Hi, my name is GothMog64! Would love to hear from others about their experience with DWP

GothMog64

Hello  I am new to this site & would love to hear from fellow users/members     I suffer from after effects of Pancreatic Cancer  Carpal Tunnel Syndrome & recently been told am borderline diabetic. Woohoo!!!  Aunt life wonderful      Just had my PIP assessment.   The assessor was brilliant  but as a sufferer of anxiety/bowel problems etc…. Found it to be a long process.    Would love to hear from others about their experience regarding getting help via the DWP etc….

L_Volunteer

Hello @GothMog64. I am really sorry to see no one has been able to respond to you yet. I wanted to wish you a warm welcome to Scope's community. 

It is really positive to hear you found the assessor to be brilliant, even though you found it to be a long process. How are you feeling about everything at the moment? 

Hopefully, our wonderful community members will soon be able to respond to your thread by sharing their experiences with getting help via the DWP etc 

Albus_Alumni

Hey @GothMog64, I just wanted to say hi and also to see how things were progressing for you with your PIP? 
 If you have any questions, don't be afraid to get stuck in with our community, everyone's lovely and there's plenty of experienced people to answer any questions you have.  

MaaniMike

Hi @GothMog64 hope you are holding up well. Thought I'd share my experience with you and hopefully more comments will follow.

I originally applied for Pip during January 2020. The process was fairly straightforward however did make a number of errors on my original application as wasn't part of this great community at that time. Fortunately I had a brilliant assessor who really helped to extract the information she needed and prompted me. My main ailments are spinal issues and osteoarthritis with associated joint pains. As expected I was awarded enhanced mobility and standard daily living and it took just under 6 months from application to first payment.

This year my claim is up for review and I returned the review application forms on 19 April and not heard anything since bar couple text messages to say we are still working on your claim. As is common now reviews are taking at least 8-12 months so am not expecting to see any progress until next year at the very earliest.

What I've learnt from this whole process is the more you can educate yourself the simpler the process can be. Most importantly learn to move on and if possible forget about the forms once submitted else like many members it can drive you mad with all the waiting times. I know that's easier said than done but it's simply not worth the stress and damage to your mental health when you me and many others have plenty other stresses in life to deal with.

The whole process is subjective and down to human interpretation so sometimes you may well receive the incorrect decision. I keep my sanity by believing no one is making errors deliberately and the system has plenty of safeguards built in like MR, appeal to ensure you ultimately get the right decision.

Overall my interaction with DWP has been positive. Plenty of frustrations with not being able to speak to someone, waiting times, and the process itself but why stress yourself about things outside your control.

Hope that helps and best of luck with everything.

GothMog64

Hello MaaniMike
Thankyou for your response - much appreciated.    

Good news regarding my PIP assessment/review   I’ve been awarded middle of the road payment   My mobility isn’t severe enough to be assessed higher   But was reassured that should this change to inform the dept of any change(s) & will be readjusted etc….   No doubt will need to attend another assessment but for now am really glad I am getting the much needed award/monthly payment which helps with the cost of aids I require to help my daily living requirements.
Thankyou for taking the time to contact & I hope all ok with yourself
Best Wishes
GothMog

GothMog64

Thankyou for your comments - appreciated

MickH

I have had no issues as such with DWP, only the assessor who I believe was employed by Capita or some other outsourced company. She plainly lied, no polite way of saying this ! She said I was looking smart, clean and clean shaven, I have had a beard for some 10 years, and how she could see down a telephone Line is beyond me ! That I was mobile because I had a driving licence, I also have a TV Licence, but it doesn't make me an expert on Film making etc ! I recall she said she had a friend who had the same issues, which when I saw the assessment made me wonder if that was another lie.