Pip phone assessment long covid

Chock55

Hi all new here but any advise would be appreciated i have made a claim for pip due to long covid/anxiety GP wrote me a letter didnt have my LC referral when applied now i have, my form wasnt filled in the best im.not good at detail. phone assessment is on Tuesday is this usal i presumed it woupd be face to face anyone else applied for long covid is the assessment as horrid as ive read.

poppy123456

The majority of assessments are by telephone, some are face to face and video call. PIP isn't awarded based on any diagnosis so comparing yourself to someone else isn't the best idea. We are all affected differently by these conditions. What they look at is exactly how your conditions affect you against the 12 PIP activities.

Your assessment can last anywhere from 20 to 120 minutes sometimes longer. They will ask you various questions about your health conditions and how it affects your daily life. Try not to answer any questions with just a yes or no because then you're leaving it open for them to add their own opinions.

I think the majority of people find the assessment very stressful. Personally, i've never had an issue and have always found the assessors to be very polite and helpful. You will mostly only read the bad stories so bear that in mind too.

Once the assessment is complete and the report is written, it will be returned to DWP. From there a decision can take up to about 12 weeks.

Chock55

yes of course i think it threw me as id worked myself up thinkinh i had to.travel.someone always thought it was at a assessment centre thank you for replying 

Breacon

Hi Chock,
Please don't worry about it, in my experience, they have been very nice, patient & kind, so really nothing to worry about.....it goes by very quickly.

chiarieds

Hi @Chock55 - & welcome to the community. I'm sorry to read you have long Covid & suffer from anxiety. As has been mentioned, PIP isn't about a diagnosis (don't worry, your diagnosis won't be challenged at all), but rather how this affects certain aspects of your daily life &/mobility.

Now you say your form wasn't filled in the best, as often happens! What you should do with your phone assessment is try & give a couple of recent examples for the activities/descriptors you have difficulty with when asked. Have a look again at these here: https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/asset-library/personal-independence-payment-descriptors-and-scores-april-2022.pdf

So, look back at your claim form, if you kept a copy, then 'fill' in the gaps to give that important extra information, e.g. when did you have difficulty, where did this happen, what exactly happened, did anyone see this, & were there any consequences to attempting/doing an activity (did it exhaust you, make you breathless, increase your pain, etc?)
Say if you can't do an activity 'reliably,' i.e. safely, to an acceptable standard, repeat as often as one would reasonably expect, or if it takes you much longer than someone without a disability. See this mentioned at the end of the link above.

You can also have someone with you for support if you wish during your assessment. You can do this, & you'll be fine.

Chock55

thanks for all your replys i had the assessment 1 and half hour was exhausted i explained and answered best i could so will see what happens how long have others waited for a decision ive read all different things

poppy123456

Once the report is returned a decision can take anything up to 12 weeks. Some wait less, some longer.

Blue_eyes

Hi @Chock55. It has been 9 weeks since my assessment and I am still waiting for a decision. Fingers crossed you won't have to wait that long 🤞🙂

Chock55

Blue_eyes said:

Hi @Chock55. It has been 9 weeks since my assessment and I am still waiting for a decision. Fingers crossed you won't have to wait that long 🤞🙂

thank you its a long wait how did you find your assessment 

Blue_eyes

@Chock55 "pleasant" , to be honest 🙂 Assessor was very kind and understanding. The coversation lasted 1h20m ,but now I think if I said everything I should have. I didn't miss anything 🙈😟

Hannah_Alumni

Congrats on getting through your assessment @Chock55 I hope you treated yourself for it! Cake is always my go to, haha. 

Chock55

Blue_eyes said:

@Chock55 "pleasant" , to be honest 🙂 Assessor was very kind and understanding. The coversation lasted 1h20m ,but now I think if I said everything I should have. I didn't miss anything 🙈😟

yes i wonder the same! have you heard anything yet? 

Chock55

hi ive just got a copy of my assessment the discriptors in thr report were correct apart from.planning a journey she put the top one saying fine which i couldnt. is this what the decision is made on it anyone.knows thanks 

Alex_Alumni

Hello @Chock55 the assessment report is only a recommendation made to the decision maker, who will also be looking at the form and any other evidence you've sent in.

Well done for getting through the assessment, and if you need anything in the meantime, just ask. We'll be here to support you whatever happens   

Chock55

Alex_Scope said:

Hello @Chock55 the assessment report is only a recommendation made to the decision maker, who will also be looking at the form and any other evidence you've sent in.

Well done for getting through the assessment, and if you need anything in the meantime, just ask. We'll be here to support you whatever happens   

thank you with this report if anything is wrong am.i meamt.to.tell them now or wait.for decision ive read conflicting stories

poppy123456

The report is a recommendation only. Whilst they mostly go with the report it has been know for them to go against it. Whether it's possible to score any points for the mobility part will totally depend on how your conditions affect you. Not everyone will be entitled to mobility.

You can ring PIP to ask for a decision maker to ring you before they make a decision but they may not. Once the decision is made you can request the Mandatory Reconsideration. However before doing this you should get some expert advice to check if a mobility award is possible.

Chock55

Just received a text saying we have not made a decision on your claim.will write when we have is this normal does anyone know havent heard of it before? 

poppy123456

That's a standard text and completely normal. It doesn't mean anything other than what it says.

Chock55

poppy123456 said:

That's a standard text and completely normal. It doesn't mean anything other than what it says.

thank you 

Chock55

i have been given a award awaiting a letter im just confused now with mobility if i have a good week am i meant to inform them i dont really understand with fatigue how that would work 

poppy123456

Great news. No, you don't need to report anything if you have a good week. Remember, PIP is about how your conditions affect you the majority of the days over a 12 month period.