A bit about me and question regarding pip

debs182

Hi there I'm new here, I've been lingering around a lot the last few months and have got a lot of useful information that has helped when applying for pip so thanks for that ?

Anyway I applied for pip a few months ago as i have fibromyalgia which severely limits my ability to move around and do daily activities I have to have someone here to help at all times which is usually my mum or my 17 yr old daughter, I also suffer with anxiety which has only gotten worse over the last couple of years since developing fibro, I can't work I've been on esa for the last 2 years the first year I was in the WRA group but after my assessment this year I was put in the support group with the disability premium.

Anyway regarding my pip claim, I had my f2f just over 3 weeks ago, I've been calling the dwp once a week since to see if they have received my report because I've made myself sick with worry since the f2f as the assessor was cold and unsympathetic and made me stand up even though it caused a great deal of pain, he kept trying to catch me out asking the same questions which did confuse me as I was having a really bad day and my fibro fog was at an all time high, I got so frustrated I burst into tears and couldn't stop sobbing for a good 10 mins, thankfully I had my mum by side to help me calm down and stop him questioning me while I got myself together. So after that dreadful experience I've been losing sleep worrying whether I'll have to go through the stress of tribunal. Monday I had a text from dwp saying they have received my report so I called them straight away to request a copy of it, luckily I had a very nice man on the other end of the phone who was more than happy to help, he printed off my report while I was on the phone and said he'd get it sent out asap for me, he also said (and admitted he shouldn't if said it) that my report looks promising and that I should hear back in less than 2 weeks on a decision. This has given me a little bit of hope but I'm trying not to get my hopes booked up too high. My question is if im awarded will i see my first payment go into my bank before I receive my award letter? As this has happened with my esa in the past where I see money go in my bank but don't get the letter until a day or two after.

Thanks for reading and sorry it's such a long post.

Ps I should add that it's a new claim and not a transfer from dla

debs182

I'm so sorry about multiple posts I don't know how to delete them, I kept getting a error every time I tried to post so didn't think they posted 

Pippa_Alumni

No problem @debs182, I've removed the other posts and hopefully you'll have some helpful responses on this one soon!

debs182

Phew!! Thank you ?

atlas46

Hi @debs

A very warm welcome.

Sorry to learn of the difficulties you experienced at your assessment.

I would suggest the assessor would have been out of his depth, in respect of fibro.

On a positive note, you found a kind soul on the PIP helpline, who gave you some hint about the report.

From what we hear, it takes 6 to 8 weeks, from assessment date, to actual payment.

Hope you can relax and put this behind you.

Tell your mum, that she is a star.

Hope this helps and keep us informed.

debs182

So I just received a copy of my report, judging by the descriptors I scored 11 in daily living and 20 in mobility, thing is there are few inconsistencies on it, the main one being that I appeared calm and relaxed!! ? I was a complete mess my mum had to keep stopping him questioning me so she could calm me down!! Apparently I maintained good eye contact when I could barely bring myself to look at him, and i had no problems remembering things from recent history and history further back, yet I had to keep relying on my mum to tell me dates, appointments etc.

Now I know I'm lucky to get the points I have but there's a lot on the daily living where the assessor contradicts himself, would the decision maker pick up on this? Or do they just skim through the report only taking notice of the descriptors?

Thanks 

poppy123456

Hi,

Usually they go with the report, it's rare to go against it but it has been known. As you're just 1 point off Enhanced daily living then this could be possible. Of course there's nothing you can do until a decision's been made. Once it's made, if you're not happy with the decision then i'd advise getting further advice before asking for a Mandatory Reconsideration. It's impossible to advise on any risks etc with asking for the MR. Hopefully you're not waiting too long for a decision. Good luck.

debs182

atlas46 said:

Hi @debs

A very warm welcome.

Sorry to learn of the difficulties you experienced at your assessment.

I would suggest the assessor would have been out of his depth, in respect of fibro.

On a positive note, you found a kind soul on the PIP helpline, who gave you some hint about the report.

From what we hear, it takes 6 to 8 weeks, from assessment date, to actual payment.

Hope you can relax and put this behind you.

Tell your mum, that she is a star.

Hope this helps and keep us informed.

Thank you, I'll be glad when it's all over, and yes I thank my mum every day she really is my rock I don't know what I'd do without her ❤?

debs182

poppy123456 said:

Hi,

Usually they go with the report, it's rare to go against it but it has been known. As you're just 1 point off Enhanced daily living then this could be possible. Of course there's nothing you can do until a decision's been made. Once it's made, if you're not happy with the decision then i'd advise getting further advice before asking for a Mandatory Reconsideration. It's impossible to advise on any risks etc with asking for the MR. Hopefully you're not waiting too long for a decision. Good luck.

Hi thanks for the reply, I've just come off the phone to the dwp and they advised the same she said the decision maker usually goes with the descriptors on the report but sometimes they do adjust them, she's told me to contact capita if i have a complaint about anything the assessor said being untrue, and to wait for my decision so I can do a mandatory reconsideration if i dont agree with the outcome.
 In all honesty if they stick with the report I won't pursue it any further as I couldn't take the stress of appealing it, it's just frustrating when they tweak things to make it seem things aren't as bad as they are ?

Yadnad

debs182 said:

 In all honesty if they stick with the report I won't pursue it any further as I couldn't take the stress of appealing it, it's just frustrating when they tweak things to make it seem things aren't as bad as they are ?

Welcome to my club!

It seems that more and more people are just giving up as they cannot face the stress of making an appeal. I honestly don't blame you - I have done the same.
It makes me wonder knowing how I would feel if I had have gone down the appeal route how some people manage to cope despite protestations that they are that ill and disabled that they can't get out of bed.

debs182

Yadnad said:

debs182 said

 In all honesty if they stick with the report I won't pursue it any further as I couldn't take the stress of appealing it, it's just frustrating when they tweak things to make it seem things aren't as bad as they are ?

Welcome to my club!

It seems that more and more people are just giving up as they cannot face the stress of making an appeal. I honestly don't blame you - I have done the same.
It makes me wonder knowing how I would feel if I had have gone down the appeal route how some people manage to cope despite protestations that they are that ill and disabled that they can't get out of bed.

I think it's more down to they need that extra cash to help with their lifestyle, don't get me wrong if i got 0 points all round I too would appeal it but I'm lucky to have lots of support from my family, but saying that if the day came to go to court and i was having a bad day I wouldn't be able to attend in person, my main reason for not appealing is mainly down to my anxiety, since my assessment I've been so ill down to loss of sleep and appetite with worry, trouble is the dwp and capita don't see this ?

Yadnad

debs182 said:

I think it's more down to they need that extra cash to help with their lifestyle, don't get me wrong if i got 0 points all round I too would appeal it but I'm lucky to have lots of support from my family, but saying that if the day came to go to court and i was having a bad day I wouldn't be able to attend in person, my main reason for not appealing is mainly down to my anxiety, since my assessment I've been so ill down to loss of sleep and appetite with worry, trouble is the dwp and capita don't see this ?

Since the early part of this year when I received the DWP refusal to change the decision at the MR stage, my mental health problems got worse. The GP increased the Sertraline from 150mg a day to 200mg and put me on sleeping tablets. All of that was down to just the thought of going to appeal alone.

Hence I realised that there was no way would I cope with the stress of the appeal system without help or assistance for which there is none locally. 

debs182

Yadnad said:

debs182 said:

I think it's more down to they need that extra cash to help with their lifestyle, don't get me wrong if i got 0 points all round I too would appeal it but I'm lucky to have lots of support from my family, but saying that if the day came to go to court and i was having a bad day I wouldn't be able to attend in person, my main reason for not appealing is mainly down to my anxiety, since my assessment I've been so ill down to loss of sleep and appetite with worry, trouble is the dwp and capita don't see this ?

Since the early part of this year when I received the DWP refusal to change the decision at the MR stage, my mental health problems got worse. The GP increased the Sertraline from 150mg a day to 200mg and put me on sleeping tablets. All of that was down to just the thought of going to appeal alone.

Hence I realised that there was no way would I cope with the stress of the appeal system without help or assistance for which there is none locally. 

Oh dear ? we get told we're entitled to pip but what they don't tell you is the stress and worry it causes affecting our mental state, I'm also on 200mg of sertraline I have been for the last 2 years but no medication can help when dealing with these people! 
I think claimants with mental health issues should be assessed by mental health professionals who have more knowledge of the condition but the state this country is in I don't think that will ever happen.

debs182

I wish the dwp would make their mind up on the time frame, the nice man I spoke to Monday said it shouldn't be any longer than 2 weeks before I get my decision, then the lady I spoke to yesterday tells me it could be up to 6 weeks!! Which is out of the time frame the assessor gave me he said 4-6 weeks and that was over 3 weeks ago ?

poppy123456

That's because there's no timescales to any decisions, it depends on backlog.

debs182

poppy123456 said:

That's because there's no timescales to any decisions, it depends on backlog.

I get that, it's just that it's so frustrating when one says one thing and the other says something else, I wish I could put it out of my head just for one day but nope!! That naughty little monster Mr Anxiety won't let me lol 

poppy123456

I'm sure everyone feels exactly the same when waiting for a decision, even if they don't suffer with anxiety. I know i do.

Yadnad

debs182 said:

. 

Oh dear ? we get told we're entitled to pip but what they don't tell you is the stress and worry it causes affecting our mental state, I'm also on 200mg of sertraline I have been for the last 2 years but no medication can help when dealing with these people! 
I think claimants with mental health issues should be assessed by mental health professionals who have more knowledge of the condition but the state this country is in I don't think that will ever happen.

Well I am one of the lucky ones. The DWP helped me years ago to cut back on the medication that the GP/psychiatrist kept doling out.
I weaned myself off Lithium and a couple of other nasty anti psychotics after the PIP assessor came up with the mental test and found 14 reasons why I am imagining my mental health issues. I put it down to the side effects of the medication and not an illness. 

patriciahendy

a court decided that people with mental health problems were blatantly discriminated against. Why are these pip problems allowed to go on for so long? Also I hear so many accounts of so called 'assessors' displaying arrogance and ignorance especially those that do not know what vertigo is! Government always targets the disabled when trying to save money. Reports of DWP staff offered bonuses to declare sick people fit for work. The country seems to be sitting back and doing nothing! According to the PIP booklet received prior to assessment claimants will be treated with respect and fairness. I hear many bad reports. If claimants defend themselves against unkind assessors it is a reason to cease their benefits. It has been reported that ministers were concerned at the appointment of McVey as DWP minister because of her attitude towards the vulnerable and disabled. She is in the wrong job and needs to quit. How does a former TV presenter become in charge of the DWP? This dreadful system needs to be halted and overhauled. Surely there is a legal challenge, it is corrupt and scandalous at the expense of the sick.

debs182

@patriciahendy you would think all the scrutiny they're under things would change, not sure how many more people have to complain and how many more stories In the news it's gonna take before some one takes notice