assessment help

salam

hello all, my mum will have her face to face meeting in a few weeks

to those who have done the face to face meeting, do you all have any advice

should I accompany her

floralora

Definitely accompany her, it won't hurt and if anything it will help. 

Don't use minutes for how long she can walk, stick to metres. Be very firm with what your mum can and can't do. Take notes in so you remember to mention everything, take a 2 week diary too. 

Not to scare you, but there's a chance they'll lie on the report. So, just do your best and be prepared to ask for a mandatory reconsideration and then to appeal to the tribunal. I've appealed and I was offered PIP this morning on the phone (declined since I'm entitled to more). DWP hope you'll be the 6/10 that don't appeal. 

salam

okay thank you

will they ask me questions as well

floralora

Yeah, they probably will. My partner took me to mine and he was asked questions. 

salam

do we need to inform them that I'll be accompanying her, or can I arrive unannounced

floralora

just arrive unannounced. Did your mum receive a booklet about her face to face? It should have all the information you need.

salam

not yet, it'll arrive soon

brydiedwards

Hi @salam ! I'd agree that it would probably be beneficial to accompany her as in my experience those who have accompanied me have actually brought up relevant information I would not have thought of. Don't forget that the assessment should be thought of as describing a 'bad day' in regards to conditions/impairments so don't hold back! And again I agree with what others have said that if they do decline/rate lower than you expected, sometimes they do so in the hope that you won't appeal and give up despite what should actually be rewarded, so don't be shy about asking for a mandatory reconsideration/appealing as they may change it quickly once you do

poppy123456

I'm sorry but giving advice that you should be describing a bad day during an assessment is wrong. PIP isn't about your worst days, it's how your conditions affect you at least 50% of the time over a 12 month period.

To attend an assessment and tell them everyday is bad, if it isn't is potentially benefit fraud and a HCP is very likely going to see straight through you if it's not your worst day. They will sit there thinking "well if that's their worst day then they can't be as bad as they say they are"

You should speak the truth during these assessments and tell them about all of your days, whether they are both good or bad.

brydiedwards

Hi @poppy123456, 
Thanks for calling me up on that. I may have been getting confused with what they ask you to fill out in a PIP form and what they ask for in a face to face assessment. Of course I would never suggest lying to try and get a higher reward, I’ve probably just been frustrated with how they’ve interpreted my own assessments in the past. I’ll check myself before giving this sort of advice again, have a nice day 

poppy123456

No problem. The same applies when filling out the forms, never base it on your worst day.

AlexandriaUK

Poppy is right, it's about your inability to carryout certain tasks and if you make out that every day is a bad day then just by the fact that you managed to get to the F2F is a contradiction of that statement, be honest and try to answer the questions with as much information but do not drag it out or they will cut you short.
If you have mental health issues as well then the person who is attending the interview with you can have some input but I would always recommend that they have a written statement to pass to the hp telling them their take on how you cope or don't cope with both your physical problems and your MH issues as well.
I personally have found that the major majority of DWP staff are very helpful and the same has to be said of the assessment companies. 
I have been awarded both components at enhanced rate until the last review where they lowered my care to low rate, this I put in an MR and it has just be reinstated to high again. 
Remember that the majority of people claiming PIP have absolutely no problem with the process, forum like this only have a small % because those who have claimed the benefit without issues have no need to be on these sites

Adrian_Scope

Hello @salam, I hope the advice from our members has been useful to you. Best of luck to your mum at her assessment, be sure to let us know how she gets on.