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Redeemed

Hi, I'm a 50 something male, married and living in the Peak District.
Was considered disabled but no longer thanks to ATOS.
Hope to be of some use in the forums.

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Comments

Audinut70

I know how you feel, I have been through an 8 month battle for my benefit, pip, it is a nightmare going through it, I was awarded the standard rate after being on advanced for 2 years, I have a rare lung disease, cryptogenic organising pneumonia, and sometimes struggle to get to the toilet or even get dressed, it would be helpful to know what happened with you.

paffuto10

Hi and welcome @Redeemed
Nice to meet you.

Yep, it's amazing how ATOS can change (even severely) disabled people into non disabled overnight, isn't it?

How are you, are you going to appeal?

paffuto10

@Audinut70

Sorry to hear you've been through it too.
Really is a nightmare!

Last month we managed to scrape through Mandatory Reconsideration for our adult son and retrieve his "stolen money" (as he calls it)

He has severe autism and mild brain damage. He received DLA for 20 years. Then was changed to PIP and received zero points.!!
But as I say, managed to get his benefits back.

Sorry to hear you are struggling with getting dressed and getting to the loo. Me too.

I have been knocked down from high rate of Daily Living to standard, too.
Are you pushing further with yours or accepting standard rate?
Sorry if I'm being too nosy?

Chloe_Alumni

Welcome to the community @Redeemed! Please let me know if I can do anything to help.

Ails

Hi @Redeemed and welcome to the Community. It is nice to meet you and thank you for sharing with us. I am sure you will make a very valuable contribution to the forum and it is great to have you on board! You will find the Community to be a a lovely, supportive space with really friendly people on it. I hope you enjoy your time with us anyway and I look forward to seeing you on the Community. If there is anything we can help/support you with then please just let us know. All the best.

Redeemed

Many thanks for the warm welcome.
My situation healthwise is depression, borderline personality disorder, fibromyalgia, prolapsed disks in lumbar and ceevical spine, sleep apnea (cpap intolerant).
I was awarded the good old Eurovision "nil points" at the DLA-PIP medical.
One of the things that surprised me was the lack of opportunity to specify care being required during the night, where most of mine is.
The application form asks if you can reach down to a low overn (no), yet no such scenario exists in the descriptors used to assess you!
What really did me though was the sheer mendacity of the person doing the assessment.

She has repeatedly lied as to things I have said and done during the medical (I took my wife with me), she has understated most of my symptoms and plain ignored others.
She told us within 5 minutes of meeting her that "we should appeal" and proceeded to use foul language (F bomb) repeatedly through the process.
Whhat made it worse is that she was so damned friendly!

Our friend had the misfortune to have the same person for her medical and when our friend told the examiner that she rarely went out she was met with the reply "we don't give you money to sit on your **** and watch television"!
Complaints are being written.

paffuto10

@Redeemed

Yep, the lies are very hard to take aren't they?

I have managed to get the same rate as previous 3 years.
Even so, there's still a few blatant lies in there. They just can't seem to help themselves!!

I used to be on highest rate of DLA but was knocked down during transition to PIP.
I've just accepted it twice now, too ill to fight.

Can't believe that a "professional" was actually f...ing at your medical, on top of the lies.

I get peeved when some people say maybe we're not answering descriptors correctly. Makes no difference!!

The most blatant case I personally have seen was my adult son's.
He lives in supported housing and this was how his went.........

Social Care Report: Long list of daily activities that he is unable to do without help and support, including finances.
Decision: I think you can do those activities unaided.

Social Worker : He is unable to plan journey and follow route unaided.
Decision: I think you can plan a journey and follow a route unaided.
Zero points.

Why do they think he's in supported living then?!!!!

We won that one with Mandatory Reconsideration after getting MP involved.

Hope you have the mental strength to appeal.

Redeemed

Thank you. at first I was quite down even though I was expecting it but now I'm just plain mad so they can get ready.

Chloe_Alumni

Hi @Redeemed, I am really sorry to hear this! Will you be appealing the decision?

Here is some information about the appeal process. You have a month from receiving the decision to appeal it.

However, please bare in mind that the appeal should focus on how you meet the criteria and not mention the lies that have been said. They will not be interested in this.

If you need any more information then please do let us know!

Adrian_Scope

Redeemed said:

Our friend had the misfortune to have the same person for her medical and when our friend told the examiner that she rarely went out she was met with the reply "we don't give you money to sit on your **** and watch television"!
Complaints are being written.

Wow! Glad to hear you're taking action @Redeemed. In the meantime, you're very welcome to the community.