How do I speed things up? Do I have to tell them if I record the call?

marydoherty

can anyone advise me please? i have been waiting 14 weeks now for a pip telephone appointment. 5 weeks ago i spoke to someone called adam at pip (atos) and he said i wouldnt be waiting any longer than 4 weeks, now 5 weeks later they say no one called adam recorded anything on the system about my call! and they have no idea when im likely to get my call! please is there anything i can do to progress things? and do i have to unform them if they call me and i record it? also can they decline to talk to me if i tell them im going to record the call? also is there a time limit to when they have to respond? if only i were running for election, i would be campaigning to get rid of this in humane and barbaric treatment to the most vulnerable in our country

janer1967

Hi @marydoherty Welcome to the community.

Unfortunately there is a huge backlog of assessments and lots of people have been waiting for appointments. Obviously at this time they are running on reduced staffing and other priorities like all those applying for all other benefits. there is no time limit to when they have to respond.

I am not sure about your rights in relation to recording the phone conversations but hopefully another member can assist with this

I hope you hear something soon

Chloe_Alumni

Hi @marydoherty and a warm welcome to the community! I'm really sorry you have been waiting for so long. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do apart from calling them to ask for an update.

If you plan on recording I would definitely ask for permission before you do so. 

Fingers crossed for you! 

marydoherty

hi all, i have had my assesment, i did record it (on a dictophone without telling them) they have lied their behinds off!! what can i do now? if i cant admitt this as evidance then im giving it to the papers, it so bad, that the assesor was named as a female physiotheripst, but it was a male who conducted the assesment!!!

laurapeach

You can now put in for a Mandatory Reconsideration, as long as there has only been a month since you got your decision letter. If it has been longer you will need to give them a good reason as to why it took longer. You will need to write to them to explain why you think you deserve more points than you got (if you got any at all) and try to match your reasons to the descriptors. So for example if they didn't give you any points for cooking a meal, you need to explain what kind of help you need (even if you don't have it) and why you need it.

If you haven't already, call to ask them for a copy of the assessor's report (it's called a PA4).

I'm not sure you'll be able to use the recording as you did not tell them you were doing it, but if you did want to use it you would need to get it professionally transcribed.

marydoherty

@ laurapeach i have a copy of the report in with my award letter which i got this friday just gone, this is how i know they have lied massivey.  please can you recomend a trancribing company as i have looked and can only find ones that work from digital recordings where as my recording is on a dictorphone with playback only function, no tape.

poppy123456

Hi,

You would be much better off forgetting about any "lies" that may have been told in the report and concentrate on the MR then Tribunal if that fails. If it gets to Tribunal they won't be interested in anything that was in the report, all they will want to know is where and why you think you should have scored those points.

Taking it to a local newspaper is not going to get you a PIP award.

marydoherty

iv already been given the award.  

marydoherty

im definatly NOT going to forget about the lies, if the papers wont be intersted in blowing the lid of this bunch of deceitful liers then someone will.  thanks for your time guys, best of luck and please stay safe xx

poppy123456

What was the award? and what aren't you happy with exactly? other than the "lies" in the report?

marydoherty

they awarded me standard daily living, declinded me the moblity even tho i cant get up and down my own stairs, i cannot even get to my local bus stop, i struggle to get on and off busses and im unable to stand unaided for more than a couple of mins without getting breathless and dizzy and falling over, i have been housebound like this since april last year, but in the report the advisor said i can walk unaided up to 200 meters when i clearly told him and could be herd telling him on the recording that i cant walk more than 10 feet on the flat without having to stop and lean on my walking stick for a couple of mins to catch my breath back before i can go on. i cannot stand for more than a couple of mins so am unable to cook a meal for myself, infact it has again been over a year since i last cooked a family meal, but the advisor said i can.  one way or the other im going to get justice for the lies they told not just about me but many many more out there!  i have asthma and stage 3 copd (copd is considerd a termial illness as there is no cure and i will eventually die from it before my natural time, there are only 4 stages of copd, and stage 4 is end stage!!!) as well as a weak achillies tendon from a complete tear 5 years ago and i have carpal tunnel sysndrom which surgury did not help or relife, i am now waiting for more operations to see if there is anything else they can do to releive the pain

poppy123456

Concentrating on the lies will not get you a mobility award. What will help is anecdotal evidence, did you give any of this in the form you filled in or during the assessment? Or did you just state you can only walk a certain distance before you have to stop to catch your breath?

You say you struggle to get on and off buses but you've been housebound for since April last year.

You say you can't stand to cook a meal but what about using an aid? if you sat in the kitchen on a perching stool, will that help? Just stating you can't do an activity isn't going to score you any points. If they think an aid will help then this is what you'll score points for, using an aid.

You need to put your anger to one side and concentrate on the MR and Tribunal.

laurapeach

The DWP don't care about the diagnosis, it's just how they affect your ability to complete daily tasks. You need to put in for a mandatory reconsideration if you feel you're entitled to more. As Poppy said, trying to take it to the papers etc is just a waste of your time and energy when you could be putting that into writing your MR. 

chiarieds

Hi @marydoherty - I think many of us here will understand your frustration & anger, as they've either had a similar experience, or a relative of theirs has. If you look through other messages in this thread you will see this, & also the explanations/responses given by Poppy, woodbine, laurapeach & others.

With the best will in the world, there just wouldn't be time for anyone at the DWP, or a tribunal to listen to your recording (& apparently they don't have the equipment to do so), altho you are advised to say you would like to record an assessment beforehand anyway. It may be useful to yourself to listen to, to remind you of what was asked, & your responses.....that's all.

It may be hard to do, but you need to put this behind you, & people here are trying to advise you about this. The next stage is a Mandatory Reconsideration, & again, you can get help here with that.

Having difficulty using stairs is not an activity that's looked at with PIP. There is some confusion with what you've said, as you mention difficulty getting on/off a bus, but yet you're housebound. You mention you get dizzy, & have fallen over. Did you describe the latter incident(s) in detail in your 'How your disability affects you' claim form? As Poppy says, this anecdotal evidence is what you now need with an MR.