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We want to hear from you: please tell us about your experience of the online community.

PIP ASSESSMENT

Tigermoth42

Hi all, just thought I’d pass on a snippet that I picked up yesterday which might set some people’s minds to rest, albeit a little. A close friend of mine works nights in the mental health sector and, last Thursday, he had a bank (temp) nurse working with him. During the course of the evening they were chatting, like you do, and she told him her day job was as an assessor for the DWP. Chatting further she revealed that they have targets to meet when assessing claimants and that they have to fail people in order to achieve this. My friend asked her whether she felt bad deliberately failing people and she dismissively said “they can appeal”. My friend said she had no sympathy with those people she was assessing, I guess we’re just faceless entities to them, numbers on a bit of paper. I’m totally disgusted to hear this but it serves to confirm what I read in a report and I, for one, think the DWP need to take a look now at how these assessments are being carried out.

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Comments

Jaytbm1

@Username_removed I will read the statistics, but it doesn’t seem to be the case with everyone I know who has been through this system , you know what they say about statistics. Maybe there are thousands of people who are happy with there assessments but I have yet to meet any Mike .

poppy123456

Jaytbm1 said:

@Username_removed I will read the statistics, but it doesn’t seem to be the case with everyone I know who has been through this system , you know what they say about statistics. Maybe there are thousands of people who are happy with there assessments but I have yet to meet any Mike .

Myself and my daughter both claim PIP for totally different reasons. I've had 2 assessments and she's had one. All 3 reports were 100% truthful and we both got the award we're happy with. My daughter claims Enhanced for both and i claim standard daily living and enhanced mobility.

poppy123456

Colz73 said:

Hi, I have been awarded standard daily living on both which I am not happy with as the assessor lied about almost everything?I have asked for a mandatory reconsideration and will take it to appeal if I have to, I’d asked for my report which was just all lies I was so upset it’s so cruel this and the award is for 2 years when my conditions are life long and just getting worse, as it stands that means I have to go through all this again next September, just awaiting more info then going to send it off! Has anyone had a good result on a mandatory reconsideration? Xx

Only 17% of MR decisions change. Good luck with yours.

kalen

Hi Everyone

I am going through MR myself like others here. I have a 2nd tier complaint with Capita about the assessors report. If their response to my 2nd tier complaint is as lame as their first, I will be forwarding my case re Capitas' input to the Independent Case Examiner.

If my MR does not change my award to enhanced both daily living and moving around, I will proceed to Oral Tribunal to challenge DWP decision on my claim.

I have already disputed the assessors report in writing and although I sent it to Capita I wrote to DWP advising them of my complaint and asked for them not to carry out a reconsideration until I see the outcome from Capita.

One thing I would say is, when I spoke to a case manager to advise that I would be asking for a MR in writing, he said something to me that I found very strange. He said, "try not to worry because the MR team look at the case in a different way than the original case manager". I wish I had of pushed him on his meaning in that statement.

Why would they look at it in a different way?, did he mean that initially, regardless of what info you put on your PIP application, it's the assessors word and primarily their decision that determines your claim?. Did he mean that if you ask for MR and look like you could tear the assessors report to shreds that they look at you application in finer detail? Did he mean that if you ask for a MR and in their opinion there is little hope of you rubbishing the assessors report then they turn you down and let you go to a tribunal?

With regards to DLA transition to PIP. I too was asked if I wished for my latest DLA application taken into consideration for my claim for PIP.I answered yes because regardless as to whether its called DLA or PIP, my difficulties are the same. Meaning if after filling in my last DLA form, had they rang me to say we are changing the award name and criteria today so do you want to fill in another form I would have said no, go with what I sent you. I believe that I qualify under which ever criteria they have set, so I had no difficulty agreeing to them using DLA info.

Low and behold, even though I agreed to my DLA and its medical evidence being used..........The DWP did not forward this to Capita...wonder why.......now they have after my letter to them. So it would appear to me that yes, the MR team may well look at the case in a different and more involved way. And for me it appears that in a lot of cases they use the CHANCE THEIR ARM approach initally.

sammyjoe

Hi my mandatory reconsideration came back no again for my son who has autism so it had now gone to tribunal so just waiting to hear, this assessment seems unfair to people with mental disabilities as in my son's case it's not a physical disability and the home assessment was not true to his problems and the support he needs

Jaytbm1

@poppy123456 I am pleased for you and your daughter in your successful pip awards.I just wish that more people had positive outcomes. Good luck with future assessment xx

Jaytbm1

@sammyjoe and @kalen . I am sorry to hear that you are going through this with your assessment, it seems a lot of people are being made to suffer the stress of MR and Appeal system. I wish you both all the very best xx

jae377

In process of MR as lower rate mobility. This means I go back in to an electric wheelchair as currently use a very specific vehicle for mobility and it is to expensive to run without things like the VAT and road tax exemption,
Asked NHS for the X-Rays and MRI scans showing the damage to my cervical spine and spinal cord.
"Sorry all x-rays, MRI prior to 2005 destroyed.
Requested new ones.
"No clinical reason to redo" as condition and prognosis unchanged - plus massive amounts of chest x-rays in last 4 years 'cos of cardiac probs.
May I have the testing reports from spinal injuries unit ?
No as these were funded by MOD / Bupa so not kept by NHS.
So ATOS Assessor still claiming that spinal cord injuries are fixable and should not affect ability to walk - NHS are sitting tight on "advice" given 15 years ago that I should stop wasting Consultants time asking for appointments to see if they can / will do anything and receive counselling to "accept my situation".
The stupid thing is that having given me higher care and lower mobility the cost to the DWP is almost identical to Lower care and higher mobility (as I had on DLA) it is the knock on effect regarding road tax, VAT on repairs / tyres extended Finance agreements and access to motobility should I be unable to afford to continue buying my own vehicle that make this so difficult. It is interesting that The Military Covenant became law in the 2012 Armed Forces Act but makes no difference whatsoever when dealing with the very people I was hurt defending.

Jaytbm1

@jae377 . I feel for you , the way you are being treated is despicable. Even more disgusting that you were hurt defending our rights and are now being denied those same Human rights. I can only hope that you are going to appeal and that appeal is successful. Xx

Jaytbm1

@mikehughescq, it is depressing and wrong. 28% of people is still not great. I understand that there are people who are successful. This forum is for us all to have a voice. Maybe you think I wear a tin foil hat ?. Maybe I do .xx

kalen

I agree mikehughescq, that forums are not representative of the whole picture, they are however representative of those people who have been failed by an
unfair system. I wouldn't imagine that anyone who applies for benefit and gets it without any difficulty would have any reason to consider searing the net for forums to find help and support from others who are less fortunate.

kalen

Yes in general terms no-one knows for sure (either way). But, what we can be sure of is that people availing of forums FEEL themselves that they have been treated unfairly. Thus the need for them to search forums to try and get some comfort at least and finding out that a lot of others are in a similar situation.

Jaytbm1

@kalen, I agree. We need to know we are not alone .

AlexandriaUK

Hi all I'm just facing my first reassessment for PIP I'm actually trying not to allow it to tip me over the edge anxiety wise but it's a bit of a traumatic time for anyone going through this, I'm not going to start throwing stones as I was lucky that I had a qualified and in the know assessor for my swap from DLA to PIP but not everyone is so lucky.
IwillI say that whether it's your first PIP application or a reassessment you need to not just tick boxes and if their isn't space on the form then add a sheet of paper with any additional information that is relevant adding your NI number and name and for which question it is related too.
Also send in as much supporting evidence you can get that you didn't send in the first time, add supporting information as well from anyone who has contact with you and understands how your conitcon affects you on a daily basis.
Nothing regarding PIP is guaranteed but you do have to bear in mind that the assessor does not know you and doesn't work for the DWP as such so is not gougo to grant you your benefits they are only interviewing you.
I wish you all the best in your claims.

jae377

There is a major problem with the assessments. it is that one of the companies involved A**S has a long history of recommending spurious reviews in order to receive the fee for carrying them out. This means the report has to support this.. They also use people with no knowledge of complex injuries.
In my case they stated that I lived in a non-adapted bungalow, strange because I have spent £40,000 on adapting it !! They stated my vehicle had adapted (lowering) suspension and totally ignored the hand controls, cameras, steering wheel knob etc. etc. When asked about shopping I pointed out that my (official) carer did this, she then asked a hypothetical question about isle lengths and made up an answer. They also said I should be reviewed in 2 years because I may get better/worse. I have a damaged spinal cord and spine as well as cardiac issues (heart failure) I have an unstable neck fracture, it has been this way since 1991. I requested a referral to see if anything further could be done for me, The specialist declined to examine me earlier in the year as given my cardiac issues "I would not tolerate the anaesthetic needed" to attempt anything.
So either the specialist are lying when they say that my spinal cord will not change (unless I further damage it) or the assessor is incompetent or "less than truthful". Specialist gets nothing from telling me this, ATOS get paid several hundred pounds to re-assess me - who do you believe ?