Do they realise what this does to people? - Page 2 — Scope | Disability forum
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Do they realise what this does to people?

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  • Sam_Alumni
    Sam_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,671 Disability Gamechanger
    That's ridiculous!

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  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 53,355 Disability Gamechanger
    Don't forget the RA equity act 2010 have you mentioned this to them?

    Also bare in mind that for ESA for the Support Group descriptor for mobilising they look at your ability to be able to use a self propel wheelchair, if you can use one of these then this is what they'll expect you to do. :/

    For me ESA is always the worst assessment of all.
    I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.
    If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help.
  • axwy62
    axwy62 Community member Posts: 142 Pioneering
    Indeed.
    You couldn't make it up. From the first assessment, when I wasn't quite so clued up.
    They send me an appointment. I turn up. They won't let me in because I'm in a wheelchair. I go home. I get another appointment for a home visit, which is on the same date as planned surgery and which they knew about. I phone to amend said appointment. I'm told I can't do that because I've already 'failed to attend' the appointment at the assessment centre so if I 'fail to attend' this one, they'll send my file back to DWP. They send my file back to DWP as at the time of the appointment I'm unconscious and so, remarkably, don't answer the door.
    DWP have more sense that to try to maintain the 'failed to attend' once provided with the recording of the call plus proof that ATOS knew I would be in hospital before arranging the appointment. I (eventually) get a new appointment for a home visit. About an hour before the HCP is due the post arrives including a letter allegedly from the HCP which basically says 'I called and no one was home'. ATOS try the 'failed to attend' route again. DWP back down when I provide the timed and dated recording of my call which amounts to '**** is going on, she's not supposed to be here for another hour and how could she have known yesterday whether or not I'd be in today?'
    I get another appointment. ATOS cancel that one with 2 hours notice. I get another appointment. Half way through the 4 hour time slot I'm expected to hang around for I get a phone call saying the HCP has called in to say there's no one home again. She apparently alleges that she was knocking on the door for half an hour. I ask for a description of the door. After some discussion and a live video of our front door, she accepts that the HCP was clearly at the wrong address but she's left the area by then and won't be back. 
    I get another appointment ATOS cancel with hours/days/minutes (delete as appropriate and repeat until the total gets to number 12).
    I get another appointment. ATOS know this is their last chance so 3 of them turn up - the HCP (an alleged GP, but her 'English' is barely intelligible), the area manager and a minion to operate the recording machine. Once the formalities are done the HCP asks me 3 questions which I answer with information which was on the original form and confirmed by medical evidence (which she admits she hasn't read) and they leave as it's obvious I'm in the support group. Despite the recording, when we receive a copy of the report what is written down bears very little resemblence to what was actually said including the fact that I will allegedly fully recover within 2 years. From once condition which cannot improve and has been stable for 30 years and another degenerative genetic condition. 
    Having read that, you can see why I might not be willing to risk putting up with it again.
  • axwy62
    axwy62 Community member Posts: 142 Pioneering
    I have mentioned the Equality Act and I use a powered wheelchair, I can't self propel as I have no grip and no upper body strength. I have Ehlers-Danlos which affects most of my joints.
    I meet at least 2 other support group descriptors as well as mobilsing.
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 53,355 Disability Gamechanger
    Absolutely ridiculous! :(
    I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.
    If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help.
  • axwy62
    axwy62 Community member Posts: 142 Pioneering
    Someone seriously has it in for me this Christmas - PIP review forms arrived yesterday having taken 13 days to reach me and thus leaving me about 10 days to get them back to the post office. Given the rate I'm able to type (I've found a specimen form online as DWP have once again ignored their agreement to provide one to me in place of the paper form) I'll have to do at least 2 pages a day, every day. Happy Christmas.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 587 Listener
    You can ask for an extension, they give you two weeks.

    My form took a week to come, my Son called the place that deals with it and asked for an extension. You could give them a call and explain and see what they say?
  • axwy62
    axwy62 Community member Posts: 142 Pioneering
    Been on the phone waiting for over an hour, can't get through to speak to anyone. I'll try again tomorrow, but I suspect half the staff have already started their holidays and the other half are down the pub.
    I won't risk returning it late without prior consent to an extension, so may have to just get on with it.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 587 Listener
    Ouch :/ Try calling first thing? Hopefully, you'll get someone.
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 53,355 Disability Gamechanger
    I agree with the above advice. Sometimes calling as soon as they open at 8am helps.
    I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.
    If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help.
  • janice_in_wonderland
    janice_in_wonderland Community member Posts: 265 Pioneering
    Hopefully this will help reassure you that the tel call to request an extension which they do making allowances due to festive postal delays 

    it is is an awful worrying which does have an impact in health 

    i wish you all the v best 
  • axwy62
    axwy62 Community member Posts: 142 Pioneering
    On hold from 8.01 until 8.36 when I gave up again. Having found the forms from last time, not that much has changed so I'm tempted to just edit all the 'extra information' I included - pretty much everything as I just got someone to scribble 'see attached' on every page of the paper form that they know I can't fill in - and repeat. I couldn't honestly fill in their form as it is because whilst my function hasn't deteriorated very much in reality, in the fantasy world which the assessor lives in, it has - for example, the invisible wheelchair is still here and the walking 20+ metres that she imagined isn't going to happen this time any more than it actually did last time.
    In any case, how on earth do you put a date on gradual deterioration? It's not a case of waking up one day and no longer being able to do up buttons, it's more a case of realising that you've been deliberately avoiding anything with smaller buttons for a while and are having to ask for help even with big buttons more and more often.
    I have a copy of the ESA113 which my GP sent in, can I put a copy of that with the PIP forms? I also have a nice PDF with all the evidence I sent in in September for ESA so that will be really easy to include. 
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 587 Listener
    edited December 2018
    Ah :/ who is it? Capita are doing my review.

    @poppy123456 might be able to advise you. 
  • axwy62
    axwy62 Community member Posts: 142 Pioneering
    It's ATOS in my area, cause of both previous nightmares, though Maximus for the ESA review are matching up nicely so far.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 587 Listener
    I had ATOS for ESA they don't call themselves that here anymore, but it's pretty much still them, I'm still waiting for a home assessment, I'm in no hurry though lol, they deemed me fit twice before, they tribunal services overturned the decisions. 

    I really hope you manage to get it all sorted out, it's not a great time of year to be doing it (then again when is a great time to be filling out forms).
  • axwy62
    axwy62 Community member Posts: 142 Pioneering
    PIP forms finally done and going to the Post Office tomorrow. I always get proof of posting!
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 53,355 Disability Gamechanger
    axwy62 said:
    PIP forms finally done and going to the Post Office tomorrow. I always get proof of posting!
    Have you put as much information as possible on the form, rather that just state no change? Have you added at least 2-3 examples of what happened the last time you tried that activity for all the descriptors that apply to you? Dont forget to send all your evidence with the form, they rarely contact anyone for any evidence.
    I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.
    If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help.
  • axwy62
    axwy62 Community member Posts: 142 Pioneering
    I've sent them 55 pages of additional information and medical evidence, basically just recompiled from what I sent for ESA so that it related to the PIP descriptors. If I'm not just re-awarded enhanced for both components I will be amazed as they now have ample evidence that I should. The award length is likely to be the only issue, it's ridiculous that it wasn't indefinite to start with, though if the HCP genuinely didn't notice the wheelchair then anything is possible.
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 53,355 Disability Gamechanger
    Did you ask for an ongoing award? If you don't ask then you'll most likely continue to receive shorter awards. You should explain why you think an ongoing award is appropriate. Also specifically ask them to identify the piece of evidence that justifies a shorter award.
    I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.
    If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help.
  • axwy62
    axwy62 Community member Posts: 142 Pioneering
    I asked them to justify the short award last time and they refused on the gournds that I was getting enhanced for both components so they didn't need to look at anything specific in the HCPs report, and that I couldn't appeal the award length. I took my complaint (not just about the award length!) to ICE and they said I should have appealed even though DWP told me I couldn't.
    Part of my complaint features in the ICE's annual report for last year, I'm Mrs V!

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