PIP Review

Hi,

I just thought I would give another update on what seems to be the never-ending PIP review hullabaloo.

So, mid July I received the 'thanks for sending us your form' text, aka it's with the assessors again. After about 7 weeks of hearing nothing I couldn't take the stress any more and called the DWP. I have spoken to some abrupt staff in the past but I have never encounter one as rude as this lady.

She informed me I was down for a telephone assessment and I asked if there was any chance if I sent an explanation of why it will be too much for me along with further medical evidence. I also told her I have reduced hearing, breathing difficulties alongside other health problems caused by Covid and that I am awaiting referral to a specialist centre for prolonged Covid sufferers. This is on top of my pre-existing mental health issues.

Anyways, her response was: 'this is not a face to face, telephone assessments are different and you can't get out of them'. I'm not trying to 'get out' of anything, I am only looking for a fair assessment.
Her: 'the decision has been made, you're having a telephone assessment'
She followed this with: 'I'm putting you through to the assessors and they will confirm everything I have said'
I begged her not to do that because I need to build myself up to phone calls. All of a sudden the phone was ringing and like a rabbit caught in headlights I didn't know what to do. I was about to hang up as a lady from IAS answered the phone.

She was very nice, and through my gasping for air and voice cutting out she took her time, listened to me and suggested I request a paper based assessment. She took down a lot of details to pass onto the assessor, and said if I had any other evidence I can send it but they may not look at any of this and the lady from the DWP was wrong. I knew these anyways, but it was nice to not have someone make me feel small by proudly stating 'the decision has been made' for a telephone assessment.

As soon as I got off the phone and calmed down, my gut told me that they were going to be quick in writing to me to tell me 'nope, you must have a telephone assessment' before I could get my letter and additional medical evidence in. I was right, I received a letter stating just this days later. I sent my stuff in anyways via next day delivery - I'm still awaiting some evidence but I had to get something in.

Fast forward a few days, in comes the appointment via text then letter. I received the letter the same day they would have received mine. The appointment was for tomorrow, I called to request if they could postpone it until someone has had a chance to read my stuff. The man was very helpful and said tomorrow's assessment had been cancelled, there's a note thing on the system to halt any automatic reappointments being sent and IAS have decided I won't be having a telephone assessment at all because of the detriment it will cause my health.

But, he also said this is up to the DWP to decide and that IAS have asked them for any recommendations they may have on how to assess me. He said it could be extra measures because they're bringing some in to help people with anxiety - I'm struggling to imagine what that would be. When I asked about a PBR, he said although it is possible I may get one, the problem they have is that they don't have enough information for 1 out of the 12 categories? By categories is he meaning questions? I answered about 12 questions (I need to double check). There's enough evidence to support 11 of them apparently for the report they write. I'm confused as to what all this contacting DWP and categories stuff means.

I asked if he could tell or give me an idea of what they need more information on but he said that information isn't available to him. I then asked if I could still send in more and he said that would be useful because sometimes additional evidence covers missing information. Off to try and get more medical evidence for me. I have a feeling they're talking about the mobility for mental health and sensory issues question I answered. I have a wealth of information/letters in my medical file regarding these but I thought they would be too old so didn't include them.

So that's where I am at. I would have thought this would have reduced my anxiety but it really hasn't because I have no idea what I should do or what may happen now.

Hi Gordon,

Thank you for your reply. I haven't looked at the information I sent in in a while. I've just had a look, and I didn't answer the moving around activity other than writing N/A because my issues are sensory and mental health. I knew there was one mobility question I hadn't answered but I couldn't remember if there were two or three mobility questions. Sorry, I'm rambling.

At a quick glance of what I sent in, there are bits I can see are probably lacking medical evidence to back it up compared to the daily living, and maybe I haven't explained things too well. I think I understand what you mean that it may be more likely the mobility which is being a sticky point than the daily living?

I think I need to go over my form with a fine tooth comb before asking for a letter of support.

Hi, I hope you don't mind my joining in on this, as I had a pretty similar saga about our daughter. They eventually did do a PB assessment [she had to do a new claim as they gave her a short award]. Just about old letters - if they are the most recent ones relevant to the particular descriptors for which you need evidence, I would send them in with covering explanation that the effect on your whichever activity/mobility has not changed and you do not have a more recent letter [eg because that clinic has signed you off or just not seen you for a while]. Hope this helps as it is exactly what we have had to do repeatedly and the last twice have won albeit at Tribunal.
Best wishes, Denby

Hi denby,

I am so sorry I didn't reply sooner, I have just seen your message. Thank you so much for your words of support and advice. I have plenty of old letters but I didn't send them as I thought they wouldn't be considered because I was no longer in therapy for them - even though they cover issues I still have. Some had been written in support of my ESA appeal from WRAG to Support group and others for my PIP claim when I moved from DLA.

In the I wrote about in my previous post I pointed out that I was first sent to a psychiatrist whilst in primary school for anxiety and sensory issues, and they're clearly not going anywhere given I'm a grown adult and still suffering to varying degrees. The varying part seems to be an issue. That's when I was told my telephone app was cancelled, but I fear this is going to be a bit of a battle still.

Just another, probably boring, update on this saga.

A few weeks ago I sent in a GP letter of support stating a telephone or F2F assessment will cause distress and if they want more information they could contact him. Did they? Nope. I found out today from my psychologist they contacted her again which would be fine if they hadn't ignored her previously and called her twice the same day after she tole them she was busy at that point. She told them she was busy working on a ward and could she have contact details to call them the next day. They gave them then called her again a few hours later, she was already very annoyed at them because of all the backwards and forwards they've done since my review first went in.

She told them on the phone that she was busy, will call them the next day as arranged and indirectly said the whole situation is unacceptable and had been going on before Covid then July when they contacted me again. That this situation has been a massive detriment to my mental health and anxiety. But it gets better, after calling her twice in the same day they didn't answer the phone or return her calls when she called back multiple times. And now all she gets is a message saying the phone is off. She's so annoyed that she is going to keep at them until someone answers. She won't easily accept them trying to say they couldn't get a hold of her especially when it's one category.

That said, where they wouldn't/couldn't tell me what the issue is. She got the answer, they said they wanted to understand more about the variability of my moods and what happens. Apparently the way they were talking it seems to be the bipolar they're struggling to understand because the moods don't shift in the same way or at the same speed as emotional dysregulation can. Then there's sensory issues and anxiety mixed in. So we got the opportunity to have a chat about that for when (if) she gets to speak to someone.

I don't know if this will help me or just annoy them. I'm really grateful to her, I won't lie, I laughed a little when I heard how she expressed her annoyance. I feel like I'm beating my head off a brick wall and I'm tired.

Hi,

It's me yet again, just another update. So I've just received a text from the DWP stating that they have received my written report and a decision will be within 8 weeks. I'm guessing this is a paper review? Sorry, I have a bunch of questions and now I'm sick with anxiety about this. I know I was the one that pushed for it because I was sick with anxiety over at the thought of a F2F or telephone assessment. I guess such is the life of chronic anxiety, when one worry goes away another worry takes its place. So that's me worrying again

Since I kept firing in evidence and requesting one, does that mean I'm not allowed to request the report? If I can, how long should I wait?

Can they strip my award from me? They were planning to try doing a PBR way back in Feb before I started requesting one (other than on the form - even though from past experience with ESA and PIP I knew there was like no chance). Clearly they didn't or I would have been going through this hell again since they resumed my claim in July.

Although I had sent a letter and some more evidence that the day it was received they decided to cancel my phone assessment they said I still needed some form of assessment because they needed to have one was because of one category (question?). But future telephone assessments had also been cancelled. And he said that further medical evidence may fill in gaps. So I got a letter of support from my GP and fired that in. Then as I said in my last post I find out on Monday they contacted my psychologist again.

I guess what I'm getting at is that now I am really, really worried that even though I have strong support from my GP and psychologist and that it was one (apparently) category that was the issue, that I may have shot myself in the foot and I won't get an award. All of the things above and in my previous posts is what gave me the courage to keep trying. I was about to give up on it all because of the constant trying to gather evidence and PBR requests, and the stress at the thought of having to go through yet another F2F when they resumed or phone assessment was all getting too much. This has consumed my thoughts almost every day to some degree since my form went in in January. Every day living in fear of the mail and every time my phone beeped in case it was an appointment.

If my biggest fear and the worst happens including my award being reduced, will I be allowed to request an MR even though I pushed for a PBR? Or will they say no because it was my fault for pushing?

I am genuinely really happy I was able to get a paper assessment (I think it was?) and won't have to go through an assessment, but the fear is pushing that happiness down.

I'm currently on enhanced DL after a successful MR (thanks to you guys on this site) and got 4 points back in 2016 for mobility which I didn't challenge last time.