hi guys new to this. Suffered with symptoms off fibro for years. It tock rhumatologist over 5 years to get her decisuon after ruling out a whole abundance off things.
So i applied for PIP and have been awarded lower rate care. I feel my assesment was not handled correctly bt the nurse who assesed me. I have spoke to pip ans they have said to do a Mand Recon.
Do any of you have any help on what to send, who to c9ntact etc
Thanks Guys
Written by
Jamesb1594
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Hi, I'm sorry you don't feel your assessment was good. Despite this, if you feel you have got the correct award, then I'd do nothing. Unfortunately assessor's reports are often poor, but will be relied upon if you didn't complete your PIP claim as well as one would hope. Otherwise, put your decision letter away, & concentrate on where you feel you should have gained points. You can do a Mandatory Reconsideration MR) using this form: assets.publishing.service.g...
or by writing a letter.
As far as PIP goes, remember it's not about any diagnosis, but rather how your disability affects certain activities of daily living &/mobility. Have a look again at the activities/descriptors that are looked at with PIP:
Try & give a couple of recent, detailed examples as to the difficulty you faced for each applicable descriptor (at the time of your assessment), i.e. when did it happen, where, what happened, why, did anyone see this, & were there any consequences to attempting/doing an activity?
Say if you can't do an activity 'reliably,' i.e. safely, to an acceptable standard, repeat as often as one would reasonably expect, or if it takes you much longer than someone without a disability. See this mentioned at the end of the link above.
If you do your MR as a letter, ensure you put your name & National Insurance number on each page. Keep a copy, & get a free Certificate of Posting from your Post Office when posting.
You do not need to send off anything with your MR; it's those detailed explanations above which will be the most helpful.
You may also wish to get some advice from a Welfare Rights Office or similar. Check to see if there;s anything in your area here: advicelocal.uk/ choosing 'Welfare benefits' from the drop down menu.
Do you have any other conditions you can add to show your difficulties to daily living? Also if you do a mandatory reconsideration you risk loosing what you have. Good luck
With a Mandatory Reconsideration only about 26% are currently successful unfortunately, & the majority therefore stay the same. It's incredibly rare for an award to be lowered/taken away, so this isn't a concern.
I did a mandatory reconsideration as got refused pip, I wrote a letter and for each question on the original form I put in so much more detail than I had originally and I also expanded on the points they disputed given instances of how there decision was incorrect. I got awarded standard rate care only. I could have pushed for the mobility aspect more I think but I don't have the energy to. I have to reapply next Xmas anyway as only been given it til then . It is worth pushing as just having the standard care has allowed me to be able to drop some work hours because I physically was struggling due to the pain. It makes a difference just getting that bit of financial support.
I feel the nurse who did my assessment didnt have a clue about FM or andxiety/depression disorder. She kind off skatwd around these points.
I also have a whoke range off conditions included IBS and herniated discs in my neck and lower back. I had put this on more form but she was not intrested to hear how these affect me.
I was told by a member off staff to do a mand recon. I dont have a ckue wjat to do or how to go about it. She did say get a lettwr off your doctor explaining how it affects me. But again that will cost about 30 quid and i am skint.
Its just really frustrating at the moment having to deal with this and having a massive FM flare up.
Take a look at my previous post and you'll find links to Guides that will help you through the process of Mandatory Reconsideration and Appeal. If you contact FMA UK, they can send you the Benefits and Work Guide about how to challenge the Disability Assessor's report. Make sure you have the full copy, not just the DWP letter about it. You have to ask for it and make sure you get your request for Mandatory Reconsideration in, within the time limits or they will refuse to accept it. If you need more time, and the are still within the limit, try asking for an extension, especially if you have requested the full report and they have not sent it to you yet.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.