Its made me ill too.I think i will ask for the reconsideration,but thats even more stress and i have a lot more things to deal with besides this just now.I am more annoyed about the lies she told more than anything.
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Hi
Have a read of the latest update from Benefits and Work: https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/4087-18-september-2019-update Theyâve reported that PIP claim success is at an all time low at 50% (for those whoâve had an assessment).
But, appeal success rates are at an all time high of 75%.
So although you might feel like throwing the towel in, take heart from the appeal success rate.
This is of course supposing the assessor actually marks you as low as you fear.
I know itâs hard to pick yourself up and fight for MR and possibly appeal too, but you should. Not only for the money / car (although OMG doesnât that help?) but to add your claim success to the incredible statistics that surely, surely, one day someone sensible can take notice of and make changes to the draconian system.
Sue
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I had to give up my car 3 and a half years agoâŚcouldnt feel pedalâŚi dont remember getting ÂŁ2000 âŚ
I think its a package for people that have had their cars taken off them due to getting a lower award.You can keep the car on for 26 weeks and get ÂŁ500 back or give it back straight away and get ÂŁ2000 to put to buying a car.
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The PIP assessors job is to lower awards and get people off benefits as much as they can.They are liars the lot of them and as for the governmentâŚwords fail me.I cant appeal as the stupid neuro i used to see decided to say i have benign MS and not the secondary MS i was told to have in 2005!!! i give up i really do.
Jaydee, itâs not the condition you have itâs the disabilities that impact on your life. How many points have you been given for both elements?
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in the assessment report its 8 for daily living and 10 for mobility but i have heard the decision maker can either add or take points off so thats a worry.
Ok so what you need to do is go over very carefully what has been written and then make your points very clearly as to why you think you have been underscored. As I said previously what ever you do, do not call the assessor a liar when doing your MR.
i might wait until the award comes through.If its standard for care and srandard for mobility i might just cut my losses until i have to reapply as i cant begin to tell you just how ill i feel with it all.
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Hi
Just a thought, I was wondering if you could record your assessment which would provide evidence.
I put can you record your pip assessment into a search engine. Interesting thread on SCOPE website.
You have to get permission and use two identical recording devices so assessor can have one.
Something to think about.
Jen
Jen the assessments been done 10 days ago.I suppose i could have asked for it recording i wish i had done now.I will in future for any assessments.The lies she told were really spectacular.She came on a mission to get my award lowerd and boy she did that all right.She said i wont ask you to any walking you look exhausted,so she put on the form i refused to do any!!! she also put on the form i looked well and not tired when infact my other half said all day i looked drained and not well.I still cant get over the lies i really cant.
Hey Jaydee, obviously youâre furious and understandably feel conned. You were perfectly entitled to high DLA and itâs natural to think the enhanced PIP will follow.
As Horsemad points out, itâs essential you stick to the actual facts in any communication with DWP. It will help the decision makers.
Letâs face it, if you called the assessor a liar, a trickster or made any accusations against them, it could be seen (unfairly but possible), as too much overdone defence, leading to over stating your case. WE know theyâd be wrong, as do YOU. But they could still declare the assessors statement is fact as it doesnât correspond with your claim. You have an opportunity to prove the assessor is wrong, without calling anyone a liar.
I hope Iâm making this clear, I do tend to waffle : - ).
Sue has pointed out the high success rate of appeals. Many of us here believe you should, if only to help to reduce the amount of assessorsâ errors.
It is clear youâre very upset & angry at being led by the assessor. Itâs certainly wrong to tell you she can see youâre exhausted, to say she wonât ask you to move, and then write totally opposite!
My own suggestion is to clear up the errors and omissions, but leave any emotions out.
Perhaps type down all of the points you believe are incorrect & then explain, using facts, why the amount youâve âearnedâ should be increased.
Try to clarify why your MS has been classed as âbenignâ. If you have any medical reports or any official evidence that you have RRMS, let the decision makers know.
I understand why youâre angry, but believe me, the assessors job is not to stop anyone from qualifying for benefits. There actual job is to gather factual evidence, face to face to reduce the amount of fraudulent claims. Itâs what we all want isnât it?
Good luck Jaydee
Chrissie52
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"I understand why youâre angry, but believe me, the assessors job is not to stop anyone from qualifying for benefits. "
I wish I could believe that Chrissie. My assessment report was so full of outright lies that even the decision maker called me to query it. I even had one put that she had observed me running around in the assessment centre !
Iâd like to see assessment providers held accountable, to have to fully explain the content of their reports.
I know I wouldnât find these assessments so stressful if they were honest and fair.
June
Totally agree.There is only one reason DLA changed to PIP and thatâs to get as many off it as possible.I have been reading up about it all and i joined a forum for people who have had the lying assessors.Theres a lot more that have a bad assessor than a good one.
I was not worried before i had my assessment.But boy when i saw the lies she put i couldnât believe it.Even the DWP know a lot of the assessors lie.Something needs to be done it can not go on like this.I have spoke to a lady that challenged her husbands PIP as he was on indefinate DLA high rate care and mobility. He was awarded nothing on PIP.She knew that he should have been on the same PIP award as his DLA and she said on his MR that she wanted a specific case law applied to his case when they considered his award, and he got high rate PIP for 10 years for both.There is something sadly wrong and they play on peoples lack of knowledge with regards to the law.Its disgusting it really is.
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You are not alone. I too had my assessment report and she said i refused to walk. When infact she told me not to walk as she could see Im in pain, frail and my legs dont work properly. She also put that I can get out of bed without help, and used my hands to push me up. When infact my husband had to pull me up and help me stand. I cant walk and am bed ridden. Its a farce they are trained well to twist stuff. Anyyway, i asked for manditory reconsideration and included a letter from doctor to support why I thought I should have been marked higher. Like sue says , you have to read the assessment criteria and score yourself on your abilities etc. Get you husband or friend to help do the scores. Forget the assessment and just get strajght to the point on the areas you think you should have been marked higher. It worked for me, tthe MR assessor had my doctors note to prove i wasnt lying, and they gave me extra points. Dont gigve up. Even if you get to court, the judge will be more sympathetic as long as you can prove your case. Pip are doing this because they know some people cant be bothered to ask for MR or appeal. So be sttong and stand your ground. Its a pain in tye arse but its worth pushing them and making them see reason. Just try and get professional letters this time.
Yes you can tape the interview , and film it. As long as they too have a copy. I will be doing ig next time. Make sure you always have someone with you, for moral support etc.
Interesting point is that pip wrote that they were getting in touch with my gp and specialist and that turned out to be false. So i made sure i had gp and specialist note âŚthey seem lazy. Also in my MR letter, i got extra points but then she startedon about the fact i could drive ten years ago, so that means my mental abilities etc are very strong. I realsie they are clutchng at straws. I havent driven for 10 years due to poor health and thry are talking about how i was 10 years ago? I mean, really ? Lol âŚi thought pip were supposed to assess how i am now , not in the past. In the past i had full time job, plus i was a workaholic, and had almost perfect health⌠they are silly and if you try and laugh at them, you will feel better. They are only testing your nerve, like i said be strong and push them back in their place with proof. Dont give up hopeâŚthere are people out their that can support you.
One last thing i found outâŚyou are allowed to have lists, bullet points and written stuff in front of you to help you remember stuff. I will be doing this next time. Thats the assessment i meant. You dont have to rely on your memory , use notes . Hope this helps.
I hope you reconsider taking your claim to appeal if you donât get the award you feel you are entitled to. The vast majority of appeals for people with MS win.
I am currently waiting for my decision to come through the post. I also had a tough assessment and I got quite upset because I was stuttering due to my ms and the assessor clearly didnât like me holding up her time. I did get hold of the report she wrote and although she has not given me the same award as I had with DLA, I feel I can get my points back because her report has assumptions and inconsistencies in it, whereas I have medical proof.
PIP is based on the difficulties you encounter living with MS rather than actually just having MS which was more how DLA was based. Good luck
I am doomed it seems because I do not have a Consultant and my gp did not/would not write me a support letter and said " if they want my opinion they will write to me" He is not saying that he wouldnât agree with my answers but that if he was writing support letters all the time he would not have much time left to see patients. Reason for no Consultant is that I refused a lumbar puncture 38 yrs ago when I was diagnosed and since there are no meds available for me pâus my gp manages my symptoms really well, as well as possible with Gabapentin, Amytriptoline and diazepam he agreed with me that an annual appointment with a consultant would waste my time and energy and the consultants. I donât have access to an MS nurse as we no longer have one in my area. I can call and ask at the medical centre if I need to speak to someone and the nurse practitioner rings me back. She too has said that she will answer any questions the PIP people ask her but will not write anything for me to send them unless they ask. Since I usually only have a phone call not a face to face appointment with either NP or GP they take my word for my condition / symptoms at the time⌠So no actual Proof. Currently feel as if I am somewhere between RRMS & SPMS. I used to work in the NHS so totally do not want to waste a useless / pointless appointment as I know how badly someone else needs that appointment. Currently awaiting the dreaded change over from dla to pip and already so stressed by it. The whole PIP thing is scandalous in my opinion. Sorry for the rant, my blood boils at the complete unfairness of most face to face assessments. GOOD LUCK JAYDEE.
Anon, there is no place in the current system for thinking someone elseâs need of an appointment is greater than yours. It is not, the DWP have made it like that, its not your fault. You have to think of yourself first and make those appointments as you and your needs will be on record. Instead of phone calls, write to the GP and others and explain how your MS affects you and what care and mobility needs you have. If the DWP do contact them, they will know what to reply.
When you come to fill the forms in, it is a whole lot more straightforward if you can enclose evidence and this evidence takes a while to accumulate. I spent about two years making and attending appointments, GP, neuro, physio, MS Nurse etc so I had the evidence when I needed it. I was very stressed about the whole horrible system before it happened but I treated the whole thing like a project. My assessor was very nice, and although I got a bit less than DLA, I felt my PIP result was fair.
Good luck