PIP and Epilepsy

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  • saz11
    saz11 Online Community Member Posts: 121 Empowering
    @mac1976

    Yeah as you say that's all you can do....the points i listed are some of the ones i came across. The thought of a f2f is very stressful but try and look at it this way.....its just another human being across the desk from you , just be you , take your time to answer questions they ask ,  don't worry about taking to long this is your time to make sure you get everything you want to say recorded for the report , dont feel pressured or let them led you into an answer.

    Honestly my f2f was fine and i wish i hadn't worried so much because at the end of the day you have no control over their decision but you do have control over you and let me tell you are strong enough to do this because us epilepsy sufferers are made of strong stuff as are all the other people who live with a disability and have fight just to have a decent quality of life.
    Things seem unfair at times but i just remember i am lucky compared to some people and i have been through quite alot of rubbish times in my life and the DWP wont get me down . Try and not let it get you down either. Please dont give up we are all here for.....even for just a moan ?
  • mac1976
    mac1976 Online Community Member Posts: 63 Listener
    I’ve used a example of when I went to my local shop and had s fit. I came round with my coat being cut off me. I was taken out on a body brace as I’d gone face down. I had to have a scan once in A&E. I still couldn’t tell you to this day how I got to the shop. That’s quite worrring who knows I could have walked into the road. Luckily my sons friends mum works in the shop so my family was told I was there. 
  • Chloe_Alumni
    Chloe_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 10,506 Championing
    Hi @mac1976, I appreciate how stressful this can be. You have had some really good advice here, so I hope it helps!
  • mac1976
    mac1976 Online Community Member Posts: 63 Listener
    I’ve been to see a fantastic benefits adviser today. He exsplaind things to me I didn’t even think of. The forms completed and ready to be posted. He’s told me if I have any problems just call him. Thanks everyone for being there for me this past few weeks. I will let you know the outcome when I know. Xxx
  • Chloe_Alumni
    Chloe_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 10,506 Championing
    That's great news @mac1976! Thank you for updating us and we all have our fingers crossed!
  • mac1976
    mac1976 Online Community Member Posts: 63 Listener
    Morning I sent on form in 2 weeks ago. I got a phome call yesterday to say a assessment will take place at home on Saturday morning. Dose anyone know why they are coming to my house. 
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    Sometimes home asseessments take place without even asking for one, if the evidence you send suggests that it's needed. It doesn't mean anything other than it's in your own home. The process is the same as if it were at an assessment centre.

    Good luck and don't forget to request a copy of the assessment report about a week after the assessment.
  • mac1976
    mac1976 Online Community Member Posts: 63 Listener
    Thank you I was getting a little worried that they are coming to have a look around my house to see how I live. 
  • ozzy19721968
    ozzy19721968 Online Community Member Posts: 29 Connected
    Hi mac sometimes if you live to far from the assessment centre or they think it would be unsafe for you to travel to it .nothing to worrie about I had them come to my home to do the assessment. Keep calm and think before you speak and get it over how your disability affects you on bad days and you will be fine 
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    They won't ask to look around your home because that's not part of the assessment. It's not just about your bad days, you should tell them about all your days, even if you have good days or better days because it's about being honest.
  • mac1976
    mac1976 Online Community Member Posts: 63 Listener
    Morning all I’ve had my assessment this morning. The nurse was very understanding and said epilepsy is not a very nice thing to have. I have got a injury to my eye from a seizure. So she saw that. She also mentioned that pip now take epilepsy seriously. I was asked did I have a job. It’s a zero hour contact so only go when I can I did explain that to her. I don’t want them to contact my employer as I don’t want them knowing my financial business. So think it went quite well. I was shaking when I passed her my ID don’t know what came over me. She was lovely and said she hopes I get the results I want when she was leaving. Dose anyone know if they contact a employer wasn’t asked who they are. 
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    It's very unlikely that they will contact your employer.

    Wait a week after the assessment and ring DWP for a copy of the assessment report to be sent to you, This will give you some idea what the decision is likely to be because they mostly go with the report. You'll still need to wait for the decision of course. Once the decision is made, if you're not happy then you'll have 1 month to request the MR. Good luck,.
  • mac1976
    mac1976 Online Community Member Posts: 63 Listener
    She did say that I will most likely need a assessment in 1 to 2 years so not sure what she meant that. 
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    They are not supposed to say anything like that to you because it's not their job to do that and it definitely doesn't mean anything at this stage.
  • mac1976
    mac1976 Online Community Member Posts: 63 Listener
    I’m worried sick that they will contact my employer as I’ve never told them at work im on DLA. 
  • chiarieds
    chiarieds Online Community Member Posts: 17,148 Championing
    Hi @mac1976 Please don't worry about them contacting your employer as they rarely even contact a person's doctors. You can work whilst you're getting DLA or PIP, so it doesn't matter anyway.
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    There would be absolutely no reason at all for anyone to contact your employer.
  • mac1976
    mac1976 Online Community Member Posts: 63 Listener
    Thank you I worry all the time over nothing anyway. I didn’t sleep much the night before the Assement she was lovely anyway and put me at ease with her understanding. It was at home so that made me feel a bit better. Hopefully I will still get something 
  • Adrian_Scope
    Adrian_Scope Posts: 11,758 Online Community Programme Lead
    Hi @mac1976. I'm glad to read your assessor seemed understanding. Best of luck with the decision, I hope you hear back soon. :)
  • Hannah2610
    Hannah2610 Online Community Member Posts: 12 Connected
    My assessor the first time round seemed like she really understood how my condition effects me. I believed she was understanding, I was wrong.
    I had to go through a tribunal, whilst waiting for that tribunal there was a change in case law  with regards to safety and supervision. I believe I was actually the first person to reach a tribunal after this change. I basically walked in a room, they brought up the change, an I walked out of there with standard care and enhanced mobility.
    I am now going through the process again :(
    I am really upset that they question my memory and emotions. I have TLE, an I've had a lot of seizures, partials and generalised. My memory is in bits, an my emotional state has been noted for the past 10 years. They asked me...why didn't you mention you have anxiety and depression? 
    I applied for PIP based on the fact I had epilepsy, not anxiety and depression. An if you look at my diagnosis letter, they put everything on the epilepsy. It causes issues way beyond just falling to the floor. It's a painful process, an it's very hard having to stress how it effects you, when it's there in black and white.xxx

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