PIP Assessment was the worst experience I could've ever imagine it could be

chungee

Hi, This morning I had a telephone assessment,  it was the worst experience I could have ever imagined it could be,  the assessor was rude and abrupt from the off, kept constantly pressuring for answers I couldn't be  sure of, wanted to know things I'd done and when , even if it was a few years ago she wanted definitive answers or she'd end the assessment,  and was just forcing me to answer questions I really  never had answers for or wasn't sure of, and if I never answered how she wanted them answered she just kept threatening to end the assessment because 'she hasn't got the time'.
I'm there struggling to keep my head together,  I'm doing my best and clearly struggling not to have a full on panic attack, I was getting  upset.. whilst I tried my damned best to keep things together  and all I'm getting is a pushy, rude abrupt assessor threatening to end  the assessment all the time  if I dont give the answers she wants to hear.
She started saying she'd end the assessment early in onto the call if I dont answer accordingly, and continually said this until we got an hour in and she said we're  going to be here for 3 hours at this rate , I have to end the assessment and rearrange for a time when you can answer all these questions properly, basically whatever I said or wasn't sure of wasn't good enough. I was doing  my best to answer the  best I could, I was trying my best to stop a full meltdown from happening and to get through the assessment best I could and she was just continually rude and abrupt from start to....until she did and the assessment!!

And that that was the end of that, she ended the assessment i've been fretting over for weeks, not eating or sleeping properly due to the prospect of the assessment and now I have to wait and go through it all again.. umpth..

Don't  know how what to say or do, just needed to vent,  hope that's ok.:(

DuffersMum

Some of these assessors are just horrible.  I’m sorry you had such a bad experience 

janer1967

Hi there 

Sorry your assessment caused you so much anxiety you never know it may have a better outcome than you expect 

Is there anyone that could sit with you if you have to have another one 

Tori_Scope

I'm also really sorry that you had that experience @chungee. You shouldn't have been spoken to in that way. You're welcome to vent here whenever you need to  

Have you been able to try and take your mind off of it this afternoon? 

chungee

Hi guys, an update,  a year on...

After that awful phone assessment , they never even bothered to do a proper assessment afterwards, I just had a decision through with zero points.
After putting in a Mandatory reconsideration the decision stayed the same.... nil points!!

I was losing hope and will to fight by now, but I find the will to fight this time!

So, next step  I put in for the first tier tribunal, explain I havent had a valid and fair assessment, the dwp referred to a past f2f assessment years before that phone assessment  saying I was this and that but failed to mention me falling in the office, how much of  a mess I was, amongst other lies on how the assessment  actually went.. how they can get away with the lies over and again beats me, but I digress....

I get a reply from the tribunal with a date on when the dwp has to respond...

We pass the original response timeline, (the dwp put in for an extension, only for a couple of days longer) and i recieve a call a day after the original date, out of the blue... stating.. " I now have all the info i need
, And i can tell you that I can change the decision"....
Thus  offering me enhanced rates  on both components. OMG.. you say what? After putting me through all that, literally making me out a  liar, awarding me zero points, telling me I dont struggle with this and that and consistently  award me zero points in all areas throughout, leave me struggling financially  for standard needs  year upon year and now  you say this!!!!
Wow, just wow....
Yeh, it's good news and I should be happy,  but it's hard to take it  in at the moment tbh, it's been tough!

I'm not very good on the phone and I never really asked much as I was in complete shock of this call, Wow, just wow, the incompetence of these people and how they make you feel  isn't ever right

Only thing I'm thinking now is how long or (gulp) short the award is for, I cant be going through all this again in a few months, surely enhanced on both components has to be a longer award, don't want to be going  through this again any time soon.
What's the chances of it being a longer award after it going  down like it has, is it more  likely  to be a shorter or longer award, do you think? 



Thanks for listening
It's  been emotional



A.C

calcotti

Congratulations. You will now get paid all arrears do.
Your appeal will lapse - the tribunal service will confirm this to you once they hear from DWP.
When you get the decision letter check how long the award is for.
If you want to appeal the length of the decision you can lodge a new appeal to the tribunal service (no MR needed) and appeal only the length of award.

Tori_Scope

Congratulations @chungee I'm sorry that it's been such a tough process, but I'm glad that you got there in the end. I'm sure that other members will find it helpful to read about your experience. 

I hope that you're able to relax a little now, even if you can't quite feel too happy about it, which is totally understandable. 

poppy123456

calcotti said:

If you want to appeal the length of the decision you can lodge a new appeal to the tribunal service (no MR needed) and appeal only the length of award.

Great news! Just to add further, if you do go down this route you must make sure you tell HMCTS that you're happy with your award and would like to appeal just the award length.

Alex_Alumni

That's good to hear @chungee thanks for letting us all know, and I'm sorry it's been such a battle for you!

I hope we've been able to reassure you about how to challenge the length of an award, you'll have to tell us when you hear more about that. 

If there's anything else we can help with in the meantime, do ask, and I hope after a little time getting over the shock, you've been able to relax now

chungee

Thanks for the kind comments guy's, I haven't had the award letter yet, so it might just be me being cynical with the length of award, it gets to a point when you just expect there to be something to bite, don't you!

But let's be positive, this award is going to improve my quality of life no end, that I'm very grateful and happy, from here I can try to build bridges!

Thanks for listening.

A. x

Alex_Alumni

You're very welcome @chungee thank you for sharing what's happened. I hope you enjoy your weekend