I tell you what, the people who take the calls on the DWP/DLA/PIP enquiry line are a right miserable bunch!
Gave them a call a moment ago to ask for the report to be sent to me that I have been told has been completed, and it felt as if I was asking for something that I have no right to see. The lady was short and to the point, no pleases or thank yous, made me feel as if asking her any questions would not be welcome. I got the reply “your request has been submitted”, I was going to ask “how long” but thought better of it!
Apparently there is a “holding letter” in the post as i type telling me the decision is nearly ready. She made me feel as if I was being a pain/nuisance.
On a more positive not, did anyone see the Last Leg on Friday? Tory MP Anna Soubery (sp?) has apparently taken up the PIP assessment debacle up with Esther McVey as she agrees that it is a complete and utter nonsense for certain people/conditions to have to go through all this polava. I was quite pleased to hear that.
The wait continues, will update once I know more!!!
On the other hand Charlie, I wouldn’t do that job for any amount of money. And you can bet that receptionist doesn’t earn a lot. I can imagine the abuse they must take from some people. They work for a crap organisation, within a lousy system. If they have any brains, and understand the rules (!), they must know it’s a miserable situation claiming any benefit and PIP is a monster. What can they do apart from echo the party line. And don’t forget ‘calls are recorded for training purposes’!!
Hopefully the decision will soon be with you. And a positive result.
Anna Soubry and Esther McDWPVey have three things in common… both were abysmal TV presenters, both are immoral politicians and both love the sound of their own nasal, droning voices.
Her point wasn’t about the amount, time period or reason for a benefit, it was about the process of assessment, which many of us have been through, going through or face going through time after time. Charlie.
just got home to find the decision letter has arrived. Standard rate care and Zero points for mobility!!! I am flabbergasted to say the least. The assessor decided “you are able to walk at least 50 meters but no more than 200 meters”, She didn’t even see me stood up so no idea what that was based upon.
Her descriptions of the decisions bear no resemblance of what I provided and discussed. I am unable to prepare any meal has magically become “you need an aid or appliance”. What an absolute joke.
Next step appears to be Mandatory reconsideration, that will be tonight’s exercise, kicking that off.
Yet another one!Don’t expect any change at MR stage and get ready for that appeal.I wonder how much has been spent in total carrying out this agenda! good luck at tribunal
I honestly believe that bright, clever people who can read and understand the rules, plus complete the forms, but have no real experience of the benefits system are the very people who are most likely to end up at the bad end of the assessment process.
The trouble is that you think you are dealing with people, like yourself, who can reason, make judgements based on what they see and use the rules accordingly.
Sometimes, being bright, clever and able to write reasonably and legibly, does not always bring about the correct answer, so you have to get a mandatory reconsideration and possibly also a review.
What I would suggest is that you don’t have a knee jerk reaction to this. Take your time, get advice from somewhere like https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/ and get some extra evidence supporting your claim. Letters from your GP, neurologist, physiotherapist, MS nurse, whoever you can.
It’s hard to take time over this kind of decision, your immediate reaction is to respond. But that’s not always the best way to deal with these things. You should make sure you understand exactly how and where you feel you should gain points, and find out exactly what they think. Look at https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/Global/Migrated_Documents/adviceguide/pip-9-table-of-activities-descriptors-and-points.pdf to make sure you know exactly what Descriptors you were trying to fit into for each of the Activities.
Thanks for all the support guys, just going through what I evidenced and what was returned this evening and planning my response.
I feel confident that there a 3 specific questions she has “down played” too see if I react. Quite clear to me where I should be getting 12 and 12 points and anyone else. My GP backed up my scores, but he has told me he wasn’t actually asked to supply any info, he is a family friend btw, I don’t have a hotline to my GP.
Ok, sorry to be a pain here, just reading the Motability website,
Appealing the decision
Customers will be able to appeal to the DWP if they disagree with the decision. However, DWP will not continue to make DLA payments while an appeal is being processed and so Motability will not be able to leave the vehicle with you. If the appeal is successful, you will of course be eligible to re-join the Scheme.
So as I am clearly going to take the appeal route followed by the tribunal if needed, are motability going to call me up and say they are going to come and recover the car? Reading the info, the period of allowing me to keep the car is 8 weeks max, I highly doubt 8 weeks will be even close to the MR and tribunal to be decided.
Really starting ti worry once again! Any ideas/experience?
This is from the Motability website, although I suspect you have already seen it.
*Financial support available:
For customers who joined the Scheme before 2013 and return the car within eight weeks**, £2000 will be available. Alternatively you can choose to keep the vehicle for 26 weeks**, however in this case you will receive a reduced payment of £500.
For customers who joined the Scheme during 2013 and return the car within eight weeks** a transitional support payment of £1,000 will be available. Alternatively you can choose to keep the vehicle for 26 weeks** and receive a reduced payment of £250.
As you know by my thread on home assessment for hubby it does not always mean just because you sent everything into them that they wont want to see you still.
I listened to all of the House of Commons Committee hearings on PIP and ESA - when the companies [ATAOS et al.,.] were
questioned they said:
a).The claimant is responsible for providing evidence to support their application.
b). GPs were only contacted in 33% of the time. Of those contacted only 5% of the replies were useful for PIP.
c). When the PIP applications arrive there is a ‘triage system’ the PIP forms which are sorted into who will or will not be seen by an assessor.
This triage by a doctor or medical officer who looks for the amount of NHS documents- reports supplied i.e.,. Care Plan, GPs letters, Adult Social Care reports, Carers Assessments or statements from carers are sought.
d). ONLY 10-14% are “on the papers” and don’t have a face to face assessment.
That’s all I know - I didn’t have a face to face assessment at all, because I supplied the above mentioned evidence, which
covered all of the key PIP descriptors. I would say my Care Plan written by my MS Nurse really had all the key NHS/PIP evidence.
Mine was ‘on the papers’ too. I didn’t send a care plan, I don’t have one. But I did have a neurologist, a rehab specialist, a physio, MS nurse, urologist surgeon, colorectal surgeon, bowel and bladder nurse and a neuro-psychologists letters. Plus photos of my wet room and other aids related to daily living.
So I think the weight of NHS evidence was the deciding factor in my claim being decided on the papers. And like PJday, I got the maximum award for 10 years.
I also supplied a list of evidence, together with a list of what evidence was related to which Activity. So I was trying to make the assessment job as easy as possible for the assessor. It’s as I’ve said before, starting from the premise that together, you (the claimant) are working together with the assessor and the decision maker to figure out how you and your needs ‘fit’ in relation to the Descriptors. Then you provide relevant evidence to back it up.
I had been studying the rules for a long time before I came to make my claim. And collecting written evidence for quite a long time too.
Had a copy of my assessment report and it shows I will get nothing, totally misrepresented everything I said and is factually inaccurate. I haven’t had my decision yet but from the report I will get nothing. How soon can I start the appeal process?
You need to have the decision letter before you can apply for a mandatory reconsideration. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t start gathering some more evidence to back up whatever points you think you should have scored.