Getting GP and Medical Evidence That Wins a PIP Claim
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Good medical evidence can be the difference between an award and a refusal, but only if it says the right things. It is easy to send evidence that proves a diagnosis when PIP is about how the condition affects you. This guide explains what evidence scores, who to ask, and how to use it.
Key points
✓PIP is about function, not diagnosis, evidence must show what you can and cannot do.
✓Evidence should relate to how you were at the date of the decision being challenged.
✓The professional who knows you best can be more useful than a GP who rarely sees you.
✓Send supporting documents if you have them, such as prescription lists, care plans or information from your doctor.
✓Always ask for a copy, check it is accurate, and keep it.
Show function, not just diagnosis
PIP is not awarded for having a condition, it is awarded for how that condition affects the 12 activities. A letter that simply confirms your diagnosis adds very little. The evidence that scores describes what actually happens:
✓Yes: What you cannot do safely, reliably, repeatedly, or in a reasonable time, the reliability test.
✓Yes: The help, prompting, supervision or aids you need, and what happens without them.
✓Yes: How your condition varies, and how often your bad days occur (the 'more than 50% of days' rule).
✓Yes: Real examples: falls, missed medication, not eating, getting lost, panic on public transport.
Match the evidence to the PIP descriptors. If a professional can confirm that, for example, you cannot prepare a meal safely because of seizures, that speaks directly to a descriptor and its points.
Challenging a decision? Keep your case in order
Keep your deadline, your evidence and every call and letter together in the free Claim Companion workspace. Log your good and bad days as they happen, so your record is ready when you need it.
If you appeal, the tribunal must not take into account circumstances that did not exist at the time the decision was made, so it looks at how you were then, not how you are now. Ask the professional to relate their comments to that date where they can.
Who to ask
✓Yes: The professional who knows your day-to-day functioning best, this may be a community psychiatric nurse, support worker, occupational therapist or specialist, not necessarily your GP.
✓Yes: Your GP for an overview and your medication and history.
✓Yes: A consultant or clinic for the specifics of your condition and treatment.
✓Yes: A carer, family member or friend can also write a statement describing what they have to do for you.
GOV.UK suggests including supporting documents if you have them, for example prescription lists, care plans, or information from your doctor or others involved in your care. When you ask a professional for a letter, give them plenty of notice and, if you can, the specific points you would like them to comment on.
Use it well
✓Yes: Always ask for a copy, check it is accurate and actually helps, and keep it.
✓Yes: Send copies, not originals, and keep your own set.
✓Yes: You can ask DWP for a copy of your assessment report.
✓Yes: Combine professional evidence with your own clear account of how you manage on most days, including bad days.
Keep track of your case
The guides on this site are free and always will be. If your problem will take weeks or months, the Claim Companion is a free workspace to keep your deadline, your evidence and every call and letter together.
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We are not a law firm and this is not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
What medical evidence is best for a PIP claim?
Evidence that describes how your condition affects you day to day, not just your diagnosis. The most useful evidence comes from the professional who knows your functioning best (for example a community nurse, support worker or occupational therapist), describing what you cannot do safely, reliably and repeatedly, the help you need, and how your condition varies.
What supporting documents should I send with a PIP claim?
GOV.UK says to include supporting documents if you have them, for example prescription lists, care plans, or information from your doctor or others involved in your care. A letter that describes what you cannot do reliably helps more than one that only confirms a diagnosis. Give the professional plenty of notice and, if possible, set out the specific points you would like them to confirm.
Does my evidence need to be recent?
For an appeal, the tribunal must not take into account circumstances that did not exist when the decision was made, so evidence should describe how you were at that date. Evidence written later can still help if it describes how you were at that earlier time, so ask the professional to relate their comments to that date.
Know Your Rights UK. "Getting GP and Medical Evidence That Wins a PIP Claim." Know Your Rights UK, https://www.knowyourrightsuk.com/benefits/pip/gp-supporting-evidence