Pip assessors report

pandora86

hello, im writing this on behalf my mum who was awarded higher rate dla lifetime award since 2015. Obviously now being transferred over to PIP. She recently had her f2f assessment accompanied with me which was extremely difficult for her due to pain and anxiety.

i requested her pip assessment report which came through today (still waiting for the decision letter) from what i have understood she loses her enhanced mobility award by 2 points! Obviously i know we have to wait for the decision letter to come through before requesting a MR, but what i noticed on the report were that the assessor had written that my mum was not trembling or sweating therefore did not suffer anxiety and was not deemed to have any cognitive impairment as she had good memory.

now firstly i want to say that my mum did not even speak a word to the assessor as she suffers from social anxiety and there was never a “memory test” preformed! But the assessor had written my mum had good tone of voice and apparently reads and understands everything which i want to laugh out loud about.

how do i convince dwp to reconsider question 11 planning and following journeys? My mum cannot plan a journey let alone go by herself, she has severe anxiety and is so doses up on pain meds is often confused and drowsy.

please help! 

wilko

@pandora86, hello and welcome, most people moving from DLA to PIP lose their enhanced mobility benefit, the criteria for awarding the benefits are different and pip is based on your mother’s abilities to preform, manage the PIP descriptors in a safe, repeatable and timely manner for most of her daily living activities. As for the memory test no actual test takes place but during the assessment the HP will talk to your mother about things unrelated to the assessment and will make an assessment of her memory from her answers without you or her realising what has happened. You will now have to wait for the award notification letter and the request an MR with in a month sending examples of what happens each time your mum tries or attempts the descriptor you are contesting. Avoid mentioning about what the assessor said to or never wrote in the report , concentrate on the descriptors and be prepared to take it further as most have to.

April2018mom

Hello @pandora86

DLA and PIP are different. The criteria is different. For PIP, your mom needs to show that she cannot safely, repeatedly, and quickly manage to do those things by herself.if she wishes to be deemed eligible. Regarding the memory test, this is when the HP will ask your mom about things not related to the assessment, it will be used to form the basis of the memory assessment.

Now you must wait for the award letter then politely ask for a mandatory reconsideration giving examples of what happens when your mom tries a activity. Do not worry about the assessment report. Solely focus on the activity descriptors and prepare to go to tribunal, this is common unfortunately. Best of luck! Keep us updated on the outcome of the tribunal too. 

DLA is for children only. Once you reach 16, they will ask you to apply for PIP instead.  

Chloe_Scope

Hi @Pandora and a very warm welcome to the community.

I am sorry to hear this, and I appreciate how frustrated you must feel at the moment. 

Like it has been said above, you'll have to wait for the decision letter to make an appeal. Here is some information about the Mandatory Reconsideration process. Also, it may be worth seeking some expert advice via AdviceLocal.

If you need anything, we are here. You don't need to go through this alone and we will try our best to advise you.

pandora86

Thank you for your replies guys, thats the thing, the assessor had no conversation with my mum! My mum is very poorly and she didnt even manage a hello to the assessor, i was there as her full time carer and answered all questions for my mum while she was present, not one question was asked to my mum. 

I did the points system from the assessors report and she will be awarded the enhanced rate of daily living however loses the enhanced rate of mobility by 2 points and that being that apparently my mum can plan and go on a journey alone. Which of course is not the case!

Chloe_Scope

You will be able to show why your mum can't plan and go on a journey alone when you appeal the decision. The MR unfortunately won't be interested in any lies in the report, only how your mum reaches the criteria to gain enhanced mobility. 

We wish you the best of luck and please do seek face to face advice if you can.  

pandora86

Hi sorry me again! Just reading the report again and noticed that although the assessor wrote in the observations section that my mum cannot plan journeys she then went and ticked the box which says can plan a journey!

where would that leave us? 

Sorry to be a bother this whole thing is just so distressing for everyone and i appreciate the time and effort of all you 

Jurph

You can point things like this out in the MR.

I found it easier to write out all the descriptors, what points I should have got and then reference the evidence. It just simplified everything.

If that's all your disagreeing with, you may just be able to dispute that one descriptor in the MR. The more knowledgeable on here will know.

ruckerdee

I've had the same problem unfortunately I received my assessors report and only been awarded 8points on the daily living component and was giving 0 on the planning and following a route part even though I suffer from severe social anxiety  plus the assessor putility in the writing is cannot go to appointments etc without having a family member drive me yet still 0 points, very contradictive in many parts of her assessment. Will have to do a MR once I get decision letter. Does anyone know if I do a MR could I possible be given less points and lose the 8 total I've been awarded?

pandora86

@ruckerdee its madness isnt it!? They write one thing but then quote another just contradicting themselves!

with my mums; there were several sections where the assessor was i fact contradicting herself saying  daughter gave all the input but then somehow apparently my mum answered all the questions fully, or that my mum appeared unwell but then she was not trembling..? Or that she was neatly dressed...yes of course she was cos i dressed her! If being dressed in a tracksuit bottom and top is classed as neatly, i dont know maybe i should have come to the assessment in a food stained top or something? Lol

chiarieds

Hi @pandora86 Just wondering if your mum looks to have got 10 points for the first part of the mobility section, as you also mention she takes pain medication. If this is for something that affects her mobility and she looks to have got 2 or more points for the 2nd part, 'Moving Around,' then it would seem she may get the enhanced rate, as the points for both of these sections are added together.

pandora86

@chiarieds my mum appears to have scored 18 points for daily living and 10 points for mobility. Hmm we will just have to wait for the decision letter which we are dreading as is everyone else that is waiting.

i just wanted to prepare myself for whats the come beforehand 

chiarieds

@pandora86 So for the Mobility part, she didn't get any points for the 'Moving Around' section (looking at how any physical problem might potentially affect her mobility)? She got 10 points for the 'Going Out' section (about planning a journey, etc); is that correct?

pandora86

@chiarieds she got 10 points for moving around and 0 for planning and following a journey.

however the assessor ticked box saying can plan and follow a journey unaided, but wrote in the comments “cannot plan and follow a simple journey”

April2018mom

Circle all the inaccurate information using a red pen @pandora86. Use this tool to type up a letter of appeal stating why you think she needs the money https://www.advicenow.org.uk/pip-tool. 

Good luck! Keep us posted. 

chiarieds

@pandora86 . That must be enough to drive you to distraction! So have you got any evidence to corroborate her anxiety? If you find you need to go for a Mandatory Reconsideration this should hopefully clarify that the assessor made an error. I won my Mandatory Reconsideration; I wish you the same success!

cristobal

@pandora86 -you say that your Mum gets confused as the result of pain medication and this prevents her planning a journey...

I wonder if it's worth checking whether the DWP would include this (since it's not a medical condition itself) ?

Could you tell them if your mother has tried other pain relief which don't have these side effects??

Good luck anyway... 

pandora86

@cristobal yes confusion is a big part however due to feelings of overwhelming and social anxiety, she cannot plan a journey alone nor attempt to go alone, she gets scared that she will get lost, something will happen to her or that someone will harm her. She has not once been to an appointment alone, she is always either with me or my sister.

The scope of the question actually focuses on mental health ability to plan and take a journey, however as i said previously, the assessor claims my mum wasnt trembling or sweating so therefore no signs of anxiety were present so she marked her down. Not taking into consideration the new anxiety and pain med she was prescribed few days before (pregabalin) which completely numbed her on the day of assessment.

we will just have to wait and see i suppose. Would it help to get a letter from gp to express my mums anxiety attacks? To send along with an MR should we need to? Thanks

poppy123456

Letters from GPs aren't the best evidence to send because a GP will very rarely know how her conditions affect her against the PIP descriptors.

pandora86

@poppy123456 her gp is the specialist under mental health care and is the one prescribing her with the anxiety tabs, if not gp then who else would be able to provide evidence or how would i be able to prove for my mum that she does not ever leave the house alone? 

She has an appointment with mental health care professional on 24th oct, who had a telephone appointment with her about a month ago and said that mum has severe anxiety etc but i dont know whether they would provide a letter? 
Thanks

poppy123456

I have no idea who else you can ask. When the forms were filled out did you put some examples of what happened the last time she attempted that activity?

If she was left alone while being out, what would happen? Would she be able to find her way home?

Since the following and planning a journey changes took place it is very difficult to score points for this activity for anxiety alone because overwhelming psychological distress must be present.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-assessment-guide-for-assessment-providers/pip-assessment-guide-part-2-the-assessment-criteria#mobility-activities