Hello there!

crank

Hi all, I’m new here and just been browsing for the past couple of days reading updates on pip claims and text messages etc.
I had my assessment for pip a couple of days before Christmas, and got a text message within hours to say that the dwp had received my report. I got the standard “we have not yet made a decision blah blah blah” on Thursday just gone.
The assessor from Atos started off posh, but dropped it within minutes and was common like me. Instead of the assessment lasting 40 minutes to an hour like I have been told by other people mine lasted an hour and a half! I wasn’t nervous at all because of how at ease she made me feel, and she kept apologising for laughing because of my straight and honest answers and said she wasn’t laughing about the situation, it was the way I tell it. She was chatty herself. She thanked me for my many pieces of evidence I sent in as it had taken her ages to read it, and said that she can see I have a lot going on.
At the end of the conversation she thanked me for my time and said I had cheered her up and made her day, and hoped I had a lovely Christmas and wished me good luck with my claim and she hopes it goes well.
should I be concerned with how well the assessment went or was she genuinely nice? 🤷‍♂️
i know of people being successful with “nice” assessors, and people failing with not so nice assessors.
How did others feel about their experience?

poppy123456

You can't predict anything at all at this stage. Your assessment lasting 90 minutes is about average because they can last anywhere from 20 to 120 minutes, rather than the 40 minutes you were told.

Once a decision is made you'll be contacted. Timescales are 12 weeks from when the report was returned to DWP.

I've heard of people being refused after their assessor was friendly or not so friendly. The same as people being successful after the assessor wasn't so friendly or they were friendly. You can't read anything it their approach.

SueHeath

Morning @crank welcome to our great group.
As Poppy as said you can't tell the out come, but good to hear it wasn't a stressful assessment for you.
Just the waiting game now, so fingers crossed for you.

Hannah_Alumni

@crank Agree with the above, that it is now just waiting to see what the result is. But, it's great to hear that the assessment went so well and she put you at ease.
I think people have this perception that claiming has to be a clinically process. Just because we can have a happier day, or have a sense of humour about our condition(s) doesn't mean that they go away.