Hi keep getting this email not sure if it's good ore not

Ashvinney

"amazing members only resources" "I just wanted to say a huge thank-you to all at benefits and work for your amazing members only resources. I filled in my renewal application like I was applying for the first time and sent lots of supporting evidence for the relevant descriptors. I phoned the DWP yesterday and was delighted to hear I had been awarded the high rate for both components for 10 years without a f2f meeting!! Thank-you once again." Claire Give yourself the best possible chance of getting the right PIP, UC or ESA decision, whether you're claiming, renewing or appealing. Get instant access to all our guides 20% OFF ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP Just type the following code into the coupon box when you pay: 75844 Claimants and carers get an annual subscription for £15.96, down from £19.95. Professionals get an annual subscription for £77.60, down from £97.00 OFFER ENDS MIDNIGHT FRIDAY Subscribe now You can read this newsletter online Dear Ashley , Our poll to find out what type of PIP assessment readers prefer is now complete and the results are not as straightforward as we expected. Certainly, it looks like many claimants may want to exercise their right to a review of their PIP assessment type. In more assessment news, we ask why the DWP are still keeping the success rates for the universal credit WCA secret, nine years after the benefit was introduced. We warn deaf and hearing impaired claimants that they may be missing out on a PIP award, as the DWP start a review because they got the law wrong yet again. And finally, we ask how is the biggest real-terms cut in benefits in 50 years combined with a cost of living crisis affecting you? Good luck, Steve Donnison PIP ASSESSMENT POLL RESULTS - WHAT DO CLAIMANTS PREFER? Last month we asked you to tell us what sort of PIP assessment you would prefer.   Judging by the results, a very large percentage of you should consider exercising your right to a review of the type of assessment you are told to attend – and a further review if you are still not happy. At present, the DWP says 77% of PIP assessments are telephone, 16% are paper, 5% are face-to-face and 2% are video assessments. Meanwhile, Scotland is introducing paper-based assessments by default for claimants of ADP, its replacement for PIP. According to our readers, neither the DWP nor the Scottish government are getting it right. 875 readers voted in our poll and 225 left a comment as well, explaining the reasons for their choice. The final results were: Paper 59%   Phone 20% Face-to-face 20% Video 1% So, what is clear is that a majority of voters preferred a paper assessment, but a significant minority would opt for a face-to-face or a telephone assessment. Only a tiny proportion would choose video. Many who prefer a paper assessment see little point in giving detailed information on their ‘How your disability affects you’ form only to have to give the same information again in an assessment.   Many also do not trust the assessor to accurately record their answers and some feel that the main purpose of the PIP assessment is to try to trip people up by asking the same questions repeatedly in slightly different ways. But for one out of five claimants, a face-to-face is preferred.   For some this is because they believe the assessor will be able to better understand the physical difficulties they have or see their emotional distress and thus write a more accurate report.   For others it is more about watching the assessor and making a judgement about whether they are being listened to and understood, so that they can give further information if necessary.  For another one in five, being assessed by telephone is the best option.   For some this is because they find travelling physically painful or distressing but still want to have a dialogue with the assessor.  For others it is because social anxiety makes face-to-face assessments distressing and ineffective for gathering evidence, but they can manage a telephone call to an acceptable standard. Despite, or perhaps because of, having lived through years of a pandemic where much communication has been via Zoom, video assessments are not popular.  Unfortunately, this is an assessment type which is on the increase.   The numbers are still small, but they are rising, whilst paper assessments have remained the same or fallen in the last three quarters. Our poll results suggest that whilst the Scottish government have got it partly correct in making paper the default assessment, it still isn’t the right answer.  What claimants really need is to be able to choose the form of assessment that they think would best allow them to give detailed and accurate evidence. In fact, although very few people are aware of it, PIP claimants already have the right to ask for a review of their assessment type. We don't yet know if the same applies to ADP in Scotland. If you are still not happy you can ask for a second review. Once this second review has taken place, you do not have the right of appeal to an independent tribunal, you must abide by the decision or look for another course of action. This could be a discrimination claim if the request for a different type of assessment could be viewed as a reasonable adjustment. We don’t have any statistics on how many people ask for a review of their assessment type or what the success rate is.   But there is a reasonable chance that the assessment provider will find it easier to change the assessment type rather than go through two reviews and face the possibility of a discrimination claim. There’s detailed information on how to ask for a review, including time limits and sample letters, in our Members guide to PIP Claims and Reviews. Read More and Comment WHY ARE UNIVERSAL CREDIT WCA STATISTICS STILL SECRET? The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) is demanding to know why the pass and fail rates for the WCA for universal credit are still secret, nine years after the benefit was introduced.   The question is becoming ever more pressing as 1.7 million ESA claimants are due to be forcibly transferred to UC by the end of 2024. The proportion of claimants who are found to be capable of work or to have limited capability for work (LCW) or for work-related activity (LCWRA) have been regularly published for ESA since 2010. Yet the same figures have never been published for UC, ever since the benefit was introduced. As far back as 2017 the government promised that UC WCA statistics would soon be available but still none have been provided and there is no longer any indication that they will be. The Disability News Service has been pursuing the DWP over its lack of openness on the subject for some time and approached the OSR for help. The OSR have now written to the DWP asking why the figures have not been published. The concern is that UC claimants may be less likely to be found to be in the LCW or LCWRA groups for UC than they are for ESA, even though the tests are virtually identical, and that the DWP is covering this up.   The lack of transparency over this issue will only add to the concerns of people waiting to be forcibly moved onto UC. Read More and Comment DEAF AND HEARING IMPAIRED CLAIMANTS HAVE MISSED OUT ON PIP POINTS The DWP have started yet another review to look for claimants who may have been underpaid PIP because the department got the law wrong.   This time it is deaf and hearing impaired claimants who may be entitled to more points, if they are unable to hear a fire alarm when bathing or showering. In upper tribunal case [2020] UKUT 252 (AAC) the claimants needed to remove their hearing aids to shower or bathe.  As a result they would be unable to hear a fire alarm or smoke detector and so could not carry out the activity safely. Leaving the door open would not allow them privacy and so they would not be carrying out the activity to an acceptable standard. The judge found that the claimants would be able to use a visual alarm to bathe safely and thus should score points for needing an aid or appliance. If they had not been able to use a visual alarm they would have scored points for needing supervision. In both cases, this meant that the claimants got an additional two points added to the six they had already received for daily living and were thus awarded the standard rate. The DWP are now conducting an exercise to identify claimants who may have missed out on an award because the department was applying the law wrongly.   They are reviewing claims made on or after 21 August 2020 and up to 17 May 2021, when they say they began applying the law correctly. Read More and Comment HOW IS THE BIGGEST REAL-TERMS CUT IN BENEFITS FOR 50 YEARS AFFECTING YOU? Claimants are facing the biggest cut in the value of their benefits for 50 years according to the Joseph Rowntree Trust (JRF).  The fall is due to the government’s decision to only uprate benefits by 3.1%. This is in spite of the fact that inflation is projected to be 7.1% by the end of this month.   The increase in benefits in April each year is based on the rate of inflation the previous September. But this year it means that the uprating figure is based on the rate of inflation before the cost of living crisis took hold.  JRF say that benefits were already at historically low levels and that this new real-terms cut will push an additional 600,000 people into poverty. What difficulties will you face and what choices will you have to make over the coming months? Read More and Comment PIP ON-DEMAND TRAINING DO YOU NEED TO BE CERTAIN THAT YOU UNDERSTAND PIP? “Thanks for the pip training.. invaluable!! I have received pip renewal for the next 4 years. I used your wording from the training.. such as I didn't feel I could complete the task in a safe, timely or repeated manner for more than 50% of the time . . .I also put down as my "aids" which help my condition an app that tracks my mood in order to help me know when I need to ring the GP. I also put down the calm app which helps me relax when I'm stressed as this is my trigger to ill mental health . . . I would never of thought to put those as "aids" unless I had watched the training video . Many thanks !!” Do you find it really challenging to make your client’s issues fit within the PIP descriptors and worry that they are not getting the award that they should? Or do you want the chance to test your understanding of PIP, because getting your own claim right is absolutely vital? If so, our PIP On-Demand training may be just what you need. With a mixture of text, slides, videos, case studies and quizzes, our courses are interactive, keeping you motivated and engaged. And there’s always support from a welfare rights worker available to help you, if there’s anything you are struggling with. Find out more about our easy-to-follow online courses that you can take at your own pace and at a time that suits you. On-Demand Training FEEDBACK FROM THE FORUM AND BY EMAIL Many thanks to everyone who takes the trouble to post in the forum or email us with news of your success. We know it’s many readers favourite, and most encouraging, bit of the newsletter. For some people, it’s the only thing that keeps them going through a difficult claim or appeal. “I burst into tears” “I studied your PIP document so I was prepared for the 1 hour 45 min telephone assessment on 17 Feb. I kept repeating the mantra you identified of 'I do not have good days'. Just now got the news by telephone because I was ringing to get a copy of the assessor's report: Steve, I have been awarded both the enhanced rate for mobility AND care plus a backdated sum. The PIP is ongoing. I confess I burst into tears. Thank you Steve, without your document I would have floundered...a lot.” Sharon “I am soooo pleased” "I just wanted to drop you a note to say a very heartfelt THANK YOU!!! I have just received my PIP renewal award letter and I am informed my award has been renewed for another four years! I first found your site in 2015 when I first applied for PIP and became a member. Your guides were essential in me being able to get PIP and I have used them since for my second renewal in 2018 and my most recent one in September 2021. Although I am on the most basic living allowance, it still makes a huge difference to me and I am so grateful for this award and your services. The most joyful thing of it all, has been that this time round (for the first time) I have not been asked to go for a telephone or face to face assessment! Yay! I have been told the evidence I have provided (thanks to your guides) is sufficient to be able to give the award from the paper application and its content - and I am soooo pleased, as we all know how traumatic the assessments can be!!" Natasha “over the moon” "Hi there just to let you know that I have been awarded PIP for the enhanced rate at both daily living & mobility, I could never have done it without the help & support a subscription has given me, I literally have no words and am over the moon, I was given a written assessment after sending supporting medical evidence in with my application, 4 months later I have been awarded maximum rate for my mental health which is a god send to help me on the road to recovery after I lost my job, my home, my physical & mental health and made homeless all in the space of 3yrs. Ur guides and information was crucial as I had zero knowledge of the benefit system as I’ve not been on it in over 20yrs, it took me months of stressful study to understand it and it helped enormously when trying to fill in these awful forms designed for an unfair system, having to go thru this was more stressful than losing my job, losing my home and being made homeless and took my illness to new levels, it’s going to take me months to recover from this alone. I am forever in ur debt and ur service is a lifeline for people facing an unfair/discriminative system designed to discriminate against them, thank you from the bottom of my heart." Mark “worth its weight in gold” "In March 2020 I applied for Personal Independence Payment as the assessor who carried out my ESA Capability for Work assessment suggested I should qualify for PIP as well. Following a humiliating telephone assessment for PIP, my application was turned down in September as I was awarded zero points. Much of the report that I received was inaccurate and stated that I could not have mental health issues “as I had my own bank account” “had completed the application myself” and “I was not anxious on the call” My application was mostly made on the basis of having a life-limiting physical health condition but this undoubtedly impacts my mental health and after reading the decision letter, I did not feel mentally strong enough to ask for mandatory reconsideration or an appeal. This year, a friend recommended that I subscribe to your site which I did and in June 2021 after reading all your members guides, I submitted a fresh PIP application. I also watched a couple of video training guides prior to my telephone assessment and today I received around £2200 in my bank account for DWP PIP. I haven’t received my decision letter yet but have calculated this to 6 months backdated payment from June – December for Standard rate Daily Living and Standard rate Mobility. It has made my Christmas and I cannot thank you enough for the service you provide. I think I paid about £16 for annual membership as I got a discount but it’s been worth its weight in gold. I will most definitely be recommending Benefits and Work to anyone who is currently struggling to get what they are rightfully entitled to." Fiona “given me confidence to actually apply” “I just wanted to say thank you for all the great advice and information which enabled me to successfully apply for a blue badge (I just got the news today!). I am still waiting for my PIP form to arrive so won’t know the outcome of that for a while, but the member guides have been a tremendous help and given me confidence to actually apply. Thanks again, I just wanted to share.” Becca Send Feedback Next Edition The next edition is due out on Wednesday 4 May. Until then, we're always happy to get your feedback and suggestions for future stories. Good luck, The Office Team Benefits and Work Publishing Ltd Company registration No. 5962666 UNSUBSCRIBE OR CHANGE YOUR DETAILS

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poppy123456

@Ashvinney you have left your email address visible at the very bottom of your comment and it's against the rules to post any personal information. I would advise you to edit your comment to remove this.

@Tori_Scope @Alex_Scope @Ross_Scope Can you please remove the email address. I did report it but it said the "body" was too long, so i couldn't.

calcotti

If you don't want to receive them then unsubscribe.

calcotti

poppy123456 said: I did report it but it said the "body" was too long, so i couldn't. 

I had the same problem.

Ashvinney

How do I remove my email 

calcotti

Ashvinney said:

How do I remove my email 

You cannot now (you can only edit a post within 60 minutes) - a mod will need to do it.

Ashvinney

Ok not good but I did not mean to put my email up 

calcotti

I've reported one of the other posts in the thread as a means of drawing the thread to the attention of the mods.

Ashvinney

Thank u calcotti 

Ross_Alumni

I have now removed your email @Ashvinney  

Ashvinney

Thank you for doing that  I forget to take out my email sorry about that I know it's against the rules to put your email down , I was just showing the email I keep getting wanting me to pay for advice on my pip and ESA  ,I have undescribed to them now because I didn't think that you had to pay for advice I have never used them as I went to cab for help , I get ongoing award for both in pip it's just my ESA assessment I. Am waiting on a date for that so it's advice I look for on here  ross_scope 😁

calcotti

The website has useful information on it and I like their page on the PIP scoring system but you are right there is absolutely no need to pay them for advice which is available from numerous sources.