Just made a claim for PIP, 0 points

mumsy

Just made a claim for pip,0 points.Suffer from ptsd,personality disorder,cold,chronic fatigue.The assessment was traumatic for me,have done a reconsideration with the dwp over the phone.The assessor knew I was distressed because she had to get me water but in her report she never mentioned this and over looked my mental health difficulties that effect my everyday life.

gnmeads

Hi mumsy and a big welcome to the Scope community and sorry to hear about your problems . What stage are you at? Ha e you appealed yet?

Adrian_Scope

Hi @mumsy, welcome to the community!
How long ago did you put in for your reconsideration? Do you have any questions about it at all?

I'm really sorry to hear how stressful for assessment was for you. Scope are currently trying to gather as many stories about people with poor experiences of PIP, ESA and Universal Credit, in particular those who have scored 0 points on their assessments. If you'd be willing, we'd love to hear from you in our 'tell us your experiences of benefits thread'.

Waylay

Hi @mumsy . This has happened to a lot of us on here. They seem to do this in the hope that people will give up. Please continue with the process!

wilko

Hello everyone, members are being lead to believe that the Assement companies have an hidden agenda to give people applying for PIP to give them a low score so they will put in for a MR then after another refusal they go for a tribunal which is a twelve month wait and many don’t or can’t go through this process. There is no agenda, it is us you me the claimants who think we have a right to claim or be awarded PIP irrespective of or if we meet the criteria of the PIP descriptors. Because we have a disability, diagnosis or illness is not an entitlement to PIP. If more claimants did a self test to see if they fit the descriptors for PIP and send in the correct supporting evidence with their claim application and not trying to claim a benefits they are not eligible or entitled to claim just because they have read or heard of someone claiming PIP or other benefits with the same or similar disability, diagnosis or illness.

twonker

wilko said:

Hello everyone, members are being lead to believe that the Assement companies have an hidden agenda to give people applying for PIP to give them a low score so they will put in for a MR then after another refusal they go for a tribunal which is a twelve month wait and many don’t or can’t go through this process. There is no agenda, it is us you me the claimants who think we have a right to claim or be awarded PIP irrespective of or if we meet the criteria of the PIP descriptors. Because we have a disability, diagnosis or illness is not an entitlement to PIP. If more claimants did a self test to see if they fit the descriptors for PIP and send in the correct supporting evidence with their claim application and not trying to claim a benefits they are not eligible or entitled to claim just because they have read or heard of someone claiming PIP or other benefits with the same or similar disability, diagnosis or illness.

To be frank, I have been to frightened to say the same thing. When I read what some claimants are expecting and what their conditions are no one seems to want to accept that PIP is not for them. Presumably it is a case of make a claim and see what happens instead of putting yourself in the DWP's shoes and ask yourself if PIP is a benefit that applies to you. Anybody that doubts it should not bother with the claim.

cristobal

twonker said:

To be frank, I have been to frightened to say the same thing. When I read what some claimants are expecting and what their conditions are no one seems to want to accept that PIP is not for them. Presumably it is a case of make a claim and see what happens instead of putting yourself in the DWP's shoes and ask yourself if PIP is a benefit that applies to you. Anybody that doubts it should not bother with the claim.

I agree @twonker. Do one of the on-line tests, be honest and quite hard on yourself and see what you score. If it's less than 5/6 the it's likely you don't qualify....

There has to have been major problems with the assessment to win at MR if you scored 0 points originally.....

twonker

ilovecats said:

I have seen many claimants without mental health problems find the process stressful because they are being asked to discuss things that are not always very nice or comfortable to talk about. 

Talk? My assessor never did. It was all 'if I was to say....would you agree', 'that's not very serious is it' and with one answer I gave she must have asked me 4 times in different ways to get me to agree with her. 

mumsy

Still at the reconsideration stage.ptsd is complex and effects every part of your life.Medical conditions are intermittent from day to day.The assessment is unfair for people with mental health problems.Its a fight just to keep going every dayIt also leaves you housebound.The assessment was very unfair to me because the woman was twisting my answers and with my mental health problems I just wanted to get out of their.

twonker

mumsy said:

Still at the reconsideration stage.ptsd is complex and effects every part of your life.Medical conditions are intermittent from day to day.The assessment is unfair for people with mental health problems.Its a fight just to keep going every dayIt also leaves you housebound.The assessment was very unfair to me because the woman was twisting my answers and with my mental health problems I just wanted to get out of their.

I can relate to that. I was asked if I agreed.... by the assessor. It was said in such a way that I felt that I had no alternative but to agree that I was overstating my claim simply to get done and get out of there.

wildlife

This is happening a lot on here and by the same group of members. Along comes a new poster trying to get help in the best way they can and you assume, with only a brief description of how their assessment was conducted  to go by, that they are applying for a benefit which they're not entitled to. OK so it's done by making out you're giving general advice but anyone who starts a thread such as this will more than likely take your replies personally. They then have to go on the defensive and try to explain themselves. This forum is supposed to be a friendly place where advice is given in a non judgemental way. You've tried to do it to me but I'm too long in the tooth to fall for it. No-one has the right to assume another poster is not entitled to PIP or is not understanding the criteria based on the limited information you have about them. 

djbantiques

wildlife said:

This is happening a lot on here and by the same group of members. Along comes a new poster trying to get help in the best way they can and you assume, with only a brief description of how their assessment was conducted  to go by, that they are applying for a benefit which they're not entitled to. OK so it's done by making out you're giving general advice but anyone who starts a thread such as this will more than likely take your replies personally. They then have to go on the defensive and try to explain themselves. This forum is supposed to be a friendly place where advice is given in a non judgemental way. You've tried to do it to me but I'm too long in the tooth to fall for it. No-one has the right to assume another poster is not entitled to PIP or is not understanding the criteria based on the limited information you have about them. 

I agree 100%. The best thing to do is  get individual face to face advice.
Online open forums can be useful but be aware that they are also populated with people who have agendas and are not what or who they claim to be.
Not to mention users who get found out and so sign up under another username.
Not everything is as it seems.

mumsy

I just post,don’t know how to use the sight properly.I have sent all my documents to my mp with a letter.Because of my mental health I can not see him in person also the appeal if it happens,I can not sit in the room so my daughter will have to read out a letter

wildlife

@ilovecats No I can't do that as it would then be a personal matter. I can only say that I was on this forum in 2017 when the reaction to new posters was different to now. Mostly if they needed help they were directed to the benefit advisors. Unfortunately they're not around now. Only the poster themselves, their family and anyone else involved in their care knows whether they are disabled or not. 

clarkjohnson

Well said wildlife I no where your coming from friend us clients must not waffle or maybe the assessers will direct us elsewhere and away from the truth 

wildlife

@clarkjohnson That made me smile. It's too late for me I've already been stung by an assessor who didn't need to direct me away from the truth she was quite capable of doing that on her own.
 @mumsy I hope you're still with us. I hope you get the help you need. Your daughter sounds amazing. Is she your appointee? 

Dismum

Please join the website called benefitsandwork they guide you through each process. They have a lot of free advice but if you need it in more depth it’s about £20 a year. 

madquasimodo

I am shocked to read some of the comments in this thread, while I do agree with one point, some time back all you had to do was fill in a form, depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, diabeties, add a few more and the DWP paid out, it was wrong and I agree it needed changing, I have done the online check list and filled it in honestly first time passed full score, tried again and was really stingy and still passed.

I have had PIP2 refused, MR no change, tribunal award full enhanced PIP and full enhanced mobility, in my opinion only because the doctor read and knew what the problem was.

People are saying many dont read the notes or descriptors, but you can look at it from 2 viewpoints, I say I cant do something, the assessor says I can. if it was all down to people not reading and filling in the form correctly, then please tel me why are so many being overturned at appeal, it we were all just blagging it, no one would win at tribunal.

This has a lot to do with the media, every week the Daily Mail runs a couple of pieces on some benefit fraud, its wrong and many cases had a valid reason to claim, they failed to update their claim as they got better, yes its wrong, but when it turns people against the disabled so they care little about benefits cuts, it gives the wrong view of disabled.

As it stands you have little to no chance if as soon as you walk in the assessor takes a dislike to you, even if you pass this it can be the decision maker ignoring your paperwork, like the HP saying you had no medical and the DM saying a full medical taking place. Once you reach the end of the process Tribunals can be won or lost depending on how they feel on the day.

i was nearly thrown out of court for pointing out some errors, I think we all probably know someone who is claiming and with the best will in the world you still have an issue with sailing through and getting full support, while they seem to enjoy life with no apparent disabliity

mumsy

wildlife said:

@clarkjohnson That made me smile. It's too late for me I've already been stung by an assessor who didn't need to direct me away from the truth she was quite capable of doing that on her own.
 @mumsy I hope you're still with us. I hope you get the help you need. Your daughter sounds amazing. Is she your appointee? 

mumsy

Type your comment o she is very supportive and understanding 

Waylay

The fact that 74% of in-person tribunal appeals are won by the claimant tends to indicate that many assessors and DMs are at best incompetent, at worst discriminatory.