PIP Review

Nashota

I am due a PIP review next month, I have typed everything out and have been going through it all often just to make sure it's ok and it's all relevant. I asked an advice centre who supposedly deal with disability benefits if they could read through the information and she told me to tick no change and put minimal information on the form, then she tried to tell me that Capita only do face to face and phone assessment when from what I've read on their site, it also appears that they do paper based and they also do video.. so I'm really not sure where this adviser has gotten her information from, but I have noticed that them either putting minimal information or advising you to put minimal information is a common thing for a lot of advice centres.

I responded to her and explained that I'd had people advise me to explain properly and to treat the form like it was a normal PIP form, she even assumed I wanted to challenge one of the descriptors when I never said that, Scope have advised that I ought to explain on one of the decriptors that I was awarded x points for it at my first assessment but when I had my review I was only awarded x points (6 lower) and to explain about my condition etc. I didn't want them to fill the form out for me, just to check the information to make sure I've not over or under explained and have only put relevant information because I tend to ramble somewhat due to my anxiety unfortunately.

Pardon my moan but she kind of annoyed me because when Welfare Rights put minimal information the last time the HCP used it as part of his reasoning for claiming that I had no mental health conditions which in turn got my award lowered.

Lauren29

I work as a benefits adviser and I would always advise clients to treat the form as a normal PIP form. I would never advise them to tick no change and provide minimal information. I am sorry that you have received such poor advice.

Nashota

Thanks for your response.

As it is I already find filling forms out difficult and stressful and they tend to flare my anxiety up a fair bit, the problem is, if you ask someone else to do it they either don't put enough info or don't write it correctly so it's accurate. I do have an advocate but she's quite hard to get a hold of just lately so I'm struggling to try and word it on my own.

I do have other questions but I'll ask another time as I can't really focus at the moment

poppy123456

Always treat every claim as a new claim and never just put no change and nothing else. The best person to fill out those forms is yourself because you are the only person that knows exactly how your conditions affect you. If you've had bad experiences from advice agencies in the past then why rely on them again now?

Nashota

True Poppy! I was just wanting them to check what I'd typed, I wasn't wanting them to fill anything out for me which is what I even said to them.

Yeah I'm trying to do what you advised me to do with my ESA50, with that I was given a paperbased assessment and moved to SG.

I do have a question and don't want to start new threads.

I have swallowing problems, it has caused me to have negative thoughts and anxiety around eating due to me choking on fluids, I swish my drink and even medication, I don't like eating at all, my son has to prepare and cook my food for me and will sit with me while I eat because I worry about choking because I often cough food up as well.

I've had the issue since about 2009 however it wasn't that bad, it's only since around 2014 that it start to become progressivly worse, it's not been mentioned in my PIP applications at all, so I was wondering if I ought to mention it when I get the review form along with the fact that I don't prepare or cook meals, they wouldn't acknowledge that and gave me 2 points for prompting, or is there any point in me mentioning it? I'm trying not to trigger a verbal assessment, I know it does happen often but I want to try and get a paperbased assessment due to the fact I become very overwhelmed and even agitated when talking to people to the point where the only person that I speak to is my son and even he can make me feel quite anxious and agitated. I spend most of my time in my bedroom either on my own or with our cat.

I was referred to SALT about it but sadly the help that they offered was limited and unhelpful.

Nashota

Just to add to the above, my PIP is enhanced/enhanced, so I'm not sure if there's any point in me mentioning it?

poppy123456

I usually include everything in my review forms and my main focus is the real world examples. It's entirely up to you whether you include that other condition but I would if it was me. Please also note that preparing a meal and taking nutrition (eating) are 2 completely different activities.

Nashota

Hi Poppy,

Thanks for the advice, yes I'm aware of that, but I don't prepare or cook food due to different reasons including what I've noted above. I'll speak to my advocate about it who will be checking over the information for me before I send it. She did the same for me with my ESA50 the last time. I'm just being weary due to what happened with my last review, it's causing me to feel quite anxious and it's affecting my FM unfortunately.