PIP Home Assessment

Hi Guys,

Well I have got my PIP home assessment this week and I am so anxious that I feel so sick. I am worried as when I get anxious I cannot speak or even think straight. I have social anxiety and depression on top of the SPMS, this stress is making my SPMS symptoms worse. They have all my info in the form and ESA are leaving me alone now so I don’t know why they want to put me through an assessment for this PIP. Plus you don’t always get someone who is familiar with MS last assessment for ESA was with a physio therapist. Well I have two days to go and I want to throw up. Why do I put myself through this well it’s for my right and everyone else who is in the same situation. I will let you know how I get on.

Kind regards

Curly

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Curly - try not to worry and just sit back and let them do the talking - I learnt after the report at my face to face to be very careful that, you don’t seem happy or jovial, as it will be interpereted as “you’re fine” - just try to relax and say how you are on your worse days, as the person assessing you will not have a notion about MS or the daily struggles with it - when the say, can you? just say no…the old adage - less said easier mended. Good luck Stephen

Hi Curly,

MS is stressful enough without these PIP home assessments.

My advice.

Have your form to remind yourself of your answers and so you can discuss your answers in more detail.

If asked to do some movements - I was asked to bend down to touch the floor - said it would be unsafe for me to do it due to balance problems.

Have someone with you to add to your answers if necessary. Think we sometimes accept our condition and forget the short cuts/aids we use to make our lives easier.

If the person doesn’t know about MS then just tell them. Spread the word, educate the masses, say how unpredictable it is, what is your worst day. If you use a stick in the house use it.

Keep calm and let us know how you get on.

Jen

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Have you supplied Carer’s Statements on how they help you with Daily Living washing, dressing, cooking, and Mobility helping you to got out to appointments and get in and out of the car and into your wheelchair or scooter etc.,. etc.,.?? If you have not sent any already, you could get some ready and hand them over at the assessment. These are just signed witness statements on how much help you get, or need, on a daily basis from people who know you well. These can be informal unpaid carer’s/helpers/relatives. Any letters to prove how dependent upon the help of another person. Care Plans are important too, as they cover the PIP assessment points. Good luck!

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When i first had my DLA assessment it was a home one and i was nowhere as bad back then. I got myself into a right old two and eight over it. My husband attended. It was a lovely lady doctor, she was amazing put me at my ease. It just went so quick and i was given full mobility and middle rate care.

Then the dreaded PIP change over. I mean you cant move for all the horror stories over them. Everywhere i turned it was horror stories.

I was worse now. I had hoped for a home assessment, but i wasn’t granted one, because the lady from aged UK put on my form at times i get very angry and frustrated… this translated to the DWP was I was going to thump someone lol. They didn’t read the rest of the statement… i get very angry and frustrated with myself and my limitations…

Anywoo off i trotted to the chosen execution with husband care worker in toe, my wheelchair and our kangoo.

Well the guy was amazing, caring and i was in there all of 20 minutes. He said they had all the information they needed, from doctor and neuro and seeing me was just a formality. There i was all wound up and he had me laughing before i left. It was not far away from xmas so perhaps he was just looking forward to his holidays.

I got enhanced in both. I was wound up tighter then a spring and the relief was amazing.

So stop stressing. Make sure you have someone with you. Let them answer the door.

Just be yourself and wait for them to take the lead.

Its like when i had to go for a LP the thought of it nearly made me collapse yet the procedure well it was much easier then the dentist for me lol.

So deep breaths. You have SPMS, I am sure you will be fine. Its really not as bad as people make out and all my friends this is the truth who have had to go through it not one of them had an issue with the assessor.

Good luck. xx

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Only piece of advice. Before opening mouth: engage brain. And it is okay to qualify answers. By which i means: Can you lift your arms above your head? You do it slowly But say I could not do that holding something, or repeatedly. Those details make all the difference and its important they get the DETAILS.

When my dad was alive he used to say to me engage brain before speaking, because I always started a conversation in the middle. It still holds today even morelol

Kay

Thanks Guys. Tomorrow is the day I am not coping so far just hope I don’t breakdown ahh! Thanks for your advice all I have taken it on board. I will have a relative with me so hopefully that will help. I will let you know how I got on. Kind regards Curly x

Good luck Curly, just sit back relax. Let them take the lead. Have all your meds to hand and anything else you use. Mind you no matter what time they come to me, i am nearly always sat on my recliner with my blanky over my legs, my laptop table in front of me and my laptop and my bottle of water by my side lol.

I think your armed and dangerous now lol. Deep breaths…you will be fine. xx

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Thanks for the well wishes. It’s all done now, I am just starting to unwind a bit phew. It went okay but did not like it at all. They go through all the questions on your form (lucky I had my brother in law sitting with me watching what I said on my original form). I could not do any exercises as I was exhausted and they don’t make you. One thing I blundered on but my brother in law rescued me was she asked how am I if I walk for 5 mins (that was question was really about on how far you can walk) but she put it to me a different way. As I thought 5 mins is a very short time but brother in law said anyone without ms can walk a long way in 5 mins, so he corrected me thankfully. Now have to wait 6 weeks for the outcome. Many thanks all. xx

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Morning curly so pleased you survived.

Yes 5 minutes my friend could walk a long way lol. I dont think i can walk for 5 minutes to be honest. It takes me 5 minutes to walk about 50 metres lol as i have to keep stopping to rest.

I am sure you did fine.

You might feel it a bit today, so i would rest. x

Hi Crazy Chick, Your right I am not feeling so good today, I think it will take a few days to forget about it and get back to normally. I woke up and was thinking about it again and told myself stop it it’s done. I am angry that they put people through this it is not right but what can you do. Anyway thanks and have a good day.xx

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The sad thing in all this, is that the people most like to suffer, end up suffering and there needs to be a better understanding of MS and anxiety from these PIP assessors - we are not people bluffing the system with bad backs or whatever.

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Hi Stephen,

I think you feel like you are in court under oath (not that I have done that) waiting to be caught out. Very sad it has to be that way for genuine people. Today I have been sleeping a lot and do not feel any better when I wake up feeling like I have a bad hangover: Take care x

Personally i think anyone diagnosed with a life long disease should not have to do this. Its never going to get better is it.

Anyway curly it will take a few days for you to feel better. Stress always causes me a bad hangover and tinnitus which drives me nuts.

Its over now so just chill out with a film and put your feet up. It will all be a memory soon enough. I hope you get an answer quicker, i did it was about 3 weeks actually. x

Well I got an answer with in one week which I thought was quick. I have got it for 5 years (do they think I am going to get better). They have ignored a lot of points and I am really angry about 1 comment that was mentioned twice in the DWP report which was she looked very tired but no signs of fatigue WHAT ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT even the Assessor did not make me walk or do any exercises as I was not feeling very good at all. They even had a letter from my MS nurse to say about my fatigue and memory issues and it will not be getting any better. I am pleased that I have got it after all the stress but I am going to write a letter and ask for a Mandatory reconsideration. I’m a bit hacked off, do they understand the disease. Anyway thought I would let you know. Kind regards and well wishes Curly xx

Hi Curly

You’ve not said, did you get the rates of each component you should have? Or are you going for MR purely on the length of award? Obviously I can see that if you got the maximum award for both Daily Living and Mobility you’d expect (or at least hope for) a 10 year award.

But just be aware a MR will cause them to look at the whole assessment again.

If of course, you didn’t get the maximum and feel that you should have, that’s a different story and MR is the only thing to do.

You should realise of course, that the assessors don’t understand MS at all. And as for the decision makers at the DWP, all they have to go on is your written claim, submitted evidence AND the assessors report.

The assessors in a way can’t be expected to know the details of every disease, they see so many people with various diagnoses. They need to be spoon fed the details of what you experience, not what is usual for the disease.

Although you would expect a person of average intelligence to see how fatigued you are on the day, read your MS nurses letter explaining how you suffer from fatigue and determine that you do in fact experience significant fatigue! Not that I am suggesting the assessors are as intelligent as the average person!

At least the decision was quick. Even though it has made you see red!! Don’t rush to send your letter asking for MR though. If there is any supplementary evidence you can get to support the MR, get the ball rolling on that first. Don’t forget you have a month to request the reconsideration. Take your time, spell out the facts as you see them, and the errors they have made.

Best of luck with the MR.

Sue

Hi Sue,

I did forget to say sorry I did get both components but they put me on the standard rate. I will take my time before sending off the paper work. They have the evidence from my MS nurse already, but like you say I need to point out the facts to them. I have read they put you in the standard rate hoping people are so grateful that they do not bother to contest. I will see how it goes. Many thanks your a diamond.

Kind regards

Curly xx

[quote=“Redman”]

The sad thing in all this, is that the people most like to suffer, end up suffering and there needs to be a better understanding of MS and anxiety from these PIP assessors - we are not people bluffing the system with bad backs or whatever.

[/quote] we have m.s. - if the rubbish assessment process lets us down why not bluff/lie/con our way through it? I see nothing wrong in that.

That is exactly the kind of attitude that has led the companies providing assessments for the DWP to assume we are all liars.

Most of us are not. And I believe that the majority of claimants are as genuine in their claim as Redman, Curly, myself and the majority of people with whichever variant of MS they have. Many of the posts I read are from people saying they do too much and at times appear less disabled than they actually are.

We (and I believe I can safely speak for the majority of forum members) do not bluff/lie/con their way through PIP, ESA, other welfare benefit claims or social service means assessments because we do not need to to prove how disabled we are. Or we do not bluff/lie/con because we are less disabled and are happy to get standard rates. Or we do not claim because we are not sufficiently disabled to need the benefits to which many of us are sadly genuinely entitled.

It is difficult enough to demonstrate how we honestly fit the Descriptors, without people committing fraud (which is what you suggest, however you choose to couch your opinion). Thereby adding to the DWP and the general public’s view that the disability benefits claimants are all part time disabled and part time able bodied athletes. In fact it is so difficult to describe our disabilities that many of us fail to achieve the correct decision from the DWP in the initial assessment and must apply for mandatory reconsideration or appeal to get the appropriate positive decision.

Sue