I don't even know where to start, but the assessor's recommended descriptors are justified by the most insane, illogical reasoning, some lies, mostly exaggeration and inconsistency. The report is simply a joke.
Firstly, based on the points awarded, she has achieved just standard daily living ( and just barely, at square-on 8 points). He's recommended 4 points for mobility (can walk between 50m and 200m), but 0 on the planning a journey.
Even her most widespread and life-ruining illness and condition, that dominates her life, Crohn's disease, with 4 bowel resections at aged 9, that causes her to be a slave to the toilet, exhausted, hating the idea of eating anything, needing her grandmother and other family to assist her constantly... she got the 2 point descriptor of needs an aid.
And to top it all off, he recommended a 9 month review. 9 MONTHS, when she is 26 years old and has been diagnosed as likely having had Crohn's, an insurable disease, since birth.
Just to go through the justifications (as this may help others with their claims)
Preparing Food:b. use aid or appliance"Observed to sit upright, leaning forwards to stand and to use both hands and arms to manage paperwork and to drink. Appeared well balanced at all times."I don't understand this. She was sitting, and wasn't upright but leaning on forearms as her stomach pains were flared, and I had to help her stand and she leaned on me to walk everywhere. She drank from a bottle of squash that I had to open for her first, which she merely rested the lid on after using it. This is nowhere near the same as opening tightly sealed packets or jar lids.
This is the bottle that requires Herculean strength to lift and unseal (when it was already unsealed and 1/3 full, so weighed NOTHING).
Taking nutrition:a. Can take nutrition unaided"refers to the bottle of squash again"She explained that due to her fibromyalgia and exhaustion from Crohn's, as well as temporomandibular disorder, she needs her food cut up small to chew, and her nan or other family member has to do that as she lacks the strength.
"no need for prompting"She refuses to eat because she hates how she has to go to the toilet immediately after or sometimes during eating. Her nan constantly cooks for her and pushes her to eat.
"is of average weight"She was covered in a thick, heavy coat. I knew her healthy-looking weight would cause a consistency issue with her report, so I purposely took printed pics showing the downward spiral of weight loss, going from quite overweight to now where she is currently normal range, but is slowly dropping weight all the time. But he wasn't interested, the record will show her weight apparently, whatever that meant.
Managing Therapyb. Can manage medication or therapy or monitor health condition unaided "no cognitive impairments and observed to give details of conditions and conditions from memory"Uh, she had a folder with a list of all her conditions in front of her. And isn't that the whole point of this interview, to explain how your conditions affect you? If you're unable to do that, then how can you get an award? There is absolutely no winning with these people.
She explained her nan needs to remind her to take her weekly humira doses and daily mercaptopurine, and that her mother comes over to inject her humira as injecting herself causes anxiety and she is too tired to do it properly.
She has a medical box for all her medication as it's a list as long as your arm. It filled an A4 page.
Washing and Bathing
b. needs aid or appliance to wash or bathe*same using the bottle, sit upright, leaning forward to stand, good balance, uses both hands and arms*She's so exhausted and in pain most of the time, with her fibromyalgia stiffness and aching, she cannot stand over the bath to get in, has to be seated by her nan or family, can't wash her hair or lower legs, etc. Absolutely needs assistance.
Managing Toilet Needs
b. Needs aid or appliance
Same nonsense with the bottle, sitting forward to stand, etc. etc. (you'll notice a pattern that he's used this to justify awarding her the least amount possible and only minimal points on things he has awarded)
Total nonsense and this is the one that should have scored her by and far the most points. Absolute travesty and inhuman to not award
e. Needs assistance to manage incontinence of bowel. She is in the toilet for what seems like the majority of the day. She has to be helped there, and has to be close by family at all times to ensure she can get to the toilet before an accident as she needs to go so often and the toilet rules her life. She is only incontinent 2 nights a week and 2 days a week due to the fact that she is always around family.
Dressing and Undressing
b. Needs aid or appliance
Same thing again, use of the bottle, sitting forward to stand, etc.
It really does seem like the fact that she picked up her tall, easy to reach squash bottle, that was mostly empty, after I had unscrewed it, is being used to throw out absolutely everything here. This is like an absurdist story writer's dream material.
Nothing for the fact that due to her fibromyalgia causing her to wake stiff as a board, that she needs help to dress overhead and to put underwear and footwear on. Nothing for the fact that when she is incontinent she is exhausted, distraught, and needs her nan to help her undress and help her into the bath to shower off.
Engaging with Others Face to Face
a. Can engage with other people unaided
Apparently showed no anxiety, coped well with the interview, adequate concentration, no need for prompting.
No need for prompting? She was at a consultation for which she HAD to answer the questions given to her. She was slow to answer, was exhausted, but made an effort to answer the questions as that's what she thought she had to do.
She explained that she is fine interacting with medical staff or medical related staff such as he because she has done it all her life, but does not go anywhere, has no friends, stays in her room most days, and can't go out socialising, physically because of her condition, and mentally because she is just so tired and has no enthusiasm for life, given all her illnesses.
This is where she burst into tears where she had to recount the bullying she had at school where the other kids thought they would catch her Crohn's because of the word "disease" in it, how she had things thrown at her, mocked for her being tube fed with a tube up her nose, and having accidents in class, etc. And the monster gave her ZERO points.
Making Budgeting Decisions
a. Can manage complex budgeting decisions unaided
"No global cognitive impairment, etc. No mental health, cognitive, or learning impairment."
Why is mental health the only factor considered for this? Why not the fact that she is supported by her grandparents, they pay all the bills, withdraw her ESA for her, buy her clothes, shopping, etc. As she does not have the will or energy to do any of this?
What happened to diagnoses meaning nothing, and how it's about how your condition affects you? None of this, despite hearing it constantly here and seeing it on the application, seems to matter.
Planning and Following Journeys
a. Can plan and follow the route of a journey unaided
"No anxiety, global cognitive impairment, no mental health, etc."
Explained quite reinforcefully, that it's the being out alone she cannot do. She cannot undertake any journey alone because of the psychological distress of being incontinent without anyone there to help her, or because of not knowing where the toilets are. She needs somebody with her at all times to help her walk and to assist her if she were to have an accident, there is an emergency pack in the car at all times with towels, cleaning products, spare clothes, etc.
She was able to go to the assessment as I took her and she had not eaten for 48 hours to ensure she was empty, which she informed the assessor.
But nope, she's just fine and dandy to go out and about, exhaustion, pain, incontinence, weakness in legs and lower back, fibromyalgia, etc. be damned.
Moving AroundThe only one he has gotten absolutely spot on, is
b. can stand and move more than 50 metres but no more than 200 metres. Nothing to really contest here. And given every other sham in the report, I am most perturbed by his decision to be completely honest and realistic here.
Observations:
General Appearance and Informal Observations
Contradiction...
"Able to give details of medication and condition from memory...Read from paperwork and medications, using both hands to handle same held paperwork"Exaggeration...
"Bent to floor, leaning to left side, to lift bottle to drink...No she did not. She put her arm down to lift the bottle on her left side, that weighed absolutely nothing, and even then she did it in a laboured manner.
"... unscrewed cap, used both hands, raised bottle to lips to drink"Nope. Cap was resting on top of the bottle rim, after I had unscrewed it in the first place.
Lies...
"Does not look tired...... Normal Complexion... Speech was normal...... fully alert... adequate eye contact"She fell asleep in the waiting room. I had to wake her when called. She was slurring her words, she cried at one point after holding it in for so long, she was exhausted as she had to take oral MORPHINE before the consultation as she was in that much pain, she was, as she always is, as white as a sheet in complexion, she looked at the floor mostly throughout, etc.
Well, with stories of the DWP, I hold out no hope of them even awarding standard daily living, and agreeing with the 8 points given. So it looks like when the award letter (which should arrive tomorrow) comes, it'll be MR, which probably will get refused, and then awaiting Tribunal.
This was a disgrace. Needless to say she phoned me to tell me all this in tears, and is in disbelief at the ignoring of all her conditions.
What immediately strikes me as odd is that he has given her 2 points for the preparing food, but 0 for nutrition and managing therapy, when both tasks involve the same routines, movements, mental alertness, and state of awakeness, but while she can't do one properly, in the other descriptors, in his view she can perform them as completely fine as a healthy person?
I recorded the assessment and now I'm wondering if and how I should use it. I heard while it's not sanctioned by the DWP or government, there are cases where they have agreed with the recording and how it's a sham assessment report.
