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F2F telephone assessment

Firefly123

Just had a phone call to say I will have my assement on the phone next week.
At least it's soon and be over with.

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Comments

wilko

@Firefly123, thank you for this information, remember you will only have one opportunity to put your facts and supporting verbal evidence and answers to questions asked once so think before you answer if you have a copy of the descriptors for claiming PIP then have your answers written down that you can use for each of the descriptors your claiming you are unable to do without help or assistance. Good luck and let the community know how it went. Remember you can still request a copy of your assessment report then you can see what your award may should be but you still have to wait for the official notification letter from the DWP.

johnnyy85

@Firefly123 good luck, when does your award date end?im waiting for information on my renewal and was wondering how behind they are ?

Firefly123

Thank you,, @wilko yes I photo copied all before I sent it. I was wondering how it would be. ☺

@johnnyy85 it's a new claim I started at the end of July. The did say on the phone that they have a backlog to get through. Good luck with your renewal. ☺

skullcap

Really amazed.
The assumption that everyone is comfortable in dealing with an assessment over the phone is beyond me. Most will be extremely nervous which certainly doesn't help. Plus how on earth are they going to assess body language and note any observations?
To me this is a half arsed way of conducting any assessment.

cristobal

"The assumption that everyone is comfortable in dealing with an assessment over the phone is beyond me. Most will be extremely nervous which certainly doesn't help. Plus how on earth are they going to assess body language and note any observations?"

@skullcap yadnad....is there an assumption that everyone is comfortable? Almost inevitably some aren't but these are challenging times for everyone - schools closing, businesses going bust...we all need to be flexible in my opinion.

What would you advise people who aren't comfortable being assessed this way?

pollyanna1052

what else can they do? put a hold on all claims?

Leelink

Luckily i had my Face to Face assessment in January (But still awaiting the results). But i can absolutely not do phone calls. I struggle to ring even family. If i had to choose now id hope it be a paper assessment or id just wait the months before they can restart to avoid a telephone assessment.

Firefly123

I would rather do f2f than do it on the phone but I totally understand why they need to do it this way. I'm not good on the phone but it has to be done.

cristobal

On the positive front - no-one will have to travel to the assessment centre, the assessment won't last as long, and they'll all be recorded ...(I'm guessing the last bit but most 'phone calls are recorded now..)

skullcap

Leelink said:

Luckily i had my Face to Face assessment in January (But still awaiting the results). But i can absolutely not do phone calls. I struggle to ring even family. If i had to choose now id hope it be a paper assessment or id just wait the months before they can restart to avoid a telephone assessment.

One of many that would not feel comfortable with a telephone assessment.
I do not think the claimant would be really able to express themselves on the telephone.
A paper assessment will only be as good as the way the claim form has been completed and all of the relevant evidence has been sent in. Otherwise you run the risk of a nil award by default,

skullcap

Firefly123 said:

I would rather do f2f than do it on the phone but I totally understand why they need to do it this way. I'm not good on the phone but it has to be done.

So what you are saying is that your claim would be prejudiced if you had to have a telephone assessment?
They don't need to do it that way.

Video calling is one way and even waiting for a f2f assessment is another.

skullcap

To be honest - Yes!
On the other hand why not use facetime or Skype.
It would be totally unfair to those that would have difficulty in putting over their argument during a telephone call. My pet hate is having to leave messages on an answer machine. I become tongue tied. Yet I enjoy talking in public.
For the sake of getting the right award I would postpone all assessments. For those that already have a review coming up - just extend the current award. For new claims yes wait until they can have a face to face assessment.
Would people be really happy and comfortable in talking to their GP on the telephone about an issue they have? How many would be able to put over exactly how they are feeling?

skullcap

ilovecats said:
No visual observations could be done so it’s done to functional history, evidence etc which I imagine would actually lead to better outcomes overall. If a claimant says something, as there are visual obs to go against this everything will have to be taken at ‘face value’.

Exactly what I have been saying. Telephone assessments could well be a scammers charter!
The assessor will not be able to defeat a claimant who is either trying it on or aggerating the claim. Just accept what they say - who would want to lie?

cristobal

@yadnad said... "Exactly what I have been saying. Telephone assessments could well be a scammers charter!"

@skullcap -

The reason that telephone assessments are being considered is due to a virus that is starting to take hold in the UK. If it becomes as severe as Italy, and we have yet to find that out, the results will be catastrophic.

In the PM and other government minister's list of priorities, with A&E departments being unable to cope, mass fatalities and collapse of the economy at the very top, whether someone fiddles their assessment, or would prefer not to do it by 'phone is so far down the list that it would probably be written on roll 23 of a 24 pack of toilet roll (remember them?)

The DWP (of whom I'm no big fan) are adapting their procedures in attempt to keep people safe and, I believe, genuinely try to help people although the changes won't suit everyone.

Please try to be positive.

I know that it's hard for you but this constant wave of negativity and criticism really doesn't do you, or anyone else, any good.

As they say in the cartoons - if you're old enough to remember - "that's all folks"

Firefly123

I started my claim in July and would rather not wait as we have no real timescale of how long this will last.. Its not ideal but we have and will have to change our way of doing things.

Yes there is Skype ect and I'm sure some people would also hate that.

skullcap

cristobal said:

On the positive front - no-one will have to travel to the assessment centre, the assessment won't last as long, and they'll all be recorded ...(I'm guessing the last bit but most 'phone calls are recorded now..)

The recording, if it is carried out, is for the benefit of the assessing company and certainly not for the claimant.

skullcap

ilovecats said:

Video calling I believe has been ruled out at present. It presents a whole host of problems and a lot of people don’t have access to decent enough software to do this.

?? Why not?
All they need to do is download the Skype app. Took me 10mins
If there are these many problems how is it that the vast majority of government departments use it without any difficulty?

poppy123456

I'd much prefer a telephone assessment to a video assessment, so i'm glad they have ruled out the video assessments.

Firefly123

I definitely would not like a video call have all of mine at home.Things are difficult enough.

skullcap

You can hide so much over the telephone. No one sees the expressions on your face, if you are constantly referring to papers that are hidden, that you inadvertently/accidentally reach for something, as a piece of paper that has fallen on the floor and have already said that you cannot reach to wash yourself in the bath etc etc.