PIP - Assessment report help needed

Hi Denise,

Thanks for your reply and info. I have never been through this process before, and I am speechless.

You know the funny thing? 3 during the assessment she was forcing things through from the start and I gave up, and I just agreeing to get out of there. The couple of months later it dominated my mind and was horrible.. So I threw the report away. I thankfully eventually I stopped thinking Bout it. I was too much.

Initially I sent a letter from my gp. I but they seem to have ignored it. I did get 0 points with them telling me I have no cognitive impairments etc. I so I guess that makes me a fraudster amongst other things.

I then got help and MR was sent in with evidence. I don't have much medical evidence.

Here is the great part. Received the MR. 0points and pretty much the same reasons, but they used the wrong paperwork and although it was written as an MR, and I can't appeal until it's done, that was 5 weeks ago.

I can't deal with these people again. It seems that they have decided to treat me by their own low standards.

It was really the 0 points and review period I wanted to understand.

What is obvious is that she wrote whatever she wanted and then by ticking the extra support box has covered herself.

OK so you're now at appeal tribunal stage. Most MR decisions don't change. Most people do need to take it to appeal tribunal. This isn't really a bad thing, apart from the time it takes. How long, i have no idea. Depends on where in the country you are. I do know that they're a lot fairer at these tribunals but it's always better to attend the hearing. I've never been through any of this i just know from what i read. Evidence is vital to your claim though. Whether it be consultant reports, letters/dairy from someone that knows you well, list of current medication.

Being awarded 0 points doesn't at all mean you're a fraudster. It just means you weren't successful in proving you gave difficulties in daily life. This doesn't mean you'll be award 0 points at the tribunal. Good luck and i hope you're awarded successfully.

It was definitely A good idea to get help and take by he stress off things.

So just wait and see what happens.

Is it usual that no award is recommended but a review period and Justification to is given?

Many thanks.

I am assuming you have not heard of an MR being done twice also.

I know from reading that many assessments are bad... But it is also tough to understand why I am receiving this obviously extra special treatment.

I had told them that I was feeling suicidal (which amongst other things I regret despite being true). perhaps they are hoping by behaving like this will achieve a favorable outcome..

The only reason everyone thinks that many assessments are bad is because we very rarely hear of the good ones. I've had 2 PIP assessments in just over 2 years and in all honesty both were good. Very understanding AP, truthful assessment report and both awards reflected exactly what the AP said and for the exact length of time. Well good luck to you and hope you get the result you want.

I can only believe that they had already made up their mind. I the sad thing is, I t was obvious that the Info the assessor was pushing out of me was all negative and biased but I was powerless.

At the end of the assessment I told her about the horror stories I read online, to which she replied that only people with problems have that and that I will receive an award because the Dr should listen to her recommendation in the sweetest, and most sincere voice she could. I told her no I won't and that I will get some help.

When I got the report I initially smiled.....

Perhaps because I don't have lots of medical reports etc. It helped paint a bad picture of me in their minds.

Perhaps she took offence when she said she was testing my memory, and asked me to subtract 25 from 100 and I responded with an embarrassed grin that I had a degree in economics before answering.

I am glad you and others have had good assessments and I hope it continues.

I can 100% see why people might feel the need to lie or exaggerate things given that from my experience it seems to be a process of who can be the most dishonest.

Whatever the outcome, I feel happy that I am incapable of that, and the truth is, I always said to myself that I would only want an award from the tribunal as I know they are educated and professionals.

My Gp even effectively told me from the off that I would need to wait for tribunal to receive an award and her support letter was effectively directed to them.

Thanks again for your response Denise.

Did you claim mainly for mental health reasons?  I have physical and mental health problems but the mental health problems I would say are more severe, certainly in terms of how they affect me day to day, and I've had them for over 30 years with no improvement.  I did get an award but all the points were for physical problems.  I got nothing for the problems caused by mental illness.  I realise I'm lucky compared to many people who get nothing but I'm still upset because the assessment is not accurate and has made me out to be a liar.

I think the way they assess mental illness is very flawed.  They do a basic MSE during the assessment and if they decide that you're not anxious they decide that you're never anxious.  I was very anxious during mine but I wasn't trembling or sweating excessively which she took as not being anxious.  I did start crying at one point but she didn't recognised that that was a reaction to the anxiety I was feeling at the time.  They do the same for physical problems to a certain extent but in my assessment at least it seems that when I described physical problems later on in the assessment she accepted what I was saying whereas anything I said about mental health and anxiety was dismissed because she'd already decided I wasn't anxious.  She has put in her reasoning several times that the MSE didn't show .........  so what I put on my form, what I said in my assessment and my doctors letter have all been ignored by her and by the Case Manager in favour of her MSE.

I wasn't impressed with the "What change would you get if you spent 75p in a shop and gave them a £1?".  I don't know how this is used as a memory test, I'd assumed it was a test of simple budgeting.  I refused to answer.  My problem with this is that it is one of the simplest amounts they could have chosen.  Throughout school and in life we come across 75:25 frequently so they are figures that stick in our heads.  I expect many people who really struggle with mental arithmetic wouldn't have a problem with that one. 

Simple budgeting for PIP is

(i)  calculating the cost of goods; and

(ii) calculating change required after a purchase; 

A better test would be to ask us to add up 2 or 3 amounts, say £1.49 + £2.10 + 64p and then ask us what change we would get from £5.  No problem normally but I would probably struggle with that when stressed in an assessment.