A few day's ago i had my first home assessment with the change over from my old DLA, i have anxiety problems and not able to go out socially with my agoraphobia and i also suffer from painful joints with my arthritis.
Anyway so my home assessment was done by a woman who i felt wasn't really there to see if i could cope with my difficult health issues, instead she was quite abrupt and over voiced her opinion over mine which was very annoying with each of her question? I had a friend with me noting down some of the assessors questions and the way she was trying to see if i was getting stressed with the questions being asked.
The next question was about getting around has i have agoraphobia it's obvious that i have difficulties going out or even using public transport, my mental health will not allow me to use public transport reliably. This is because there are specific features about public transport that will trigger my mental health symptoms causing severe distress anxiety, panic attacks, somatic symptoms . As a result I specifically avoid using public transport.
But again she over voiced her opinion that in my form i had said i can only travel in a car for emergencies only? this usually in my friends car.
I was under the impression that anybody who couldn't use public transport reliably as above should not be considered as being able to make an unfamiliar journey, this would mean they satisfied descriptor 11d and not just 11 b?
But what would this also mean if i could get to the doctors ok which was a familiar route and not far from my home, but again i would need the help from my friend to take me i found these descriptors very confusing?
Can anyone explain more about these descriptors, thank you
Written by
Mike0T
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i dont have any idea.they actually come to your home or is that because you have agoraphobia? i truly hope it goes okay for you having that is no joke my daughter had it from the age of 12 till 13 and a half....now i carnt pin her in on spot. lol all joking apart some people dont see a disabled person if they can talk and walk. up to monday i was attending the job centre as the government was saying im fit for work.i can use my mouth. mind you thats slowing down now to join the body...take care ...hope all goes well.
Yes on Monday morning it was a good job my friend had been there as i was becoming so stressed with having to go over each point carefully with my answers, most annoying thing was her unfriendliness with how she was asking the questions, i have been reading through many of the posts here i expect its having the luck of having a nice pleasant assessor or one like mine???
I was told these assessors try to constrict your answers to your illness in order to make you seem that you can cope with most days? i did stress fully through out the time she had been here how difficult it was for me doing day to day activities and i needed help mostly from my friend to do most things for me.
I think the PiP Forms need to be translated more easily for people with mental anxieties and will find filling out these forms difficult to understand each descriptors, i must admit my friend who also has a degree in literature was more confused then me filling out the PiP form?
lol with fibro mist between my ears you wont be the only one finding the forms hard.
Dont ask me about this one. i cant go any where without help because i panic when having to cross roads. When tired or stressed my brain shuts down which doesnt help my confidence of going out alone.
But i do not qualify for the descripters about not going out alone and apparently i can plan and carry out a journey alone.
I even went to a tribunal and they not only turned me down they also lowered the rate of mobility that i get.
I am so sorry to read of the stressful time that you endured during your assessment. I have to be honest and say that I have never been through anything of this nature. However, I want to genuinely and sincerely wish you all the best of luck with your award.
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