "you have to attend a PIP meeting" letter about a month ago, where they said I had to go to another county for the interview, so dad rang them up and got it changed to a closer place, why they didn't use it in the first place I don't know. Today got another letter about a ESA interview, great!

You won't get into trouble for not going to the interview but you will likely lose the PIP. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't lose ESA since they are separate.

Yeah I think you could re-apply for PIP later on, I did for incapacity benefit (pre-ESA) after about a year and a half when I got worse.

Never had a telephone call.

You can use some guides from https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/ you have to pay to access but its quite good.

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Hi Mike Yeah always best to attend these interviews as the money could stop on the one(s) you don't attend unless you have a very good reason not to attend. Good luck on your ESA interview Mike :) Cheers

Thankyou for your advice guys, it has been really helpful in getting things sorted with the form :-)