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Can we exchange experiences of PIP assessments?

[Deleted User]

I have joined the community as a 60 year old with multiple health issues. I am in the process of a PIP assessment which is proving extremely fraught and would like to exchange my experiences so far with anyone who is misfortune enough to have been through or is going through a similar scenario.

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Yadnad

Username_removed said:

Plenty here. Go for it

Hey hang on Mike, the website is likely to crash!!

leannemich

Hey!
I had an assessment in October 2016 that was full of lies etc and the nurse wasn’t very present to say the least! I was alone and it definitely didn’t go in my favour!
anyhow i got standard rate both and had my mobility car taken away from me and I didn’t take it any further.
In december 2017 my nurse come to see me from Solihull as the condition I have the only specialist nurses or dermatologist are based in Birmingham or London and I’m from Manchester, she told me to re apply as I was having a bad patch and couldn’t walk.
i asked them to look at my claim and told them I’d got worse and had another assessment but at home, I had a representative from the charity that is for the condition I have and the assessor that come was lovely, down to earth and could really tell my struggles.
i asked for a report of it and she didn’t make one lie and I’ve been awarded enhanced rate both and just ordered my new mobility car!
theyre not all bad even though I’ve been through having a bad one they’re all not the same

Yadnad

MICKC said:

I have joined the community as a 60 year old with multiple health issues. I am in the process of a PIP assessment which is proving extremely fraught and would like to exchange my experiences so far with anyone who is misfortune enough to have been through or is going through a similar scenario.

Well you asked!
Had been on High DLA for both Mobility & Care from the mid 90's.(that is apart from the period 2004 to 2011 as I was too ill and at points along the way, under section in hospital to re-apply on review) Anyhow apart from that little hiccup I was just a few weeks short of the 65 cut off (my mother gave birth to me a few weeks too late!).
I was told I was moving to PIP in May 2013, just after my 65th birthday. I went through the claim system, filled out the PIP2 form and sent it off. Then had a face to face assessment which resulted in a decision being made late in 2013 that I had failed. My DLA stopped and I handed my Motability car back within 10 days. I asked for a MR which surprisingly was accepted by the DWP and they put me on Enhanced Mobility & Care for 3 years. Thank you DWP and I went back to the garage and got a new Motability car.
All was well until in late 2015 I received another PIP2 form. I filled it in and by return I received a letter telling me to go for a face to face assessment. I duly attended the appointment, which like the first one was a fiasco. Some weeks later I received a letter telling me that I had gained 0 points. Not happy as I had to return the Motability car. So another MR was made and this time I also sent a very comprehensive letter (3 pages in fact) that my GP had prepared for me. Again the DWP wrote back telling me that they had re-instated my Enhanced Mobility & Care for 3 years. Off I went and got another Motability car.
Late 2017 came and this time I had a smaller review form to fill in. This was sent off and then I was told I needed another face to face assessment (the third one since 2013!) Again the assessment was a shambles which resulted in yet another rejection letter from the DWP telling me that I had the grand total of 0 points. So the Motability car went back in the same week - the 3rd car to be returned in the past 5years!
Anyhow I was most hopeful based on previous experience that if I applied for another MR I would be able to get another Motability car. Unfortunately this was not to be. The DWP agreed that the original decision was right as I was entitled to 0 points.
And there we have it today. I decided that at 70 I could no longer put up with this and the thought of being re-assessed + face to face assessments every 2 years for the rest of my life. Now without any transport other than friends & family doing their bit.
Moral of the story - I initially tried to get help from the CAB back in 2013 but they never got back to me so I did my own thing. I should have pushed to get help with every re-assessment. Since then I have found out that I should have challenged the length of the awards at MR.

My advice - don't worry about the accuracy of the assessors report get professional help with the MR but more importantly seek that help before you fill out any re-assessment form.

Because of not getting that help it has resulted in never being able to have my own transport, a large reduction in our income amounting to hundreds of pounds a week and not forgetting the stress and anxiety I have been through over the past 5 years.

There you go -

whistles

Mine was fine. I think I am in the minority?
The assessor scored me what I scored me.
The DM dropped points but I was under anyway for care.

Got EM, didn't MR. I didn't have anymore evidence and I was too stressed by this point.
It actually took three months to get paid the correct amount. I went five weeks without money because of how they have worked their system!

Nairb

Had high rate dla indefitingly then at 67 I had to change to pip had my face to face and asked for a copy if the examiners report it was full of lies see my first discusenshen post sorry my spelling is not goid due to stroke

leannemich

whistles said:

Mine was fine. I think I am in the minority?
The assessor scored me what I scored me.
The DM dropped points but I was under anyway for care.

Got EM, didn't MR. I didn't have anymore evidence and I was too stressed by this point.
It actually took three months to get paid the correct amount. I went five weeks without money because of how they have worked their system!

My assessor was fine too! It’s so awful the way most people get treated but maybe people like hearing good stories because it’s rare I see them on here as it’s people looking for help and advice.
there are some genuine ones, my first one was awful but my latest one didn’t tell one lie ?

whistles

Everyone appears to jump on the assessor.
I wrote I didn't need help with a question and ticked no. We discussed why I had said no. That was noted and assessor wrote in their report no help and added why.
DM wrote I don't need help often enough and they are saying no!
Eh no I said NO to start.

Has anyone hasn't looked further and considered the typist is at fault?

Its all interpretation. And we must know that the written words here get misunderstood.
The DM was worse than my assessor.