I’ll try and be concise (sorry if it still runs long) but if any one could offer help it would be very appreciated.
A bit of background:
• I have a heart condition that causes random fainting and black outs without warning at least 2 times a week. It also means I get random spouts of tachycardia lasting hours (pulse well above 200) which make me unsteady on my feet, nauseous, dizzy and eyesight goes. These happen 3-4 times every day.
• I have agoraphobia, ptsd, anxiety and depression (these impact me by lack of motivation to dress, wash, cook, eat, generally take care of myself, or leave the house. I also can’t use telephones at all.
• I have blinding migraines that following a blood clot on the brain a few years back. These leave me bed bound for days at a time and happen ever couple of weeks or so and for the week after I’m weak and generally poorly.
With help from my only friend (who I’ve never met in person and only speak to by messages online) I typed up my PIP application and wrote “see attached sheets” on each section because I struggle with handwriting and it was easier to work collaboratively with her. I also sent my ESA assessment report, a letter I wrote and a letter from my friend (I also explained why I don’t have much evidence because I find it too difficult to engage with medical professionals).
Anyway, I was lucky enough to have a paper-based assessment which I believe was down to them having evidence the WCA was so traumatising for me (I won’t go into detail unless I need to?) and my friend expressing concerns as to my mental state if I did attend.
I was awarded standard care and high mobility with recommendation of review in 1 year. I scored 11 Points for care.
This is where it gets interesting/complicated. In the assessment report she says she did not receive the additional sheets where I answered the PIP2 and that the assessment is based solely on her medical knowledge, my letter and the WCA report.
It also only awards for my physical condition as it says she can’t comment on mental health as has no information about it.
For example, washing and bathing she scored supervision due to passing out and in the explanation she writes she can’t judge regarding mental health / prompting because I didn’t fill in PIP2. This is repeated for almost every question.
I didn’t score for engaging with others or anything social / relating to mental health which is where I should really have scored the most points. I understand this is because she had no information on it but the very fact they did it paper-based due to my distress should surely be taken into account?
Also the 1 year review, they note that I’m due surgery for my heart conditions, so I understand why a year. But my mental health has been an issue all my life and will not be better in a year, I feel if they had taken my mental health into account it would be a longer review.
So my questions:
1- is there anything I can do about them losing my PIP2 answers? Each page had my name and NI on them and contained personal and private information.
2 - can I appeal just the length of award?
3 - if I do appeal (MR) is it possible for me to lose what I currently have?
I don’t really care about enhanced care (although I think I meet the criteria, engaging should have been 8 points alone). Obviously the extra £30 would be handy but it’s more the principal. I feel like they have totally ignored and disregarded my mental health and as troublesome as the heart and migraines are, my mental health are by far more disabling for me.
