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How to win your award
CockneyRebel
Member Posts: 5,257 Disability Gamechanger
There is no guaranteed way to receive the award you deserve
It does not matter whether you are making a new claim, a change from DLA to PIP, a re-assessment, an MR or an appeal. At the moment the only way to receive the award you deserve is to prove that you meet the criteria for for an award.
We see so many people on the forums that do not understand what is required, who then blame the system for not giving them what they think they deserve. Rightly or wrongly PIP is not DLA and the two are very different.
PIP is a test of functionallity not condition. All the medical evidence that you have this or that condition will not mean that you qualify for an award. It is 100% up to you to prove that your functionallity is affected to which ever degree fits the descriptor and then back it up with medical and other evidence.
More is not always better.
If you send in the equivalent of "war and peace" as evidence, don't expect the DWP or HCP to read it. Send only relevant evidence that attests to your lack of functionality. If you do have a lot of evidence, then include a summary and a reference to where the best support is by page and paragraph.
Many of us with long term conditions are used to managing and hiding how we are affected. This is not to your advantage when applyinng at any stage. You need to become the you that does not have these coping mechanisms in place. Sucking your belly in to impress a girl does not work.but you will fool the assessor and lose what you are entitled to.
Forums are full of tales of injustice, of HCP's that lie, that make stupid assumptions. HCP's are taught how to ask question, much like sales people, to gain a specific answer. No it isn't right and often a false result is recorded.
We are all conditioned to reply in the positive. " how are you " "I am fine thanks " .
When asked can "you do x" we will reply automatically "yes but " that is to late the assessor has closed the window at yes
Try and reply "no but " the assessor then has to explore further
Try it in every day life.
Yes the deck is stacked against many people but with a little knowledge and understanding of what is going on we can achieve what we deserve
Yes there are HCP's with an agenda, yes there are HCP's that will fail even a corpse. The system is far from perfect, because of cuts there is little in the way of help
CR
It does not matter whether you are making a new claim, a change from DLA to PIP, a re-assessment, an MR or an appeal. At the moment the only way to receive the award you deserve is to prove that you meet the criteria for for an award.
We see so many people on the forums that do not understand what is required, who then blame the system for not giving them what they think they deserve. Rightly or wrongly PIP is not DLA and the two are very different.
PIP is a test of functionallity not condition. All the medical evidence that you have this or that condition will not mean that you qualify for an award. It is 100% up to you to prove that your functionallity is affected to which ever degree fits the descriptor and then back it up with medical and other evidence.
More is not always better.
If you send in the equivalent of "war and peace" as evidence, don't expect the DWP or HCP to read it. Send only relevant evidence that attests to your lack of functionality. If you do have a lot of evidence, then include a summary and a reference to where the best support is by page and paragraph.
Many of us with long term conditions are used to managing and hiding how we are affected. This is not to your advantage when applyinng at any stage. You need to become the you that does not have these coping mechanisms in place. Sucking your belly in to impress a girl does not work.but you will fool the assessor and lose what you are entitled to.
Forums are full of tales of injustice, of HCP's that lie, that make stupid assumptions. HCP's are taught how to ask question, much like sales people, to gain a specific answer. No it isn't right and often a false result is recorded.
We are all conditioned to reply in the positive. " how are you " "I am fine thanks " .
When asked can "you do x" we will reply automatically "yes but " that is to late the assessor has closed the window at yes
Try and reply "no but " the assessor then has to explore further
Try it in every day life.
Yes the deck is stacked against many people but with a little knowledge and understanding of what is going on we can achieve what we deserve
Yes there are HCP's with an agenda, yes there are HCP's that will fail even a corpse. The system is far from perfect, because of cuts there is little in the way of help
CR
Be all you can be, make every day count. Namaste
Replies
Also the questions they ask are questions that they are reading off a computer screen and if you answer no you can’t do to something, the computer automatically starts to generate more, questions on this subject. Trying to catch you out.
This is the same type of software they use on the emergency 111 system. The person who answers the call is not qualified like a person who does 999 calls.
This info then is put into a report and the computer will no doubt be the one adding the points up.
so as I’ve said before I don’t beleave it is right to start putting complaints in to Capita/ Atos about the assessor except if they were rude in their actions.towards the patient
When we feel under presure and every joint hurts "i feel fine" gets rid of the questions in everyday life.
We then forget that we have to behaviour differently sometimes to show how we really feel/are
Dont just say I try if you can't do it and in pain etc. Say!!! If you have and use aids state them and if you can't use them properly or their not helpful Say so and explain WHY.
Also to add Most think a GP will know everything they might know a little but will also not know to much either of your functional impact. So be aware your the best person to know how you can't cope.
I myself as a rule have always had PB assessments No F2F? But back it up with further functional evidence. Diagnosis help to a point also say if your seeking professional help or looking to recieve it, or you already recieve it.
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Asked before no one had an answer
1) PIP is not so different from DLA. Both have always been tests of functionality and DLA caselaw is increasingly coming into play for PIP.
2) Medical evidence rarely supports assertions around functionality. What for example can your GP say about your night time mobility or daily living needs? The best evidence you have is your own and is anecdotal. Medical evidence is useful if your diagnosis or prognosis is in dispute but otherwise it’s just the equivalent of your neighbour repeating what you told them. It maybe adds credibility to what you say but it isn’t medical evidence as such.
I know you are a pro, can you give any links to DLA case law that would be useful ?
CR
Therefore it’s PIP decision which need reading not DLA ones. The best current resource is https://pipinfo.net/
Sometimes you pro's are so used to this stuff that to try and simplify it in a way that we understand can be difficult
My point in making this thread was to try and simplify what is a difficult process for many people
DLA awards are now largely not relevant but the expectation of a lifetime DLA award and then having to apply for PIP with no guarantee, troubles many
I agree that medical evidence is of limited use but for many people that is what they cling to. I have said in many posts that GP's cannot for the most part attest to a persons daily life and struggle. A diagnosis can provide the underlying cause of a lack of functionality and a list of prescibed medication can provide a certain amount of understanding especially in the case of hidden conditions. The level of pain medication for example can go a long way to confirm the level of pain a person experiances.
I wish there was an ABC to a perfect claim but each person is different.
I, for one, really value your input so a big Thank you from me
CR
I’d say the evidence for DLA can potentially be useful if you remember to say you want it taken into account during the conversion phone call. If nothing else it would then have to pop up in your PIP appeal papers leaving DWP with the problem of explaining specifically what had magically improved.
I accept that the advice you give is well intended but it does tend to come across as somewhat sympathetic to DLA regs
Salamka101
Big light bulb moment
That is the most profound thing I have heard that could be of use to change over claiments
Do the DWP subscribe to the second coming or do they accept the Lazarus effect
I need to think about this as something that has past me and many others by
again a big thank you
CR
i should be clear that it’s very unlikely your DLA decision and supporting evidence will influence the initial decision or MR but it will definitely assist at appeal.
A case of forewarned is forearmed
CR
I've been panicking about further evidence needed but the fact is I don't have any! I was given a diagnosis by a rheumatologist then discharged back to GP for management. I have allergies that stop me taking certain medications and only have a physio referral and a CBT referral (which I'm still waiting 3 months later for)
It's impossible to give evidence that doesn't exist. I now realise that I am the evidence!
I did use the same medical diagnosis evidence for pip because that hasn't changed.
Reading the DLA forms back it showed what didn't fit the criteria. Seeing the forms also shows what questions have been dropped or are different. And so I probably wouldn't use the DLA forms as evidence- because they don't fit.
I was indefinite, but maybe that's not the best way of looking at people. In two years time my issues are expected to still be present. I will be the same, or worse. If indefinite you are almost forgotten about?
would it help in a manditory reconsideration ?