Thankyou for your help guys. I send off the form and I'm waiting to hear back from them.

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

Hey- just looked at this thread again, and I noticed that in my above post I was like, 'all seems well ' , kind of ignoring what you said about your appeal being refused. This was a bit lacking of me- sorry, didn't mean to be so selfish, just replied in a rush. Sorry to hear about your appeal being refused, good luck with the next step. all the best

Yep- also rang the DWP again and got it confirmed, all seems well Thankyou very much.

Hi guys I rang the DWP about a change in my circumstances. The guy on the phone told me I had to send some evidence in but the address he gave me sounded really weird- I wonder if anyone knows if this is right?: FREEPOST DWP ESA 36 Thankyou

Thankyou so much for your help guys...my friend helped me in the interview, and I'm going to get advice from Mind if need be, depending on what happens next. They said I have to wait for a letter from a decision maker. Thanks again, it's been really tough and has complicated my treatment / recovery a lot, but your help made a big difference. That stuff from ECAP was great, cos we were really concerned that they might try to not let my friend help me.

Thankyou for your help, the information is reassuring and makes a big difference. Still very nervous that they will be trying to catch me out- I was panicking at the end of the last interview and signed the statement without really checking what I had said. I guess if it goes badly and they take away my benefits I can try to get some help with an appeal or something?

I'm on ESA and PIP due to severe mental health problems. I live in England and am single. A friend typed this up for me as I'm unable to manage this type of thing usually, but I'm really worried and desparate for some advice. A week ago I had to attend a Compliance Interview at the Job Centre. When I got there it turned out they thought I'd had too much savings in the past, and they wanted to see bank statements. Turns out it was their mistake and the bank statements show I'm in the clear. However, during the interview the Officer became extremely unpleasant and aggressive, questioning me about my living situation. They then insisted that I'd have to come back for another interview. I'm presently homeless, only just got a raise in benefit which will enable me to sort out a place, so they are having a go at me for having too much savings to be homeless- even though I haven't had a chance to sort anything out. They then started to rant about how a friend who I stay with occasionally and am very close to must be my partner (even though we're a male and female and both gay), and then insisted I must return for another interview. The whole process took a big toll on my mental health and has set me back majorly both in terms of my recovery and sorting my living situation. My main question is, do I have the right to bring a friend into the interview with me? Just to provide emotional support. Do they have the right to refuse that? I am trying to get an 'advocate' from Mind sorted, but it might be too short notice. Also, although I've got nothing to hide (as the evidence in my bank accounts shows), I'm very worried about how confused I get about details and keeping track of things- in my last interview it seemed that they were trying to trip me up constantly. I don't want to be in trouble for fraud because I get confused! Can they take my benefits away? Any advice at all would be so helpful. Thankyou very much bones

Thankyou

Greetings all. A bit concerned about something, and google etc yields no answers... I'm currently on contributory-based ESA- but have had a change in my living situation, and I've been told to fill in an ESA3 form. This is to update them on my change of circumstance, and also because I might qualify for an income-related top up to my ESA. In one section, the form asks 'Do you pay a private landlord...for the place where you live?' and if you tick yes, 'Please tell us their name and address.' I'm concerned about filling in this information, since I don't want to inform my landlord (a small private letting agency technically) that I'm receiving ESA or housing benefit. I'm worried the landlord may discriminate against me, and anyway I would find it very traumatic and stressful to have to discuss my health issues or living situation with them. When I originally claimed ESA, I did the usual phone interview where they ask you about all your details, then send a copy of your statement to you. I don't think they asked me either my landlord's address, or how much rent I was paying, in that interview- but I did inform them I was receiving housing benefit. On the ESA3 form, I have again mentioned that I recieve housing benefit- but they don't ask specifically how much my rent is, or for tenancy agreements (like the housing benefit office at the council would)- which has me worried about where they might go for this information. Don't they need to know how much rent I'm paying / what housing benefit I'm receiving, in order to calculate my entitlement? Does anyone know what they use the landlord's address for? Do I absolutely have to fill it in? Will they write to them- and if so what will they say? Thankyou so much.