Hello, Newbie Feeling V Anxious

woollywonder

Hi all, Don't really know what I'm seeking with my post but feel better just writing it down I suppose. I have recently applied for PIP for the first time on the basis of functional difficulties caused by MS, Fibro and anxiety. I've been dx over 5 years but didn't rush to apply as I know it's not on a diagnosis and I wanted to see how things developed over a period of time. The last couple of years have seen a decline and a pretty consistent level of difficulty and as a number of appts came along (eventually!) giving me some good 'evidence' (neuro physio, OT assessment, Continence team reports) I felt it was the right time and bit the bullet. I did the online application and after exactly 28 days have had a letter confirming a telephone assessment in 10 days.

I'm now overthinking and stressing - it seems quick. Also, I gave so much careful info on the form - examples, frequency of difficulties, took into account reliability etc.

There's nothing more I can add in an assessment, as I'm only hoping for 8-10 points on DL and *maybe* 8 points on mobility . I also in 'extra info' summarised how I deal with some other general activities and the effects these have, just for context.

Are they just going to be trying to trip me up? I seem to see so may examples where people report having been grilled endlessly and this terrifies me as I'm good at writing things when I have time to think it through, but not good at having to remember and worry if I'm saying things exactly the same as I wrote! 

I honestly don't see why I need an assessment and I just feel that because it's so quick it means they just don't believe me and want to get me off the pile.

Thanks for reading, I'm in my usual insomniac mode due to spasticity in legs causing painful spasms!

poppy123456

The length of time it took to receive an appointment is irrelevant to what the decision will be. Online applications do seem to be much quicker than paper forms. Access to the online forms are sent to your email. Once it's filled in and submitted it's received immediately.

With paper forms they first have to send the form out in the post, which can then take up to 2 weeks to receive. Then once it's filled in they have to return it back to DWP, which can take up to a couple of weeks for it to be added onto the system.

Most people have assessments, paper based assessments are rare, though possible. If they have enough of information to complete a paper based assessment they will do that. As an assessment is needed it's clear they don't have enough of information. It's great you gave lots of information but if you didn't keep it relevant to the PIP descriptors then this could be why an assessment is needed. Very difficult to advise on that because i have no idea what you wrote in the form.

It's only natural that when reading stories online you'll mostly only hear the bad stories. If someone has had a decision they are happy with, they have no questions to ask so we don't hear their story.

During the assessment try to avoid those simple yes or no answers because doing this can lead to the assessor coming to all sorts of conclusions. Try to give as much extra information as possible. If you kept a copy of the form you returned have a read of that before the assessment so you can remind yourself of wat you wrote.

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

woollywonder

Thanks Poppy, it is very relevant to the descriptors and I kept it detailed, but to the point (I hope!) I suppose they may want to double check a few bits if they think I might be in between one score or another? I don't know. I think as an anxious person my default is to assume the worst, because the whole 'ethos' around PIP seems negative, with people feeling a bit persecuted. As you say though, there must be many many positive experiences or there would be far more posts on the forums.  Has anyone had a short assessment where they've maybe wanted to just check a few areas?

poppy123456

woollywonder said:

Has anyone had a short assessment where they've maybe wanted to just check a few areas?

Yes, i have and it lasted 10 minutes. It was my PIP review back in 2016. I had to attend an assessment centre in the Winter, with snow on the ground and i've never been so cold.

I was asked 2 questions and then she said, thank you, i have all the information i need. I'm really sorry that you've been asked to come all this way for just a very short assessment as this could have been a paper based assessment.

To say i was very angry was an understatement. Two days later i had a phone call out of the blue from a decision maker who asked me exactly when my mobility had got worse. I answered the question and he thanked me for my time. He told me i would receive the decision letter in the post. The following day i rang to ask what the decision was and they told me.

Whiskey26

@woollywonder try not to overthink things, you'll make yourself feel worse. When I had my PIP assessment, I made sure I had a copy of the form I sent them, together with notes to back it up. Just be open and honest about the difficulties you face, as I'm sure you've done on your form. They aren't there to trip you up, it's just to make sure they have all the facts so a correct decision can be made. Preparation is key, so just make sure you write down everything you need to say. Good luck.

woollywonder

poppy123456 said:

woollywonder said:

Has anyone had a short assessment where they've maybe wanted to just check a few areas?

Yes, i have and it lasted 10 minutes. It was my PIP review back in 2016. I had to attend an assessment centre in the Winter, with snow on the ground and i've never been so cold.

I was asked 2 questions and then she said, thank you, i have all the information i need. I'm really sorry that you've been asked to come all this way for just a very short assessment as this could have been a paper based assessment.

To say i was very angry was an understatement. Two days later i had a phone call out of the blue from a decision maker who asked me exactly when my mobility had got worse. I answered the question and he thanked me for my time. He told me i would receive the decision letter in the post. The following day i rang to ask what the decision was and they told me.

Gosh Poppy that's so annoying! Even a phone call would have been preferable wouldn't it.  At least I can stay comfy for mine so that's a blessing

Jimm_Alumni

Hi @woollywonder, welcome to our online community Having submitted my own application in August and just had my assessment the Monday gone I totally understand the worry and anxiety! 

I agree with what Poppy has said, there are many horrible stories online, many of the good or okay stories are rarely bothered to be told. As what is there to tell really? My assessor was good, asked open-ended questions, avoided yes or no questions. That's a common theme with bad assessments, if they ask yes or no questions and the person answers with yes or no. If they ask a yes or no question you DO NOT have to answer with yes or no. You can explain exactly how your condition affects you. 

Good luck with it, and let us know how you get on!

woollywonder

So my mobile rang an hour before my assessment to say the assessor is off sick - and I was all mentally prepped! To be fair, Capita were very helpful and allowed me to choose another day to suit me next week. He also went to great pains to explain that this was their cancellation and as such will not affect my right to change an appt if needed. Feeling disappointed that it's not out of the way yet   On a lighter note, I did say that my (paper) diary is glaringly empty of all but medical appointments. What a change from a few years ago..