Hi
I said i would update everyone that has followed by posts. Well here goes. It's not good and I'm a very distressed so excuse me if I ramble on.
I was due to have my renewal for PIP. I got informed that I was having a home assessment.
The lady seem pleasant enough but didn't give me much eye contact . She was too busy typing and wouldn't let me explain some things. When I asked about my condition she said she didn't know.
I am currently on standard care and higher mobility.
I am waiting on a decision but I have received my report.
She has only awarded me 4 points for mobility so I stand to loose all my money. My condition is life long with no improvement .
She has talked about my difficulties but then contradicted herself when scoring me.
Can I ring up and ask them to look into this before they make a decision
Hi Care
I really don't know what to say, I can imagine your really struggling to cope with the decision but I don't know if you can ask for an MR before they give you your official written decision which your report is not that.
I didn't know you could ask for your report before you had received that??? I don't know, I'm sure someone will have an answer.
You would still get your care wouldnt you?
I know that they are starting to have different criteria for mobility, do you think this could be the reason
Hi Clare, the DM could still go against this, even though it's rare. You do have to wait for the final decision before you can ask for the MR. The assessment report is only what the AP thinks. Hopefully the decision won't keep you waiting too long.
Hi Alexandria, you can ask for a copy of assessment report before decision is made. I did with my first claim and my renewal. Although with renewal i got decision letter before the report. The criteria for mobility hasn't changed in the 2 years i've been claiming. It's still up to 20 metres for Enhanced mobility.
You have to ring them up takes a while to get through and say you are going to make a mandatory appeal. Then write a letter why it is the wrong decision, get help with it if it is to daunting. Send any extra info you have photo copy all paperwork you are sending. If they still say the same, you have another avenue in a trubunal but do the mantory first.
How did you tell her it affected you day day and with movement.
No decision has been made yet. This is what was said on the assessment report. Nothing is final until the DM makes a decision.
There is no different criteria for Mobility. They are simply tightening up on the claims.
The government are non too happy at the moment. The 20% saving has disappeared and if you add the cost of the extra appeals they are spending more than they did with DLA!
To get back on line and get the PIP down to what they want, they have tightened up with everything.
Simply put - far too many are getting PIP than the government wanted to see.
Hi Clare
I have just gone through this nightmare so am very happy to advise people . I had been awarded 1 1/1 years of PIPS and also ESA. Back in May 2015 due to having had frozen shoulder for four years then needing surgery. I naively and I deeply regret informed that my condition has got worse after the surgery. As I could not work due to both Fibromyalgia delaying my recovery and could not drive either . I am a single mother with absolutely no support . So my young sons became my carers, to prepare meals , dress me etc. To my horror bacon Jan this year I had a PIPS reassessment and was only awarded 7points compared to 17 before when my condition was so much worse. So I appealed went for Madatory reconsideration stating why I thought this was wrong. They still said no so I took it to Tribunal as a paper presentation only meaning I did not have to stand up in person. My Fibromyalgia got so much worse due to the stress I was put through. The irony was I was put into the support group ESA that same week! I argued all these points and went through my reassesssment report thoroughly pointing out where I felt the assessor had made obvious mistakes and contradicted herself . I waited over 5 months to win my case with no money except the ESA. The ESA also stopped my benefit the day afterI had surgery in Sept last year due to an Assessment they had done a month before the surgery. I fought that too and won. All this while
trying to recover and heal . My GP , MP ,Surgeon got involved . Best of luck on getting the justice and support you are entitled to. I am now facing an ESA reassessment and am petrified.
Hi.
I'm worse than I was 2 years ago on my assessment. There is no cure for my condition. I'm waiting for an injection in my hips as i haven't left the house in nearly 2 weeks. I'm waiting for an emergency doctor to ring as we speak as i can't control my pain. It's just a complete mess
I told her everything as i did last time. I can't have aids to help me walk as the condition effects my whole body. Especially my hands shoulders hips and knees. She didn't listen to.what I was saying. She kept talking over me. I as me her if I could explain my condition as it's rare and she just moved into the next thing.
That is awful. I'm sorry to hear you are going through this. The assessor seemed ok but a little ignorant at times. She just didn't want to listen to me. My doctors wrote a letter for me and sent lots of info from the hospital but she has more or less said I'm lying
Thank you Denise.
She has lied in so many aspects. She hasn't wrote down what I said. She said I was calm and looked well. Within an hour of her leaving I was sick with pain and anxiety. She said I can.walk 200 meters when all I do was stand and go from one side to the other which she asked me to. But i struggled.
She said I kept touching my head and shoulder. which i do because I have constant neck pain and I had a migrain. I am told I have to swim to get to help my condition. I said i try to go but sometimes I can't. She said I go every week no problem
So many untruths. I feel so I'll now. I'm waiting for a doctor as it's made my pain so bad with all of the stress
This is a renewal though and there is no cure for my illness. It just gets worse which it has done 😣
I have the mobility at the moment. But i have got worse. I don't see how they can say that I was awarded this 2 year ago. My doctors and hospital have said no cure and it will progress. Yet she awarded at least 8 points lower
I sent them copies of my sons' school bus passes to disprove my partner who apparently lives with me , takes my sons to school. I stated he lives away from us , 30 minutes away with his son and starts work an hour and a half away from their school and has to leave at 5.30 am . A bit difficult to drive them to school for 9am, before work . That was only one thing . Then she stated in her report that my sons have to cut up my meals , I use a straw to drink . I have not worn a bra since my shoulder had gone wrong. I need help dressing, preparing meals etc. I had to become like a lawyer myself. It is disgusting what we are put through. To then be awarded no points for these requirements was illogical. I also sent recorded delivery my request fora tribunal hearing , I rang the dept to find out when it had arrived within the time requirement of within a month of the MR refusal. They tried to say it had arrived too late. Luckily I was able to prove the name of the person their end who had signed for it and the date it arrived. My advice is to keep a record of what you send ,the date you send
it and any names of people you talk to. I got there in the end but it was sheer hell.
I would ask for a copy of the notes. Also the assessors are not trained or qualified to deal or even know about your condition/s.
To me it's a game and you have to make them aware of your restrictions and not your conditions.
Why can't they have a note from your GP to say yes they do have a debilitating condition and no they can't do xy or z.
They don't realise the anxiety, stress and depression caused by a random letter sent out which change your life.
Thanks
Neil x
If you don't use aids to walk do you use a wheelchair? or a mobility scooter when you go out? I use a mobility scooter when i go out and a stick when i can't use a scooter. My condition also affects my whole body but woudn't be able to keep my balance without my stick. You mention you have shoulder problems but kept touching your head and neck during assessment. It's all these things that the AP will look at, including how you're dressed. Like i said above the decision hasn't been made yet and the decision maker could go again the AP.
Thank you very much. I will do. It sounds like you want through tell 😕
I do have a chair just to get to the car. But i don't really go out on the days I can't walk. I can't enjoy anything when I'm in pain constantly. I'm embarasswd to go in the chair with me being young. My husband hold a me most of the time or my son. I have just had scans on my shoulders and they saw that I have degenerative muscle s and swollen tendons. I was hold my neck alot to try to support it and rub it because I get pain all round there. I was rubbing my fore head because I could barely focus on her ( I had a bad migrain) within an hour of her leaving I was sick because I had sat that in agony and my migraine make me sick.
I only go out with my son or husband because my joints pop out of place without any warning. And I fall alot. So I don't have the confidence anymore as i get scared. I also have other issues that I don't want to say on here but I need help with sometimes. It's a little degrading.
She contradicted herself alot in the report