Capita PIP assessment with 2 assessors?

dadof3

Hi everyone, I'm new here, and looking for a bit of advice, sorry if this is in the wrong place, I wasn't sure where to post it.

My saga started several weeks ago, with a PIP reassessment letter (currently enhanced rate for care and mobility), with an appointment for an assessment at a destination over 2 hours away from home, among my list of illnesses (ever increasing) are "cognitive dysfunction" (take from that what you will), agoraphobia and social anxiety, these were among the reasons that on my last application I was given a home assessment.

Skip forward several weeks, several phonecalls and being constantly told to ring back the next day to see if a home appointment was available they finally gave me a home visit the day before the original meeting was due to take place.

So that brings me to today, and the home visit, my wife who's currently on crutches with a recent spinal injury herself, and who's dosed up to the hilt on various medications and with morphine patches opened the door to find 2 men standing there, who said they were from Capita, and flashed their ID badges at her briefly before coming in, I realise that at this point I should have said something, but that's anxiety, I was a mess before they arrived just through knowing they were coming, and they sat down and started, after saying that one of them was doing the assessment, my assumption was that the other was there for training purposes, as he was pointing out bits on the laptop programme they were using.

After a few minutes the second man asked if he could borrow the bathroom, bit awkward really to say no isn't it, so the wife allowed him to use it (it's downstairs), and off he toddled, on his return he then started altering questions and joining in with the other assessor, going backwards and forwards until I was in a real state, he then left the room twice to "log in" on his phone, why he couldn't do it in teh room we were in is beyond me.

The other assessor, entering details was looking at his watch the entire time they were there, trying to put words in my mouth, telling me that I could "just do this", or "just do that", and between them they carried this on for just under 2 hours, a very different experience from my last assessment, as they left they stood outside the front door and were talking loudly, and said something about my wife's situation, but I didn't here what exactly.

So to my point, I feel like I was mentally abused in my own home, it wasn't an assessment, it was a 2 pronged attack, with one of the men taking time out to wander around the downstairs of my house unsupervised, my views weren't listened to, words were put into my mouth, very leading questions were asked, and then answered, by these 2 people, I'd rather the whole situation went away, and would rather forget it, but I can't believe that they're allowed to act like that, and against my better judgement I'd like to take it further and formally complain, but do I do this now, prior to my report being sent over to the DWP, and risk any potential backlash from these people, or do I wait until I get my decision letter, in which case it will just look like sour grapes if they have done as I suspect they have, and just filled in what they were saying.

Sorry for the post being so long, but there's a lot I've missed out even at this length, thanks for reading.

basiclee08

@dadof3 Hello sorry to hear your experience of pip Sadly all to common and Don't help constantly Altering goal posts for claiming or assessment criteria. no need ever to apologize on here. just you rant away anytime and welcome to our online Community. Lee 

dadof3

Hi Lee, thanks for your reply, the more I read the more it appears that bullying tactics are part and parcel for some assessors, like any walk of life I guess there's always that minority.

basiclee08

True.but Some of Us Got Big Gobs And Happy To Demonstrate and Make them Squirm if only Just a Little.

wildlife

Hi @dadof3 Any complaint you make to Capita will be treated separately to your claim but it is worth letting the DWP know that you have complained about the way your reassessment was carried out. It would be worth checking the way a home assessment should be done regarding the wandering around the house and anything else you weren't happy about. I had ATOS but assuming it's the same you can ring for your assessment report to be sent to you which may give you more to mention in your complaint. The assessment companies are snowed under with people's complaints but it's still worth doing.

dadof3

Hi wildlife, thanks for your reply, I've started making bullet points for my complaint today, but after the last few days (and nights, insomnia, you have to love it) I'm just about exhausted, so I'll carry on with them when I have more energy.

Re the report, from what I've read it's not clear if I can get a copy of this prior to the decision making process by the DWP, as obviously I'd like this as soon as possible, I've found material about the assessment process, but none specifically  about home visit procedures, nor whether it's acceptable for 2 assessors to be literally cross examining you at the same time, I'll have to spend more time searching for this information when I'm up to it as I haven't seen it in any of the guidance notes I've read.

I doubt complaining will get me anywhere, and to be honest I'd rather it just go away and be forgotten, but what happened on Friday wasn't a review in any sense of the word, it was a plain and simple interrogation, 2 people firing different questions at you at the same time then swapping and going back and forwards before you could answer anything, and blatantly telling me what I can do, I have cognitive problems, and within minutes I didn't know where I was, and they continued for just under 2 hours, I know they have a job to do, but that wasn't it, and they could push some people over the edge with this kind of "interview" technique, so I'll press on with the complaint procedure as far as I can, hopefully (but I'm doubtful) something will get done about it.

Liam_Alumni

Hi @dadof3,

Sorry to hear about your experience with your PIP assessment. How is your application going? Have you received your decision letter?

If you have any questions or need any further advice or support, then please do get in touch.