received my assessment repot

It has made me so sad that they just decide that 

And hopefully the DM will have read all what actually happens and hopefully not just make the decision on the descriptor 

I cant believe what im reading 

Based on the claimants likely future circumstances it would be appropriate to review the claim in 2 years 

what does that mean ? 

will it mean i cant apply again for 2 years

Hi Angela,

That's just preparing food descritor, there's another 9 to go with that and you need to score at least 8 points for an award. The points won't be added in that report, you have to add them yourself.

Somewhere in that report there will be boxes with dots or ticks,you can use the PIP self test if you google it as links can't be posted here. Then compare those ticks/dots and put them in the boxes on the PIP self test. At the end of the test it will give you a score. Please do this and you'll know if there's an award or not. You will havee to have an awful lot of evidence to score those 8 points in just the 1 descritptor.

If at the end of that you haven't scored the points then it looks like you're going to have to start the Appeal route. First stage of this is the Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) The reason is that it's very rare for them to go against that report. Please do come back at let us know what you scored.

There's 10 decriptors for Daily Living and 2 descriptors for Mobility. If you score at least 8 points in either or both parts then you have an award.

what does this mean at the end of the reportAnd the end of the report it says 

Based on the claimants likely future circumstances it would be appropriate to review the claim in 2 years 

what does that mean ? 

will it mean i cant apply again for 2 years

It means they don't expect your condition to change in that time.

Did you add those points up like i asked you to?

yes the functional history 14 & 4 

and the assessor gave me 6 & 4

But my husband and i both told her he does all the cooking and preparing because of safety reasons because of my condition

and she wrote i would be able to safely ,reliably & repeatedly carry out this activity with appropriate aid ??

then we also told her i need assistance in getting into and out of the bath and my Husband has to wash my back and wash my hair 

and she wrote i would require the use of an appropriate aid to carry out this activity  ??

We told her i need assistance again from my husband he helps me getting my lower half dressed and undressed regarding Tights / socks/and shoes and boots that need fastening 

and she just wrote the same as above again 

she just repeated all her answers ???

Functional history? You mean that's how you scored yourself?

Based on the asessors scoring you won't be awarded anything, i'm so sorry. It's very rare or them to go against the report. Of course you'll have to wait until the decison arrives before you can go to the next step.

Cannot prepare or cook food would score you 8 points but you'll need a lot of evidence to prove this. That's asking for a lot of points in one descriptor. Do you have evidence to back this up? You're saying you never ever go into the kitchen to cook anything? What if your husband wasn't at home? I'm not questioning you, i'm trying to help you so please don't think i'm not. Telling them isn't enough, you'll need evidence to back you up. They said you could safely carry out the activity with an aid? Did you score any points in the preparing food descriptor? Using an aid would score you 2 points.

Washing and Bathing. You need assistence to get in and out of the bathand your husband washed your lower half? You can't score for both of these in 1 descriptor. You would score the highest of the two for this. This would be 3 points not 5 for both. Did you score anything here?

Dressing and undressing, you need help dressing your lower half which would score you  2 points. Did you score anything for this?

I give that a total of 7 points, which still wouldn't be enough for an award.

Your next step is to ask for the Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) but you have to wait for the decision letter first. Once you have this you have 1 month from the date of the decision to ask for the MR. You'll need to put it in writing stating what you disagree with and where you think you should have scored those points. Backed up with as much evidence as possible because you'll need it, especially for the preparing food descriptor.

Please bear in mind that most MR deciison (20%) stay the same. The likelyhood of you having to take it to Tribunal is very high. If this does happen then i'd strongly advice you to appear in person. This will give you the best chance of success. Going down this route is the best otion because re-apply will most likely see you being refused again and possibly without an assessment, as this has happened. The recommend review time stated at the end of the report simply means that they don't expect your condition to get worse within that length of time. Good luck.

Yes regarding in the kitchen my husband does all the cooking and preparing i do have severe vertigo which comes on sometimes without any warning i lack concentration and become very clumsy when im having an attack i have in the past scalded myself left pans burning dry broke glasses and plates and cups knocked things off the units with my clumsiness it all because when i have an attack all i can think about is lying down for safety if my husband is going out for a length of time he will make me a sandwich 

all this is just making me ill with worry and im just very anxious and feeling sick 

You're welcome Angela. I know it's a worry. Did you send in any evidence at all? You say you kept telling the assessor that you need help doing something, or that you can't do it at all. You'll need evidence for all of this to back you up.

Do you see your GP or any other person regarding your condition? Maybe you've seen someone in the past, a Consultant or something? Are you able to ask your GP for any medical history letters. For example, letters from Consutlants that were sent to your GP? A list of all current medication, A written diary, a letters from people that know you well. Anything related to how your condition affects you daily.

Are there any other descriptors that you could score points in for the Daily living part?

For help with the MR i would advice you contact your local CAB or disability advice centre. They will be able to write to MR letter for you. I really would advice you not to re-apply but take the MR then Tribunal route, with plans to appear in person at the hearing. All of this can take several months. Tribunal waiting times vary accorss the country but most area have a huge backlog. Some are waiting up to 1 year. It's a very long process but having help from someone who knows what they're doing will certainly help you. It will also help you feel less stressed.

will let you know how i go on 

Remember you only have 1 month from when that decision is made. It is also possible that they will go against the report but it's ectremely rare. I'd advice you to start to gather some evidence while you wait for the decision. If they do go against the report you can keep the evidence for your review. Please don't hold your hopes out for an award though, the last thing i want to do is give you false hope.

Good luck!!

can i ring them or is it better to write a letter 

You can ring Monday to ask if a decisions been made but you'll still have to wait for the letter to start the MR process off.