PIP results

Hi Nina get your husband to get in touch with your local MP about this,i feel sure if they get involved it will help.

J x

Thank you all, your kind words mean so much.

Nina x

Hello Nina. I’ve only just seen this. I’m still waiting for my forms but I’m steeling myself for it. It’s such a pain having to do the appeal. We’re all behind you. xx

Thanks Steve,

Hope you are as well as can be after your ordeal,

Take Care,

Nina x

Hi Nina, my first DLA app led to 2 appeals & a terrifying Tribunal. I was not allowed to speak to my carer, the 3 ‘judges’ sat in a room styled like a real Court for murderer trials, then they belittled and intimidated me.

I lost the Tribunal & then learned everything I could and should have said. My carer is my hubby whom I rely upon. My lack of cognition & attention span meant I relied on him to remember things. I could have sarcastically asked them if they were Judges appointed by law, then when they had to say No, I could have asked why I was in trial and then ask for a smaller room sitting around a table to reduce the stress I felt by their manner and intimidation.

But that was in 2005. In 2006, I applied for DLA again. Fully prepared. No appeal, awarded High rates for mobility and care.

Lessons learned I prepared for the PIP ordeal. I sent every bit of evidence, fork mashable food menus, physio dates, several hospital dates to A&E for falls, and 2 admissions from falls needing surgery. Copy of driving licence being revoked due to partial blindness in one eye, cognition test results. I was scared, but the home assessment by a trained health therapist from Capita couldn’t have been easier and I received both parts at enhanced rate.

I’ve heard Capita are more capable than Atos but I don’t know the facts. I’m pleased you’ve appealed and hope true justice is done. I know how many problems you’ve managed to deal with. As Anthony states, you are a respected member here, offering advice & knowledge to us when you can. Their decision to reduce your rate seems earlier than realising you can offer further professional evidence.

Stick with it hon, you will be granted enhanced in both categories because of Atos errors & omisssions! Good luck Nina

Chrissie x

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Thanks Chrissie!

What a nightmare you had getting DLA! I can’t remember the year but it was an awful long time ago, I applied and got enhanced rate for both care and mobility!

The crazy thing is the government are spending a small fortune, far far more than they will save by hunting out the fraudsters and those people are the ones who can just lie throughout their whole interview and still get the benefit.

Still waiting to hear from them regarding the mandatory reconsideration, fingers crossed!

Take Care,

Nina x

I am sorry if anyone takes umbrage over my comment, but how the hell Nina, you can be turned down with all you are doing your best to cope with, shocks me to the core. I am hoping, I am being sarcastic, you have told them you have mental health issues, that way you won’t need to appeal, they will assess the fact that you have been turned down, not because of the difficulties you face, everyday, because of the MS, Cancer, emphysema & osteoporosis, but because you are eg, afraid to go out.Obviously this is not an example that doesn’t apply to many of us, I am 1. Let’s be fair, not many of us are confident & struggle with these issues, genuinely. What a load of shit. I am certainly NOT saying mental health is not a serious issue, I had a breakdown myself, I know how it affects people, but please, let’s put this into perspective. Nina lovely, if this isn’t sorted, my God, someone is taking the ps. Please, someone, take a closer look, some people endure more than their fair share of st, you are certainly 1 of them Nina. Get your local councillor on this, I’d love to come & fight it for you. I was going to post anon, but this has really angered me, especially with the developments over the past few days. I am rooting for you Nina, because if this isn’t put right, it’s the biggest travesty I have ever come across. Tracey xx

Hi Tracey, your post just made me see the funny side to the ridiculously unfair dwp & pip. Each word you said is true, not all twee sweetness. & light but straight enough to understand. For a moment when reading your post, I had visions of us all congregating in a mass uprising riot!

The decision makers are not humans with emotions, but robots with tick boxes you can walk or you can’t, no inbetween. Still, their bonuses don’t get affectected eh?

Chrissie xx

Thanks Tracy and Chrissie,

Apparently, due to complaints we are all going to be reassessed! It’s great the government have finally accepted that this has caused psychological distress, they think it will cost 3.6 billion, do they really believe that they will recoup that amount by sorting out the fraudsters?

Take care everyone.

Love Nina x

erm. I understand your feelings. I disagree that decision makers are robots… some are humans… and bonuses… if only!

Anonymous, I respect your opinion that decision makers are not robots. I actually meant robotic (I have brain damage with PPMS so please allow my writing error).

I’m sure you’ll understand that stress is a big disadvantage to MS sufferers. The filling of forms for an incurable condition, that can only deteriorate, makes no sense and is a waste of resources. I disagree with computerised forms, only answered by tick boxes and no grey areas to explain mitigating circumstances.

However, I agree there are fraudsters and they must be stopped. Though as Nina stated Government think 3.6 Billion (I repeat, Billion), to put things right, contradicts Governments plans for cut backs, including costs of bonuses on attaining set targets.

Nina, I hope you have your answoer soon (if successful, you’ll receive back pay). I think mine took just over a month after the home visit assessment. Good luck x.

Chrissie x

Thanks Chrissie, I hope to hear soon, I’ve been regularly checking the post box but nothing as yet!

Nina x

Hi Nina.

I haven’t been on for a while but was missing you all and catching up. I’m disgusted with how you’ve been treated. I’ve had problems with these people before and have a few gripes after my recent assessment but it in no way was as bad as your experience. They’ve called me a liar because I made sense talking to my assessor and made him a cuppa so my brain and hands work fine???

But back to you, I hope your hubby feels better soon and you successfully appeal. My union was a big help when I first applied and got turned down if you have one. I’ve successfully applied for a few people who’ve needed help, but I was having a good day on my latest assessment day and was brought up being hospitable, well mannered and unable to lie or act as if I was having a bad day when I wasn’t. Maybe I’m at fault?

Good luck, please let me know how you get on.

Cath x

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Thanks Cath, I’m still waiting for a reply to the mandatory re assessment!

It’s so good to see you back again, I hope the last few months were not too awful for you.

I will let you know but it seems it’s a slow process,

Take care of yourself,

Nina x

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Hi Nina and thanks.

My physical health has been up and down but I’ve been under a lot of stress and when I’m like that I get anxious and find any type of communication difficult. I don’t go on the internet unless I really have to, and then I do the bare minimum. I can’t even cope with my post and I’m still finding letters I haven’t opened yet. Hopefully there’s no bills or my credit rating will be dreadful… Never mind, I’ll get back to normal again.

I’ve just transferred from DLA to PIP and it only took a few weeks, I was pleasantly surprised. Hopefully things will get sorted out for you.

Cath x

I’m so pleased your transfer was not too traumatic for you?

Really sorry you’ve had such a rotten time, I’d assumed that ,together with your Dad, was the reason we missed you on here?

I fully understand how much stress can cause us all sorts of problems, but glad to see you back!

Take care of yourself

Love Nina x

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Hi Cath

Sorry to hear things have been difficult for you, but glad to see you back here again.

Onwards and upwards Cath x

Pam x

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Hi, I’m really sorry, I’ve forgotten your name, but the lady who was upset about her PIP award. Your thread reminded me of my daughter, she’d had a lifetime award for DLA high care and mobility but had to apply for PIP, she assumed that it would be pretty straight forward, as she has a degenerative condition that is only going in one direction.

She had a face to face at home with her carer present (she has 24hr carers), in her front room. She was as usual sitting on a sofa, with her electric chair by the side, and her through lift in the corner of the room, as always she was well dressed, made up and wearing her usual outrageously high heels (she reckons it’s the one good thing about having legs that don’t work; she doesn’t get blisters from heels), apparently during the meeting she had 3 seizures.

My daughter is very proud of her independence, and was very happy to show her assessor around the house, she did her usual strange method of transfer to her chair, and invited him to tour the upstairs…the bedroom in which the lift goes up to, then she showed him the carers room and the alarm link from her bed, the normal bathroom then her bedroom with its electric hoist system that lifts her from bed and through into her bathroom which is fully adapted, she showed him her husband’s walk in wardrobe with all his uniforms, (he’s in the army), before taking him back downstairs to see the adapted kitchen, the fire alarm system, linked to the guard room, the downstairs loo with all the paraphenalia for her bladder and bowel tubes etc.

She was proud of everything, so didnt hold back. And her award standard rate for mobility and ZERO award for her care. He didn’t mention any of what he’d been shown, the carers, the 56 different drugs that keep her alive, he didn’t mention her carers, in fact he mentioned little except that she was dressed and did her own make up, he mentioned that she had demonstrated how she could make a cup of tea, (Yup, but only because a carer supervises), that she had described a full and busy life.

We couldn’t believe it! She asked for a reconsideration, with a report from the carer present outlining exactly what had taken place and who also sent a copy of her days care record for that 24he period.

Her award was reconsidered and she was awarded high care and mobility, so I hope that there will be someone equally sensible at the other end reconsidering yours xxx

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Hi Cath I am sorry things have been bad for you, nice to see you on here though, hope things improve for you soon.

J x

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Thank you Sally,

I’m so sorry your daughter had such a nightmare too,however very pleased to hear she got full rate eventually, I still haven’t heard anything since sending off the Mandatory reconsideration letter