PIP Claim

MrKite77

Hello all,

Sorry if alot of what I ask has no doubt already been covered at length in other discussions and I'm repeating things but couldn't find quite the answer I was looking for. 

Am in the middle of a new PIP claim. Started back at the beginning of January. Waited a fairly long time with nothing but acknowledgement that they had received my form and my details had been passed onto the assesment company. 

I had been expecting a letter or a text informing me of when my appointment for an assesment would be. I had assumed that at the very least a phone assesment would be a certainty (I also requested this due to my conditions) based on what I had read and also because for one reason or another I had little supporting evidence to send with my form. So I kept waiting and checking every day for the letter/text. 

Then one afternoon I had a missed call from a mobile number I didn't recognise. This always causes me undue panic and anxiety but for whatever reason I bit the bullet and rang straight back (though they had left a message on my answerphone). Turned out it was a lady from the assesment company and she was contacting me 'just to clarify a couple of things relating to my claim' and she assured me it wouldn't be a long call and would help ensure I wouldn't need a face to face assesment etc. 

I was very surprised but agreed to answer her questions. They were asking me to expand on a couple of my answers on the original form which I tried to do but I can't really remember what I said and didn't say as it was all a bit of a blur and a rush. In the end I think the entire call lasted no more than 20 minutes and that was with me rambling on and going off on tangents. The assessor didn't say much and allowed me to speak but was kind and empathetic when I did. Anyway, once it was done I felt quite pleased that something that had been hanging over me had been done. I was informed a report would be sent. 

This was confirmed by text two days later from the DWP who said they would be now making a decision and would contact me when they had, and to allow up to 8 weeks. 

Now this morning I have received a text saying they still haven't decided and will contact me when they had. 

My point is that now I'm getting rather fed up about the whole thing and am going over and over the telephone assessment in my head. I'm starting to feel that I didn't give a full and proper account of myself and this was in a big way due to the surprise in how it was conducted. Convinced now that this will be used against me and I will not receive PIP and be rejected. Knowing what an ordeal the claim process can be I originally went into it trying to not worry too much and expect the worst- I applied in the first place partly due to the insistence of my contact at the jobcentre who felt I should be entitled to it. But now I'm finding the waiting and wondering draining.

Is it a bad sign that they still haven't made a decision? Is the cursory and brief nature of my assesment also a bad sign? Should they not have at least given me fair advance warning of when the assesment would be, even if it was by telephone? 

Really sorry for length of this post. I think I had tried to ignore or wasn't acknowledging that this matter was causing me such anxiety and increasing upset and so it's only now I realise and am thinking/worrying about it all alot more. 

Thanks in advance for any words of advice or information. I know the best thing is just to wait and see what the decision is and go from there but I think I needed to post this to get my thoughts out really.

Cheers. 

MrKite77

Sorry. Just noticed there is a dedicated PIP section. Please could a moderator move this to the right sub-forum? Thanks. 

poppy123456

Seems like you had what's known as a paper based assessment, when a full assessment isn't needed. When they do these they will sometimes ring to ask some questions to see if the report can be written with the information they have. When they do this they don't usually send an appointment date/time out to you. Though your phone call did last longer than i would expect (not a bad thing) but then you did say yourself you did ramble a little, which could have been why it lasted longer than i would expect.

The most recent text message doesn't mean anything other than what it stated. Once the report was returned a decision can take up to about 12 weeks. Once a decision is made you will be contacted.

MrKite77

Oh ok. Thanks for the information. 

I'm assuming it's impossible to say one way or another if the fact it was a paper based assesment and nothing further was deemed necessary gives any indication of the likely decision? 

The fact I didn't provide any further evidence to go with the form I filled in, apart from indicating that my Doctor would be a willing advocate/reference, had made me think at the very least a phone assesment would be required for further detail. So I am assuming the worst. Though probably best to just wait and see I know. 

poppy123456

You shouldn't assume the worst because you can't predict anything at this stage.

2oldcodgers

poppy123456 said:

You shouldn't assume the worst because you can't predict anything at this stage.

There's an old saying that is still relevant today:
'Hope for the best but plan for the worst'