4.5 months wait and still haven’t had Pip assessment — Scope | Disability forum
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4.5 months wait and still haven’t had Pip assessment

cosi
cosi Community member Posts: 7 Listener
edited June 2021 in PIP, DLA, and AA
Hello people :)

what a struggle of a year it’s been for everyone. I sent of my pip form on the 1st of January, it was passed to the assessor on the 1st of February and I am still to even have my telephone assessment. I phoned them today and they said they had no guidance to when it maybe...really??? 4.5 months and still no date for the initial assessment...just feel so lost and frustrated. I know COVID has slowed everything down but this feels like something else. Anyone in the same boat or had a very different experience this year? I imagine if I’m successful it will be over half year from receiving my form to receiving anything. I honestly don’t know how people are coping if this is normal right now. Any feed back would be appreciated ??

Comments

  • janer1967
    janer1967 Community member Posts: 21,964 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi there 

    This us by no means a long wait people who applied in November are still waiting for assessments 

    Even in normal times the estimated time is a 6 month process and they have huge backlogs and limited resources currently 

    Nothing happens quick with dwp they are extremely busy service 
  • cosi
    cosi Community member Posts: 7 Listener
    It is a very long wait whether typical or not. Pre COVID the waiting time was 8 weeks not 6 month’s. 
  • chiarieds
    chiarieds Community member Posts: 16,007 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @cosi - & welcome to the community. Yes, unfortunately things are taking a long time with PIP, &, as mentioned, from what we hear from our members, your wait isn't unusual. Hope you hear fairly soon. :)
  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,488 Disability Gamechanger
    Hello and welcome to the community @cosi :) As the others have said, it can take quite a while to work your way through the process unfortunately. Fingers crossed you'll hear about an assessment soon. 

    How have you been coping in the meantime? 
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  • kerryi86
    kerryi86 Community member Posts: 8 Listener
    Hi there,

    they received my form the beginning of December and I had my assessment this week fingers crossed you don’t have to wait much longer very stressful when your worrying about it.

    take care x
  • Ross_Alumni
    Ross_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,652 Disability Gamechanger
    Hello and welcome @cosi

    Hopefully you don't have to wait much longer :) 
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  • cosi
    cosi Community member Posts: 7 Listener
    Thank you everyone, I really appreciate it. And the timeline from Kerry relaxes my mind a little, good to know what I’m working with. 

    Guess it’s been difficult for everyone. I’ve been living on the breadline for months more then that I suffer from ptsd and want the help so I can get therapy. Perversely this situation has kept me away from people which is actually better for me, some time to work on myself and not be so anxious. But then we all have the stress of isolation and lack of human touch/contact. It’s the lack of not knowing when never mind if successful or not. I dread to think how people worse then me are coping with such long delays. Thanks for being there ?
  • janer1967
    janer1967 Community member Posts: 21,964 Disability Gamechanger
    It causes lots of people so much stress its not an easy process and makes us feel we have to fight for every little thing usually at a time when most vulnerable 

    Try and put it to back if your mind and concentrate on yourself 
  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,488 Disability Gamechanger
    Have you tried getting any therapy on the NHS @cosi? Yes, it's been difficult to get that balance of having time to work on ourselves, whilst still getting the human contact many of us need. Do you have a good level of support from those around you? 
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  • cosi
    cosi Community member Posts: 7 Listener
    Yes I’ve tried nhs but I really want to find someone really good and the nhs is very hit and miss with mental health. I was very nearly killed a few years ago and really want therapy from the right person. I cant bare the nhs process of waiting a few months to find another person that  doesn’t work for me. Find it a little over whelming to be honest. I have some support, one sister and one friend, though they don’t know the levels of ptsd.  Guess No one else really knows but at least I’m not completely alone
  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,488 Disability Gamechanger
    That's fair enough @cosi. I'm sorry to hear about the experience you had, and it's understandable that you'd want to find a therapist who specialises in this area. 

    I'm glad that you have some support from your sister and friend. Is there a particular reason you don't feel able to disclose to them the full extent of your PTSD? I know it can be difficult to talk about these things, and you don't want to worry them or feel like a burden, but I'm sure they'd rather know so that they can be there for you. 
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  • cosi
    cosi Community member Posts: 7 Listener
    I don’t know. Maybe I feel embarrassed/ashamed. It’s difficult for men to open up I guess x
  • Cher_Alumni
    Cher_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 5,741 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @cosi

    Are you on the NHS waiting list to see a counsellor?  I completely get what you mean about it feeling 'hit and miss' however please don't let past experiences deter you.  There are some excellent therapists in the NHS and if you re-referred yourself via Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) they could look at exploring different treatment options to see if those would help.  

    You mentioned that you were almost killed a few years back which must have been awful, I'm so sorry.  You don't have to share details if you are uncomfortable but I wondered did you get enough support at the time, and also if it needed reporting - was it?

    In the meantime, MIND have a list of useful contacts for people with PTSD so perhaps give those a browse.  Finding a community who have been there and understand can feel like such a relief, and you definitely aren't alone.  I hope things get easier and you hear back about that PIP assessment soon.  Take care :) 
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  • cosi
    cosi Community member Posts: 7 Listener
    Thank so much. It’s nice just to have people reach out :)

    I had some cbt therapy through the nhs a year ago. It was very helpful but also very impersonal through phone calls (just before the first lockdown). While it did give some help it really wasn’t enough and knowing myself well enough I’d really like something more thorough and I don’t want to go through waiting lists again for more of the same. 

    I protected a woman from being badly assaulted and I ended up on life support. It was reported and the guy got life in prison. I got no help after discharge. Victim support literally does nothing. For myself I was battling difficult physical and psychological problems whilst trying to work and live and didn’t have the money or mental capacity to get the help I needed by myself. The double whammy of coping with both as well as the surgical scars I’ve been left with felt overwhelming and impossible to deal with all at once. 

    I will check out the links you’ve kindly provided, can see how a community of people to talk with can help a lot. I really appreciate it ❤️
  • cosi
    cosi Community member Posts: 7 Listener
    For others also waiting… it took 6 months and 9 days from posting the form to having the assessment, it will now take another 8 weeks for a decision….8 months in total. Obviously covid has delayed things a lot but, really not good enough for many of those struggling 
  • skhan95
    skhan95 Community member Posts: 123 Connected
    Hello cosi one of my friend got a message from pip yesterday that her phone appointment is booked on the 26 of july .... she started her claim 4the January and sent her form back in march and now received message for appointment.... you also gonna get it soon don't worry everyone is going through same :-) I also applied in April and nothing yet:-( but it's ok try relax it will happen:-) good luck 

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