Disappointing PIP Report received

ellied2004

Hi all this is my first time posting, I had my PIP assessment on the 2nd March and recieved my report today. I have fibromyalgia, depression and anxiety. I decided to apply for PIP as I am on long term sick and unable to work with my illness and needed some financal support. When I arrived at the centre they were running late and I had to wait over an hour which sent me into a panic as I only leave the house for appointments that I have to go to and I can't go outside on my own, this meant my assessment was rushed as I needed to get home. At the time I found the assessor to ok and he seemed like he wanted to help get it right. Well after reading the report he has left vital details off also told lies, he mentions a few times that I was able to pass letters to him and could get my coat on and off ok. I never once passed him anything and at no point did I remove my coat. The worst part is he comments throughout saying I didnt look depressed or in pain?? What does depression and  pain look like?? How can he assume that I am not in pain or he knows what is going on inside my head just because he looked at me?

Does anyone have any advice on where I should go from here as basically it's my word against his.

Thankyou

Matilda

Ask DWP for a mandatory reconsideration (MR) and if this is unsuccessful be prepared to go to appeal. 69% of appeals succeed.  Assessors are notorious for lying in their reports.

Disability Rights UK site has a good guide to all stages and of PIP. 

ellied2004

Thankyou for you reply. I am really shocked, he  even commented that I didn't sweat throughout yet when I arrived he went to shake my hand and I said I won't because my hands were soaking and I was embarrassed. He said I dont look depressed or anxious yet scored me 10 points on mobility as any journey would cause overwhelming psychological stress, so one minute he says I don' have any problems yet on the other I do. It doesn't make any sense 

Henry

Thank u  for sharing.   I  too await my  decision from DWP.
I have the same disabilities  + IBS. PTSD.    Arthritis.    My  feet burning sensation.  If they fuse the bones in the big toes. I shall be limping the rest of my days.  
Key  hole surgery on my knees .
Virtually unable to walk without a stick.  
I shall  keep u posted on the outcome.
I am on DLA  middle rate of care and high  rate mobility. 
Personally.  I am waiting to be shafted. 

British Veteran 

reenie

When I had my pip assessment in February the paperwork said I was legally allowed to record the interview as long as I let them know before my appointment. I didn't chose to record as my medical evidence is quite big and they can't argue  with it. But maybe you could ask for another assessment and state you will be recording because you felt the last assessor didn't write up your report correctly? X

ellied2004

@Henry I have everything crossed for you, hopefully yours will be a better outcome.

@reenie thankyou for that, I stupidly didn't send any evidence in as I thought they would get that themselves, I have reports that say the opposite of what is said on my assessors Report, maybe sending that in might make a difference 

reenie

I sent in every copy from every doctor I have seen since being disabled. My spine was misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia for years so I know how difficult it is too be able to prove the struggles you have under that diagnoses. Dla wouldn't acknowledge my physical problems for years and I didn't have the emotional strength to fight back. Now my spine has given out I have mri's to prove my situation. Part of me wants to get those mri's and send them to the person who didn't believe my physical restrictions were there years ago and say " see told you what was happening to me was in fact happening!" But thankfully pip assessor was good with me this time round and I've been awarded a much better amount. Funny thing though I was assessed I  February but they won't start my pip claim until 4th April. Don't understand this but again don't have it in me emotionally to argue it

reenie

I had to chase my local hospital to get copies of reports and scans sent to me. My gp was great and printed off a couple of mri scan reports for me too. I didn't get them originally for pip I got them so next time I have to go a+e the doctors can help me quicker as some of symptoms display like stroke symptoms and they spent months looking at my brain instead of my spine despite my requests to look at spine at the same time. But im glad i did get my pile of reports because it made the whole pip application and assessment much easier x

ellied2004

@reenie I swear my pain is more than fibro but so far nothing is showing up my arms are in so much pain, but according to my assessor I'm not in pain

ellied2004

@reenie thank God you got your diagnosis just so you can prove all those people wrong. How come you have to wait till April? I thought it was backdated 

reenie

Have you asked for mri? The doctors ignored my pain until I physically couldn't lift my left leg and had incontinence issues. That was when they finally did a 2nd mri of my spine back in 2016 which showed my spine damage had worsened. After nearly 8 years of misdiagnosis. My spine specialist wasn't impressed when I told him about my symptoms for years and that the rheumatologist ignored the clear nerve symptoms and should have referred me to him 8 yrs ago. I'm a bit of a mess now because of the wrong medical advice. I would highly recommend you push for more testing x

sleepy1

Hi @ellied2004, welcome to the Scope forum where you will find lots of useful information and find lots of other people who have also had bad assessments.
Very good point "what does pain and depression look like??"  Perhaps you should call DWP and ask the decision maker exactly that and include the reply in your MR.

Nothing shocks me now, my son took me in my wheelchair pushed me about 5 meters at most from the waiting room, I was in a lot of pain and on the verge of a nervous breakdown.  The report came back I came alone self propelled 50 meters from the waiting room to the assessment room and looked well?

Not saying they all tell leis but the ones that do have a lot to answer for!

Hope you don't mind me taking your quote  to start a new thread, 

Best wishes Rosie X

ellied2004

@reenie thankyou  I will definitely keep pushing, I'm only 34 and have a young baby and feel like my illness also affects him as I cant do anything with him, it' such a shame for him.

@sleepy1 thank you, most of my report focusses on what I looked like, how am I supposed to look, maybe I should of sat in floods of tears and said ow every few seconds, sorry to hear you also had things that were untrue said, we shouldn't have to deal with that on top of everything else... of course I dont mind x

Jurph

Hi @ellied2004

I have the same - Fibro, Anxiety and Depression.

I wasn't given a single point. My entire assessment was based on my appearance. I didn't "look tired, anxious or depressed". I too would like to know what I am meant to look like!

I feel let down by the whole thing. I've just sent my appeal form off so now waiting for the tribunal.

reenie

I'm 34 too my youngest is 5. I've been battling misdiagnosis and grumpy officials since my 2nd son was a baby when I was aged 22. It's extremely frustrating isn't it. All I wanted was help to feel better so I could be an active mum again and work but was constantly dismissed because I was too young for spine problems. If they had of done the mri when I was 22 I would have been given the correct medical advice and my spine wouldn't be so screwed now. My first mri was when I was 29 and showed damage but again they were dismissive. Had 3 mri's in 4 years now and every time the results have come back worse so now I've been diagnosed with progressive deterioration of the lower spine. And all they keep saying is " you are too young to have results  like this " which infuriates me as I was quite clear from the start that the pain I experience in my spine has been there since I was 13 from a severe beating with a wooden stick from an adult. 

ellied2004

@Jurph Hiya, so sorry to hear you are having to go through this. The well known saying "don' judge a book by its cover" doesn't seem to apply with PIP. They must have set criteria on what you should look like. My nurse was a mental health one and that is all he seemed to focus on, he wasnt really interested in the chronic pain just said I didn't look in pain. My mum had done my hair for me as she always does if I have to go out, I still had my pjs on under my clothes but still said I was well dressed.

Did you do the mandatory consideration? Good luck with your appeal. I did get 7 points for daily living and 10 for mobility, I feel it has been done just so I barely miss out on points x

ellied2004

@reenie omg thats awful I'm so sorry and so awful that you have had this dragged out for so long. I hope they can do something to ease the pain for you, living with daily pain is horrendous and I don' know how you have coped doing it for so long x

Jurph

@ellied2004 it's like reading my own problems. Mine was a mental health nurse too. Mine ignored everything. I said I have severe pain 3 days a week and severe fatigue 3 days a week. They took that as one problem, 3 days a week. Therefore, less that 50% of the time!

I did a mandatory reconsideration. I still scored 0 points.

reenie

@ellied2004 my back is permanelty scarred from 10 years of very hot water bottles. I don't like relying on the yacky medications they throw at me. I had to learn to do a bit rest a bit all day long. Now I'm on rest 90% ,10% can do a bit sometimes. Have you had an mri? I would push for one. Wish I had off years ago x

ellied2004

@Jurph that isn't good, pain and fatigue are both completely different things, fatigue is awful especially when you literally cant keep your eyes open its horrible, they should be classed as 2 separate things. Did you send in any evidence?

@reenie I can't begin to imagine how horrendous that was for you good on you though for keeping fighting for a diagnosis, you know your own body. I also hope the person responsible for doing that to you is or has been punished. No I havent had an MRI after xrays the consultant said although I have inflammation he thinks it is fibro x

Jurph

@ellied2004 exactly. I gave them my diagnosis letter from consultant rheumatologist (who discharged me back to the GP for management) and a mental health assessment that recommended high level CBT (a 6 month wait!)

They photocopied both but then ignored it while making their decision. 

They didn't contact my GP or rheumatologist.

To make it worse, my GP retired today so can't ask for evidence from him and it's currently a 6 week wait for an appointment at my GP surgery.