Had a PIP Assessment today

General health and lifestyle
1

Well the dreaded PIP Assessment went ahead today. From the letter and original phone call from the DWP it has took no time at all, in fact it's like I've been fast tracked!

I've read numerous things, mostly bad, some less so, so I went in the a what the heck attitude - what will be will be. It will cause a huge change of circumstances should my claim for PIP from DLA is refused or go down to standard rate for both parts. I really have no idea how the face to face went, all I know is that it wasn't as bad as I thought, that said I;m not confident.

I have Scleroderma, oesophaphagal disfunction (PEG fed) Fybromyalgia, Cerical Spondy.. wotsit!  Raynauds, Osteo shoulder and Arrithmia

The lady who assessed me wasn't too harsh and typed at break neck speed. I did a few excercises from my chair but she didn't push me.

My husband came with me and even he remarked it wasnt as bad as he though it would be. 

I'm still not confindent

I cant change anythng and they explained that it's not them who make the final decision, they are just there to tick boxes

Definately not confident

I will let you know when the dreaded brown envelope drops through the letter box

I haven't done my best, passed a test or given my all. I just told them how it was so whether they choose to tick those boxes in my favour or not only time will tell

If you are having an assessment soon, don't worry just tell them about your bad days, that's all you can do

BTW - Still not confident

 

2

Hello, I can tell you from experience that they haven't just "ticked boxes". The job of the assessor is to write a full factual report about what you stated was wrong with your conditions, as well as that they will monitor your actions from the moment they see you. They will monitor your things like your ability to interact, your abilty to walk and sit up and down. As you have stated, it is it important to state if you have "good" and "bad" days to be sure the assessor mentions in the report that she saw you on a "good" or "bad" day, this ensures the DWP decision maker doesn't just assume your condition is not as much a problem as you state it is (and trust me they do tend to understate medical conditions). Well hopefully you are successful but as a warning, there are many, myself included, who have come from high-rate DLA to no PIP award whatsoever.

3

Yes I gahered that she wasnt ticking boxes by the amount of typing she did. I am quite disgusted to hear that you lost out on the PIP award from DLA - It's disgraceful and I'm under the same impression that the same fate will apply to me. I have no illiusion about retaining what I had.

Can you not appeal?

4

I did appeal to a tribunal, all they did was keep the same amount of points but change descriptors from where I got the points. I had a rare good day at the tribunal which I told the 3 staff that were asking questions but they took 2 points away from the 'engaging with others face-to-face' and gave 2 points added for 'washing and bathing'. So I kept the same number of points (7 points for Daily Living) leaving the tribunal as I did entering. I have decided to reapply for PIP as I was able to convince the decision maker, from the DWP, of my problems which affect my abilty with 'engaging with others face-to-face', so hopefully if I make a stronger explanation of my problems with 'washing and bathing' then I may get it. What I think is disgusting is how 1 point can determine if someone gets PIP or not. well I hope you get some success, more so then a friend of mine who is in a wheelchair and he was unsuccessful with getting even the mobility component.

5

Hi Chris,

@sweety, whatever you do, don't give up - that is what the DWP wants us all to do, I will fight until I get where I should be, I'm on nearly 30 tablets a day, 6 injections every 10 weeks in hospital and see quite a few doctors and consultants regularly. It only took one application to get my care up to top rate, but I wake up 5-6 times a night, and need constant care, which isn't easy. But Sweety, if they give you the heave ho' don't lett it get you down, I know it's hard but you can beat them, you know your body not them, and everyone is different, don't let them say anything different. Good Luck! smile

7 points for daily living is disgusting!! Considering the fact the total points on the Care Descriptor points is over 70!  I have been informed  today, that claimants on DLA on the Low Rate Mobility will not receive any points on the PIP version at all. There is only 2 sections on the mobility component side of PIP, and both together can total 24 max, getting that, is very difficult I am told.

I have yet to be changed over to PIP, but what will be, will be - My wife put in for an increase on care, but she is basically looking after me 24/7 and I'm on a hospital bed, which the District Nurses are on about changing due to it being not secure enough for someone with my conditions.

The way the DWP see it is, if you can manually use aids to get around then you are mobile. A bit stupid really, when I need 3 aids to get in and out of our car which is on the Motability Scheme, gawd knows what will happen without a car, 2-3 outpatient appointments a week is not easy to get to without a car! rolleyeseek

Regards,

Les.

6

Oh Les I feel for you. The old DLA scheme was to help people in your position, it seems reading some posts, PIP is there to take it away. 

I gor high rate mobility and high rate care on the old scheme and my condition is worse now 

I'm not used to discussing ailments with pople I dont know - and I seriously doubt she kmew a lot about my condition. On the face of itit looks like I was treated quite well compared to some stories I have heard but that was only the assessment - god knows what will happen when I get the result.

Like yourself I have to travel to my appointments, some 30 miles and I do this often as I am under 3 consultants for variois things not to mention nurse clinic appointments as well. I am unfortuante that I live in a place between two areas which isnt great when I need district nurses - no one is sure who owns me?

I'm starting to worry a little about what I said. What I did say and can say is that I told the truth and how it is. I have consultant letters to back me up and I sent loads of information beforehand. I kept a diary recording the week before I sent my form back, photogaphs of my condition (Lack of circulation in feet and hands) I didn't fill the form in all at once but I wonder if using a diffent pen on some days would have helped, I spent ages looking for the pen I was using on each day.

The most recent clinic letter was helpful as it listed my medication - which I took with me Walking aids would not help my condition as I Wouldn't be able hold a stick or a crutch so I guess that's a few points lost

I've heard horror stories of people's assessments of how the person doing it was stern and quite arrogant and this worried me a little because I would have fought back - only you know what your condition is really like. I was quite surprised that the person doing mine yesterday was curteous and showed a level of sympathy but I've been around long enough to know that there are a lot of false people out there and at the end of the day she was there to do a job.

I'm not speaking from experience here only my initial assessment. When I get the dreaded brown envelope I'll probably be in the same boat as everyone else who had had a poor decision. 

They wont get me down. I've had too much going on in my life for that to happen. If they take away my car I'll have to cope somehow but I will appeal for what good it will do.

Take care Les, hopefully you'll be fine

Sweety

7

Hey Les, 

Sweetyb1@ - The DWP argument for PIP is to ensure the most disabled people get it, yet that wasn't the point of DLA. DLA was supposed to help disabled people with financial support to live as close to a normal live as possible while maintaining any work they do. PIP seems to have taken on a similar role of the support group of ESA. My personal opinion is that PIP should be based on more on circumstance and how serious your condition has affected you in the past as well as present. There are many losing out on support because they fail to get 1 or 2 points, which are absoutely unbelievable.

8

Thanks for your honesty. As you say just tell them how oare at your worst it is all you can do.

They have not given me a date yet so still on DLA. That's fine by me.

Let me know the outcome.

Sarah

9

Hi Sweety,

The "courteous and showed a level of sympathy" from an Assessor these days really means nothing, the DWP can easily override anything ATOS or Capita state in an Assessment. I noticed lately many people are doing something that Capita asked if it was allowed to the DWP, but they refused it. ATOS allows it, but only if you provide a second copy after the Assessment. What I'm acftually referring to is recording the Assessment. You would need a lot of equipment, and should we give a copy free to ATOS, they should be doing that, not us. The Claimants that do record their Assessments then wait for the brown envelope, and if there's enough differences between what was said at the Assessment and the letter, then they phone the DWP, demanding why there is so many differences, this normally causes the DWP to take another look at your case, then they change the decision. Remember during an Assessment you can ask for a break, if you feel unwell at any point.

I had to laugh about the part where you stated about all your ailments, you remind me of myself. My own doctor and consultants class me as a "Complex Case", - a slight alteration on my medications can have severe results. I have had cancer, only recently been signed off remission period, I have had 2 major stomach operations after Consultants founf I was dying from the inside out, over 50cm of my intestines was removed and part of my liver. Those operations really took it out of me, over 10 months to recover, that was over 3 and half years ago now, yet I'm still having problems now. My Occupational Therapist tried to get me a Bio-Bidet which is basically a new toilet seat, but with the additional parts of a bidet, but the funding was turned down, that cost £1,000 - the reason given was not suitable for individual, hence now they have applied for a Clos-o-mat, costing £7,000 which has been accepted. Permission was obtained from our Housing Association, DFG (Disability Funding Grant) was issued last week, the property was surveyed this week by Clos-o-mat. So, at the moment that seems to be all going ahead! 

DLA rates I get full on both "indefinitely" - but this doesn't count with PIP because it is classed as a new Benefit, even though its similar.

I have heard some people have been getting their brown envelopes 7-10 days after their Assessment, even with the huge back log, which they are trying to hide.rolleyes

Regards,

Les.

10

Good luck Sweety

I had my PIP assessment this week too (new claim - no DLA previouly). I unfortunately do not have much faith in the system and have already convinced myself I am doomed to fail

Hope it goes the right way for you x

11

This was 2 months ago, did you get approved? Sclerodoma alone is a serious conditon.

12

I got standard rate Care and standard rate mobility. I was on high rates for both componants on DLA. I have challenged the decision, went to Mandatory reconsideration and the decision remained the same. I am now going to tribunal. It's a headache.

The HCP did not mention scleroderma in her report, I guess she knew nothing of the condition. She put my problems down to Fibromyalgia and raynauds which of course I have too and each a disabling condition.

They just fail to recognise illnesses that are either rare or fluctuating. I am fighting the system but in truth even going to tribunal (I haven't got a date) isn't giving me much chance of success - however I will try?

Thank you for asking x

13

Your welcome.

Hey..think positive...since the universe (I read on my horoscope..LOL) reacts to positive thoughts it is usually when a person keeps fighting the tribunal as you call it approves.

Good luck.

14

i agree with ChrisA15 with experience the DWP took most of face to face assessors report as a factual report in making their decision they had not really taken any of the facts in any of my medical reports, medical letters from consultants or any other facts from my medical history and how it affects me in day to day life. so i hope you  have a successful outcome.

15

I'm sick of repeating myself like a parott to the DWP. I find myself at the computer tapping away, resting and then -- "Oh just one more thing"

My doctor is a professor and she has written 2 statements already.and now on with her third. It irritates the life out of me to think that the pen pusher who reconsidered my claim said he's used all the information available to him to make the decision? He must be much cleverer than me and the professor because after 15 years with the condition, there still isn't that much known about it - perhaps he'd like to do a disertation on it?

I just get angrier the more I think about it. I can;t say it's not about the money but there's a heck of a lot to do with the principal. Judging people on paper is totally wrong, ignoring doctors reports is criminal. 

I'm going to fight this just for my own peace of mind. Win or lose, I tried

I wish everyone luck if you are going through the same and thank you all for your support