Pip Assessment report being inaccurate

Yadnad

poppy123456 said:

sarah50 said:

What supporting evidence do I need, I no longer take prescription drugs there is no treatment therefore I don't have any contact with anyone professionally, my husband is my carer and we manage my condition as best we can.

A diary written by yourself, a letter from your husband. Have the descriptors there when writing the letter so he can point out which ones apply and the reasons why.

Have you been refused? Are you requesting the MR or Tribunal? Sorry but it's not clear as you've been posting on other peoples threads and it becomes very confusing.

I'll write a letter in support along with a diary of the last 7 days for the OP - £100??
Only joking, but it must go through the mind of the DWP as well as the Tribunal that such evidence could well be suspect.

sarah50

Apologies if I've been hijacking other peoples threads I simply meant to demonstrate that these people were not alone in their confusion frustration and struggle. I have started another discussion more specific to my circumstances. In short. I have been getting pip I have been reassessed and refused. I have just sent a letter requesting a MR. I am confused by many of the comments on here some say I need medical evidence some people say I need anecdotal evidence others that anecdotal evidence is not worth anything some say the hcp report is important and some say it isn't some say the pip2 form is more important.

chrisvanf

In March this year I received 4 points after an assessment, I applied for MR and about 2 weeks later got a phone call from DM asking me about my condition, I told him some more info and he simply said, "Can I telephone PIP applications up and ask for another form, when you fill it in please put as much info as possible without going into fine detail, I will put on the system that I have asked you to start process again".

I filled in another form, filled it in correctly (it took 8/9 days) then sent it off with more medical evidence,  but this time my assessment was recorded with permission by myself.

I answered the questions with short but precise answers, when the assessment was over I asked her if she had ever heard of my illness, she said "No, but I have now, and I will look on the internet for more info.

I received enhanced daily living, but only 4 points for mobility.

I have since looked at the report and while it was reasonably accurate there were a few omissions and a few inaccuracies.

I have asked for a MR and was very diplomatic, I did not in any way say the assessor lied or I thought it unfair, I merely stated that,while the report showed how my disability affected my daily life, it did not correctly identify my mobility issues, and I believed I should have been awarded points in the following descriptors, and why I should have been awarded the points, added a little extra GP evidence letter.

I am still awaiting this decision,(only been 3 weeks).

The last assessment correction was not due to my recording of the event, although it made it probable for a more accurate report, there were still errors and inaccuracies in the report, but a correctly filled out PIP form, concise medical evidence about the condition and good, but not elaborate answers to the assessors questions at assessment, made it very difficult  for the assessor to write a vastly different report than what the evidence shows as a whole.

The internet is showered with a very small percentage of bad experiences, but very few success story's, I wonder why?     

poppy123456

sarah50 said:

Apologies if I've been hijacking other peoples threads I simply meant to demonstrate that these people were not alone in their confusion frustration and struggle. I have started another discussion more specific to my circumstances. In short. I have been getting pip I have been reassessed and refused. I have just sent a letter requesting a MR. I am confused by many of the comments on here some say I need medical evidence some people say I need anecdotal evidence others that anecdotal evidence is not worth anything some say the hcp report is important and some say it isn't some say the pip2 form is more important.

Evidence that proves those descriptors apply to you, is good evidence. For example, a letter from your GP that doesn't state how your conditions affect you isn't going to help your claim. You should avoid mentioning any lies that may have been told in the assessment report and concentrate on what descriptors apply to you when writing the MR request letter.

It's extremely difficult to advise anyone when no one knows exactly how your conditions affect you, which is why getting some further advice and help with the MR and Tribunal if needed is always better.

Yadnad

chrisvanf said:

In March this year I received 4 points after an assessment, I applied for MR and about 2 weeks later got a phone call from DM asking me about my condition, I told him some more info and he simply said, "Can I telephone PIP applications up and ask for another form, when you fill it in please put as much info as possible without going into fine detail, I will put on the system that I have asked you to start process again".

The internet is showered with a very small percentage of bad experiences, but very few success story's, I wonder why?     

First of all I am extremely surprised of the actions of the DWP. I have never heard of them trying to help a claimant out in this way - you either get an award or don't is all that they are interested in.

According to current statistics and excluding claimants who have a terminal illness, more claimants do not get an award than those that do. Not quite 50/50 more like about 47% get an award V 53% who fail.

Matilda

@sarah50

It really depends on your case what evidence you need.  Try to get some f2f advice from CAB or similar, or welfare rights.

I am very cynical about the assessment process with so much evidence of any kind being ignored.  Same for MR.

At tribunal the most important evidence was my own testimony plus medical evidence in support.  The only medical reports I had were from when I first claimed DLA 19 years before.  But I have a degenerative condition so no way would this have got any better, only worse.  I only have physical disabilities, no mental ones.

chrisvanf

@Yadnad

The entire conversation lasted about 15-20 minutes,and at the end I was told to re-apply, what can I say, he had the report I didn't.
 I have like many other people no experience in "claiming" any form of benefits or Gov't payments, except family allowance and I think that's given, not applied for, so I can only say what happened in my case. 

And while you are "extremely surprised" that the DWP have helped a claimant in any way, it's difficult to say it hasn't happened before, unless you spoke to every PIP claimant.   .

Adjusting figures or editing statements is easily done, it all depends on what you want the percentages or statement to show. 

Yadnad

chrisvanf said:

@Yadnad

The entire conversation lasted about 15-20 minutes,and at the end I was told to re-apply, what can I say, he had the report I didn't.
 I have like many other people no experience in "claiming" any form of benefits or Gov't payments, except family allowance and I think that's given, not applied for, so I can only say what happened in my case. 

And while you are "extremely surprised" that the DWP have helped a claimant in any way, it's difficult to say it hasn't happened before, unless you spoke to every PIP claimant.   .

Adjusting figures or editing statements is easily done, it all depends on what you want the percentages or statement to show. 

I was surprised simply because of 23 years of claiming various sickness and disability based benefits I have never known the DWP to telephone me and go through a report that I had not seen and then suggest that I should do a better job by filling out a new form. In fact they have never telephoned for any reason.

Normally and no doubt this rings true with most benefit claimants, the DWP not only fail to contact anybody including medical professionals for a PIP claim but are only interested in getting a decision out to the claimant generally based on the PIP2 form that they have in front of them whether it be good bad or otherwise and what the assessor has written. To actually suggest that the current PIP2 may not be making out the best case for you, they are letting you do it again so that you get that award they believe you are entitled to.

Yadnad

Username_removed said:

I have said this before and it appears to need repeating. 4 days out of 7 was for DLA and has literally nothing to do with the 50% rule for PIP. The above is a complete misstatement of the 50% rule for PIP.

Is it not simply the case that the 50% rule applies to any length of time? - day, week, month and even a year?
If I have it wrong could you briefly explain it again for us?

Nikki76

My assessment report ,when l read mine,it was like they were writing  about  another person!.....

sarah50

Hi Nikki, I know exactly what you mean. I had to check the NI number on the letter to make sure I hadn't been sent the wrong letter

Nikki76

Hi Sarah,yeah it's like like,the assessor wrote the opposite of you said!....my friend the same,pip stopped her money ,cos all she did was stroke her cat!

sarah50

Wow! Your comment almost echoes mine. I had pip2 form in May face to face in June have just had decision telling me money stopped as of two weeks ago.i have been racking my brains as to where I went wrong but am at a loss. I have sent my mandatory reconsideration letter and on Monday I am going to phone and ask them to send me the HCP report from the face to face. I am exhausted and in pain and my partner isn't much help when it comes to paperwork, I am now frightened that I can't pay my bills, afford to eat. My heating is coal fired and so I will have no heating and winter is coming. Sorry I'm off the point waffling again it just feels as though my whole world has crashed in.

Nikki76

Hi Sarah,don't be sorry for ranting,lol,l done plenty of that  myself ...xxx 

Matilda

Most appeals win and of course arrears are paid.

@sarah50 - can your partner and your family help with money until you get the result of MR or appeal?

Probably, you did not go wrong - it's just that there are so many incompetent and lying assessors.

Try to get some f2f help from CAB or similar, or local authority welfare rights.

sarah50

Thankyou Matilda, we will still get our esa but his carers will stop and with pip stopped that is 50% of our income just gone no warning so not able to plan for it my original award was until Feb but as I said had assesment in June and they have stopped it from the 19th. With rent top up for bedroom tax to pay and council tax top up esa doesn't cover it. Everything crossed if I could ? do you know if pip is paid in arrears like other benefits?

poppy123456

PIP is paid 4 weeks in arrears.

chrisvanf

@Yadnad

So what you are saying is, because DWP didn't phone you, then DWP don't phone anybody.
Have you spoken with every claimant that DWP have on record?
Or, have you official documentation from DWP stating no claimant has/was ever contacted by phone. 

The only thing I can surmise from my conversation with the DWP is that the assessors report was vastly different from the the PIP form and medical evidence that I sent in with the pip form. 

sarah50

Thankyou poppy that's a relief at least I will get a payment tomorrow. My direct debits with not make me overdrawn so no bank charges I can ill afford.

poppy123456

It's rare for DWP or the health assessment providers to contact anyone regarding any medical evidence but it can and does happen. 2 people from my daughters list of contacts were contacted. Her college and a Psychologist from the CLDT were both contacted before a decision was made and they were both asked exactly the same question.