Work capability

mayamy95

Hi I'm new here 
So I've been diagnosed with ptsd and ocd , I have my work capability assessment on the 6th of February and now I'm really starting to panic , I really struggle bad panic attacks , And when being questioned I always forget what I'm saying and lose track of the questions is the assessment really that bad I've heard so many stories , they asked me for a face to face appointment but I arranged for a phonecall one as I struggle to leave the house, my work coach advised me to phone and explain the situation, can anyone share some experience on there assessment please 
Thankyou 

poppy123456

Do you have someone to be with you during the assessment? You can put your phone onto loud speaker if that's possible.

It's also worth remembering that you mostly only hear the bad stories for assessments. However, the stats speak for theirself because the majority of people are found to have LCWRA so that's a good thing.

I've had quite a few work capability assessments in the past 10 years and can only say that i've never experience anything bad. All mine were good. I found the assessors to be very nice, helpful and kind.

During my assessments they've asked me questions based on a typical day for me. I don't know if it will be the same for you.

The assessment can last anywhere from 15 to 120 minutes, depending on how many questions they need to ask.

If it's UC that you're claiming once the decision is made you will receive a letter on your journal, assuming you have access to one.

mayamy95

poppy123456 said:

Do you have someone to be with you during the assessment? You can put your phone onto loud speaker if that's possible.

It's also worth remembering that you mostly only hear the bad stories for assessments. However, the stats speak for theirself because the majority of people are found to have LCWRA so that's a good thing.

I've had quite a few work capability assessments in the past 10 years and can only say that i've never experience anything bad. All mine were good. I found the assessors to be very nice, helpful and kind.

During my assessments they've asked me questions based on a typical day for me. I don't know if it will be the same for you.

The assessment can last anywhere from 15 to 120 minutes, depending on how many questions they need to ask.

If it's UC that you're claiming once the decision is made you will receive a letter on your journal, assuming you have access to one.

Thankyou for replying 
Yes I have someone to sit with me while I have the phonecall , I've got myself into such a worry over it , im really at the worst at the moment, and getting really bad anxiety when ever I have to have phone calls or speak about the way I feel , do they question how did it happen ? 
I lost my job where I worked for the company for just over 10' years in August and that's when I went on universal credit , so it's all a huge change to me so it's alot to take on board i really struggle with change , do you know how long they take to decide? I never knew there was extra help you could have until I had the questionnaire to fill out x

Albus_Scope

Heya @mayamy95 and welcome to the community.

I can see Poppy is already helping you with your queries, but I just wanted to stop in and say hi.

Like Poppy, I've been through several assessments and they were all over after an hour maximum, so please try not to worry. Easier said than done I know, I'm a phone-phobic after my PTSD, so I can empathise.
 It can take several weeks for a decision to be made, so it's usually best to try and think about other things for a while after the assessment, we do have the coffee lounge and games room to help with this.  They'll keep you updated though. And we're all here to support you.
 

mayamy95

Albus_Scope said:

Heya @mayamy95 and welcome to the community.

I can see Poppy is already helping you with your queries, but I just wanted to stop in and say hi.

Like Poppy, I've been through several assessments and they were all over after an hour maximum, so please try not to worry. Easier said than done I know, I'm a phone-phobic after my PTSD, so I can empathise.
 It can take several weeks for a decision to be made, so it's usually best to try and think about other things for a while after the assessment, we do have the coffee lounge and games room to help with this.  They'll keep you updated though. And we're all here to support you.
 

Hi thankyou for replying,
It's such a big change and every day is different it's just hard adjusting to this way of my life , last year was the worst year of my life , so it's alot when someone asks me questions I know I have to do it but I get all flustered, also trying to get used to my medication , I've tried so many I get really bad flashbacks and night terrors it's nice to know others in the same situation as me as I feel people don't really understand me and just think I'm crazy x 

Jimm_Scope

Hey @mayamy95, I had someone sit with my during my PIP assessment like Poppy mentions, and found it really helped me. What I also did was sit down with that person and write notes and reminders for every question/topic we could think of. That way we could quickly check we didn't forget anything during the assessment by checking the notes. Our assessor was quite happy for us to quickly do that at the end of each question. 

Maybe that is something that could help?

mayamy95

Hi @Jimm_Scope
That sounds like a good idea , I've got some notes written already , my mind goes blank and then I go into a panic my appointment isn't for about 2 weeks but I am completely dreading it already I know it's going be worth doing it so , I'm just worrying I will get turned down for it