Pip no assement and worried

rmcc

Hello I'm new here and would love some advice? 
I recently applied for pip as I suffer 2 bulging discs, sciatica and and mental health. I had a telephone call to book an assessment via telephone and they decided it was to distressing to do this due to my anxiety and panic attacks so they contacted my gp for medical evidence, they have now made their assessment report and I have requested this but it's taking so long and I'm worried because I had no assement would I be entitled to a claim? Any help or advice I would greatly appreciate? 

janer1967

Hi and welcome 

It doesn't matter that they decided to do a paper based assessment you can still get an award so no need to panic 

It still goes to a decision maker who looks at all the evidence and makes a decision  

It does take approx 8 weeks for decision 

rmcc

Hi @janer1967, thank you for your reply I'm very nervous about it all, I have requested a copy of the assessment report to give me an idea as I have read on here it's good to see what to prepare for, would it tell me in this report or what way does this work? 
Thank you 

chiarieds

Hi @rmcc - & welcome to the community. I'm sorry your PIP claim has made you feel so nervous, tho many of us have felt like that admittedly. When you get your assessment report, towards the end you will see a list of the activities that are looked at with PIP. For each activity there will be a black circle or tick against one, then use the following to compare & see what points may be awarded. https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/asset-library/Personal-Independence-Payment-Descriptors-and-Scores-April-2021.pdf
The decision maker usually goes with these recommendations, but not always. Do come back with any questions.

rmcc

Hello @chiarieds and thank you for the link. I hope to have the report soon I requested it last week, I was just worried as I didn't get doing an assessment because i was distressed on the phone and thought this would effect the claim, but my doctor has sent lots of supporting evidence, will see how it goes when the report comes  
Thank you!

Ross_Alumni

Hello @rmcc and welcome to the community, I hope you've found the above replies helpful regarding your benefit claim.

Could I ask, do you receive support from a GP or other health professional to help with managing your mental health?

rmcc

Hello @Ross_Scope yes all the information is very helpful! I receive support from my gp and also see our gps mental health nurse and I was also at the local mental health services who referred me to CBT and counciling but we have tried this before and never found any benifit from it, also thank you for your reply. 

Ross_Alumni

rmcc said:

Hello @Ross_Scope yes all the information is very helpful! I receive support from my gp and also see our gps mental health nurse and I was also at the local mental health services who referred me to CBT and counciling but we have tried this before and never found any benifit from it, also thank you for your reply. 

I'm sorry to hear you've never found any benefit from those things, but I'm glad you at least have support there if you ever feel like you need it again. I hope you have techniques in place to self-care your mental health  

janer1967

Let us know when you get the report and what it recommends 

Tori_Scope

Could you perhaps ask to try a different kind of talking therapy @rmcc? It's also important to remember that CBT might not work at one time, but can be more effective at another time. This can be for a number of reasons, including the thoughts and behaviours that you're working through, as well as the therapist themselves. Sometimes you just don't click with the therapist/counsellor you're assigned. It can also be a slow process in general, and it can take some time for progress to show. Are you willing to give it another go?

rmcc

@janer1967 I will be sure to let yous know once I revieve it! All being well i hope it's what i expect 

rmcc

@Tori_Scope I am with another CBT therapist and on my last session this week via zoom and she doesnt feel like it had been beneficial this time round either. 

Tori_Scope

I see @rmcc. Did she make any suggestions about why it wasn't as effective as she might have hoped, or about other options or types of therapy you could access? 

rmcc

Hi just an update , I received my assessment report and recommended 18 points for daily living and 22 for mobility, I'm hoping this is what I score after dm looks at it 

janer1967

@rmcc that sounds very positive fingers crossed the dm goes with the report 

rmcc

@janer1967 I hope so, it's a very stressful process 

Cher_Alumni

Hi @rmcc Thanks for sharing an update with us about the PIP report.  It looks promising and I hope that is has, in some way, reduced your feelings of anxiety?  If you need us you know where we are, and we all have our fingers crossed for a positive outcome for you 

Take care and I hope you have a nice, relaxing weekend.  

chiarieds

Thank you for the update @rmcc - the decision maker does usually go with the assessor's report, & the points recommended certainly look positive.

rmcc

Thank yous very much, I do feel less stressed I just need to wait on the decision now says up to 8 weeks so 2 down and 6 to go, this fourm has been great

rmcc

Just an update that I received a payment from pip this morning and by the looks of the payment they have went with the assessment report for enhanced rate on both parts, just awaiting decision letter now. Thank you for all your advice on here guys 

chiarieds

That's great news @rmcc