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PIP assessment

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Ophelia
Ophelia Community member Posts: 7 Listener
I was due to have a home assessment on the 19th February. Capita cancelled it due to assessor being ill. It was rescheduled for the 2nd March. Capita again cancelled but no reason given and rescheduled for the 3rd March. The appointment was for 11.45 and present were my two sons and an independent witness who'd come to support me due to my anxiety. One of my sons sat by the window watching for the assessor. At 12.15 when no one had come I rang Capita to inform them the assessor hadn't come. They told me they'd put me on hold and contact the assessor to find out where they were. A few minutes later they said they'd been unable to contact them and to wait until 12.45 as they could be running late. At 1pm I called them again and this time was told the meeting would not now take place and would be picked up by the 'back office'. They asked for a description of my house and told me to ring back the following week. When I rang yesterday I was told the assessor had knocked on my door and got no reply. I told them about my witnesses and the fact my son sat watching out the window and no one had come. I was told my claim had been sent back to the DWP as a none attendance and suggested I ring them and ask them to return the forms to Capita. I have tried ringing the DWP for 2 days for up to 45 minutes and not gotten through. I am very distressed over it. Not only was I in and waiting, but my husband had brain surgery in December and is at home recovering and cannot be left alone so there is always someone here. Also, she said the assessors description of my house matched the one I gave them. Well I'd said my front door was black. It's black and white and on the day was fully opened in order to hear anyone so the door the assessor would have had to knock on was a fully glass one. I suffer with depression and was already stressed by their two previous cancellation so to now have this happen is awful. 

Comments

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 54,283 Disability Gamechanger
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    HI and welcome,

    This isn't the first time this has happened. You will need to ring DWP again on Monday morning when they open and stay on hold until someone answers. They are very often very busy and it can take them up to an hour to answer the phone so 45 minutes on hold each time, wasn't enough, had you kept on hold a little longer then someone would have answered.

    If you don't ring DWP ASAP then this could affect any PIP/DLA award you may already have in place because it could stop for failing to attend. When you ring them tell them exactly what you've said here and also tell them how many times you rang the health assessment providers on the day of the assessment.

    Hope this helps. Good luck.
    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.
  • Ophelia
    Ophelia Community member Posts: 7 Listener
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    Thank you. I thought about writing to them but I will phone again on Monday. The only problem I have with having to spend the time on the phone waiting is that I sometimes have to come off the phone to answer the door to District nurses or physio who have called to see to my husband, whom as I said is recovering from brain surgery or I may have to stop to see to my husband's needs myself. I will however try again. 
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 54,283 Disability Gamechanger
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    I wouldn't advise you to write to them because it could take them a while to receive the letter. You really must ring them because if this is a review of an existing PIP claim or a transfer from DLA then they will stop your existing benefit, which could affect any other benefits you maybe claiming.
    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.
  • Ophelia
    Ophelia Community member Posts: 7 Listener
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    Oh OK thank you for the advice I will get onto them on Monday for however long it takes. I just hope they accept that I was in. 
  • pollyanna1052
    pollyanna1052 Community member Posts: 2,032 Disability Gamechanger
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    I am sorry this has happened to you.
    My home f2f was also cancelled twice and I had to go through the anxiety of awaiting a 3rd visit.

    Holding on to a phone for a long time is tiring.....I hope you are using speakerphone to make it easier.

    So many things the DWP accuse us of are wrong and it is widely known, yet it still happens.

    Hoping you get the right result.

    Take care xxx
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 54,283 Disability Gamechanger
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    Explain to them exactly what happened and who was waiting with you. Also explain to them about your outside door and inside door. Tell them the colour of the outside door and the inside glass door. Explain that your outside door was open so they could knock on the inside door but no one came. Explain that you rang the health assessment providers first at 12.15 and what they said to you.

    This has happened before to other people where the HCP attending the assessment has knocked at the wrong door in a completely different street.

    You also need to ask them to send your file back to the Capita. If you can get letters from the people that were waiting with you then tell them this.
    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.
  • Ophelia
    Ophelia Community member Posts: 7 Listener
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    Will do thank you so much for you help it is much appreciated. 
  • Ophelia
    Ophelia Community member Posts: 7 Listener
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    Thank you Pollyann. I suffer greatly from anxiety and depression and I don't think they are aware/care the stress they cause. If I hadn't gone to the centre for an appointment I would expect to be penalised. To be penalised when it's not your fault is unfair. At the moment I'm under enough stress with my poor husband's brain injury. He went into hospital in November to have gallstones removed and had a serious fall in the ward bathroom (2nd one) and wound up on a ventilator in a coma with a 10% chance of survival. We have come through that and whilst he's not the same man who went into hospital in November we are grateful to still have him with us. He cannot be left alone so there is always someone here. For them to tell me the assessors description of my house matched the one I gave them therefore they believe the assessor did come to the house is insulting. There were 4 of us and we live at the front of the house and we are used to people calling because of my husband so we would never ignore the door. I will try them again on Monday and hopefully common sense and decency will prevail. Thank you again for your thoughts. 
  • pollyanna1052
    pollyanna1052 Community member Posts: 2,032 Disability Gamechanger
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    It`s downright despicable that they said no-one answered their call....best wishes to you and your hubby.
  • Ophelia
    Ophelia Community member Posts: 7 Listener
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