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Help with ATOS PIP Assessment
Tanya29
Member Posts: 1 Listener
Hi everyone I recently had a ATOS Assessment having been on pip for the last four years, and each year the same happens , I go to the Assessment and because of all the lies and inaccuracy
of the report I end up going to tribunal and win, this last one was quite unbelievable, the HCP said for reading and writing I get no points, as I can read and write fine (I was not even tested on reading and writing! ) I was asked to calculate sums which I had a go at both my answer's were wrong I found out later, however according to the HCP the answers were near enough ! Not right but not wrong either! Lots of other things as well as these examples.
Your comments please.
By the way I suffer from Anxiety and Depression,
of the report I end up going to tribunal and win, this last one was quite unbelievable, the HCP said for reading and writing I get no points, as I can read and write fine (I was not even tested on reading and writing! ) I was asked to calculate sums which I had a go at both my answer's were wrong I found out later, however according to the HCP the answers were near enough ! Not right but not wrong either! Lots of other things as well as these examples.
Your comments please.
By the way I suffer from Anxiety and Depression,
Replies
and welcome to the community! Very many others here are having similar difficulties, so you are far from alone. You will find plenty of conversations, posts and resources, and one of the easiest ways is to type a relevant word (PIP for example) in the Search box. That will guide you to much that is going on. This might be useful to you: https://community.scope.org.uk/categories/talk-about-pip-dla
The site also provides access to a benefits advisor at: https://community.scope.org.uk/categories/ask-a-benefits-advisor
Other than knowing that they're an indescribable mess, I know little about benefits these days, my own direct experience being related to long-term unemployment and my daughter's life and death some 25 - 30 years ago. Anxiety and depression I DO know something about, and there are plenty of fellow-sufferers here, so you are among friends
Don't hesitate to talk or to ask any questions.
Warmest best wishes to you,
Richard
Your assessment is not a medical. They are not supposed to do any functional assessment unless there is an absence of up to date functional information.
The poor standard of HCP assessment reports is a given. So, you need to do a mandatory reconsideration and then, if necessary, appeal with representation. At the MR and appeal stages it will be worth highlighting the pattern you describe of nil points followed by challenge followed by award. Include the reports and the decisions and the appeal decisions. However, you still need to explain which points you ought to score on and why.
As an aside to this you may wish to provide the chronology to IAS/ATOS as part of a complaint to show them a fundamental problem with their process.