Disability Assist offers benefits advice and, at present, this is one of our most popular services. We are able to help throughout the whole process, from filling in the application forms through to tribunal and appeals, and this service can be extremely helpful with what is often a confusing process. However, our resources are limited and we are currently receiving a very high volume of requests for appointments so we will occasionally need you to ask DWP for an extension in the time they allow you to return the forms.
If you are applying for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), please make sure you have received the correct forms from DWP before contacting us to book an appointment.
You will need to start your application and request the forms by calling the PIP new claim telephone number. Further details of this and the phone number can be found using this link. You will then be sent the form called ‘How your disability affects you’, which should arrive within 2 weeks. Once you have received this, you can contact us to book a benefits appointment.
The DWP usually requires you to send the forms back within one month but, since our benefits appointments are often booked up several weeks in advance, we may advise you to contact DWP to ask for an extension. To do this, you will need to:
contact the DWP enquiry line. The phone number for PIP enquiries can be found here. You can get someone else to speak on the phone for you if you need to. It can take a long time to get through on the phone so be prepared to wait for up to an hour during busy periods.
Once you get through, inform them that you would like to request an extension because you’re trying to access support from Disability Assist to fill in the forms.
If you already have an appointment with Disability Assist booked, you can let them know the date of your appointment.
Please do not leave it until the last minute to contact us. We have a limited number of staff and are receiving a high volume of requests for appointments so the earlier you can contact us, the more likely we will be able to help you within the timeframe given by DWP.
Before your appointment with us, it would help if you can prepare anything you might want to send as evidence with your application form. Any documents will need to be photocopied since DWP will not return originals. If you are able to, collect all your supporting information such as up-to-date medical information, the names of consultants/doctors and contact details, most recent diagnosis and prescription list etc. Being prepared with these items will help to make your appointment quicker and easier.
You can contact us to book a benefits appointment by clicking on the link below and filling in the form to give us some details.
Further information about applying for PIP can be found on the Government's website. There are also other online resources which can give you guidance on applying for PIP, such as the Benefits and Work website.