I had my PIP telephone assessment yesterday, it left me feeling awful. To begin I asked her to record the session and she told me she did I not have facility to do this , so I told her I would record it, she told me I could not under any circumstances use the recording for anything, is this true ? We had clearly got off to a bad start and she was not happy I had asked. The next 1.5 hrs was full of hypothetical questions I struggled to answer as they were hypothetical and she just kept rephrasing it until I did, I was left feeling confused , worn down and terrible. I felt she was trying to ‘catch me out’ get me to contradict myself. It t felt very unfair. Has anybody else had similar exii pop eriences and what was the outcome. I have also applied for ESA as I have been off sick for 4mths and am concerned that may end. I am now worried sick I have to go through the same thing again
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Lululemon22
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Hi there, good morning. Yes she was correct about the recording. You must always ask for permission in advance to record an interview unless that rule has changed.
I suppose it is their job to try and catch people out in interviews.
I know that sounds bad. But there is a lot of people out there making fraudulent claims. And it must be even harder when you can't see the person your interviewing F2F
This is why I would if possible always pick a F2F interview over a phone call.
I hope all goes well for you. If not remember you can always take it to a M R xx
Statistically there are very few fraudulent PIP claims, & again statistically, phone assessments have been more favourable to PIP claimants in recent years compared to F2F.
i had a telephone assessment earlier this year, and it certainly wasnt favorable at all. my GP told me to make a formal complaint about it, i had already asked for it to be looked at again and asked for information under the right to information act. they did eventually send this to me and i was appauld. the assessor stated in the report to the dwp, that i did not get exhausted at all, i had an assessment with the chronic fatigue service a few weeks later and the guy who did the assessment also had chronic fatigue, so he understood what i was saying, and he told me to make a complaint as well, he said that with chronic fatigue they cannot tell over the phone how the fatigue is and it can also hit you worse after a long phone call or even the day after or the day after that.
the assessor also stated in the report to them that, ' on the BASIS OF PROBABILITY i was lying' - on the BASIS OF PROBABILITY, not on the evidence. in my letter of complaint i pointed out that if a solicitor went into court and said to the judge, 'on the basis of probability the defendant has killed 23 people' he would be laughed out of court. I have now asked that they supply me with the evidence to PROVE that i am lying. as of today they havent.
in the decision letter they sent me they claimed that my condition had NOT changed since my last assessment which was in 2018, this is interesting as in 2019 i had a full spine MRI which showed 3 damaged vertabra, 2 bulging disks, all the nerves in my neck are completely mangled and that this would cause problems in my arms and hip and all down my left side. and in 2020, i had a severe reaction to the covid vaccine which left me only being able to do about 20 minutes a day of normal daily activity, and that hasnt improved, and only having 1 or 2 'good' days a week if i am lucky, i frequently have no good days at all and this can go on for weeks. but according to the dwp my condition hasnt changed since 2018!!!!
in their letter they also state that my walking sticks and grab rails were NOT PRESCRIBED by a doctor and were therefore NOT essential aids, the walking sticks were given to me by a physio when i was diagnosed and the grab rails were so that i dont fall in the shower, i fall frequently outside and cannot get up.
Doctors don't prescribe aids ever, that's a physiotherapist or OT's job.
My GP supported me buying a stick for when my balance is off.
It would take months and months to be seen by a physio who couldn't add anything to my rehab plan that I was already doing and even the consultant who diagnosed me stated in her letter that she would not be recommending physio as I was able to write my own plan as a sports rehab therapist.
If your falling and you can get your own grab rails you do it because it takes for ever and a day to get an OT out to your home to do a bathing assessment unless your bed blocking
after i had the full spine mri done, my gp said we will start by sending you to a physio, here the doctor sends a notification through to the physio, bur you have to phone the physio for an appointment, i did this, and she really nastily snapped at me, 'what the hell does he think i am going to do about it', i got part way through explaining that i had had a full spine mri, sne snapped at me,' i can see that, i'll send you some leaflets with exercises on', and at that point she slammed the phone down. the leaflets she sent me were for arthritis, and most of them involved lying on the floor pressing your lower back into the floor, my lower back is where i have 3 damaged vertebra and the 2 bulging disks, so couldnt do those, i also cannot get onto the floor, unless i fall and then i cant get up, and as i live alone, this was a total waste of time. none of the exercises were of any use at all
That's technically not true. According to the Information Commissioner Office (ICO) governing body for data protection you can record any conversation with anyone as long as it is for you only , as notes to assist in your memory WITHOUT the other person even knowing. It's not admissable in court ,but if you have a recording and can reference it then the court tends to believe you rather than the other party.If anyone has noticed there used to be signs up everywhere at the assessment centers stating no recording equipment allowed ......they have gone ! Because it's against the law. Is it better to ask for it to be recorded in advance....of course ....but if you forget don't tell them until you get the outcome. Then do an MR and state I recorded the conversation. At the end of the day they can't take you to court for doing it and if they are going to treat people badly and lie then covert recording will highlight it. A judge can do what he she wants she can say that they want to hear the recording (most won't but will accept it's existence).
They should treat everyone with respect, if they don't it's their fault and no one else's.
I had similar experience. She said I can rebook a date if I want recording. But I didn’t want another stressful day.
Got 0 points after all of this, 4 points after MR. And appeal to tribunal now. Long and stressful journey where on top you need to spend all your energy to fight your illness.
If you haven't asked to have your assessment recorded, then some assessors won't want to proceed.
You can record your assessment with your phone, but this will just be for your personal use.
Even if an assessor were willing to record your assessment, then neither the DWP nor a Tribunal have the equipment to listen to this (nor the time).
Assessors do ask questions in different ways, which should be the better to exactly understand the difficulties you face; I'm sorry if you feel that didn't happen, & appreciate how that must have made you feel awful afterwards.
Some people having thought they had an awful assessment have done better than they thought (& vice versa!)
Don't get upset from it they aren't even properly trained to ask us the questions and they don't understand I hate to tell you this but I have been on dla then pip since 1996 and at first was awarded it indefinitely then pip came and they don't do indefinitely they short story is I have lost my money 4 times in those years and always fought them to the point of going to court were I have instantly been awarded it back you have to keep fighting they reply on people giving up and not fighting its ridiculous awful and very distressing for us but don't give in please you deserve what is for you good luck X
I recorded my assessment on my laptop. As mentioned by Mydiagnosis I did not inform them as it was intended for me to use for the mandatory reconsideration if needed. Sure enough when I wrote my MR i informed them then that I had recorded the assessment for reference. Sure enough it came in handy.
When we apply for PIP or any benefits we have to do the research about the benefits we are claiming and if we meet the claiming criteria for that benefit. To many people submit a claim not full understanding the criteria or what evidence or supporting evidence or information that is required to make your claim a successful. A day to day of your life style in relation to each PIP descriptor medical / hospital report’s diagnosis from doctor’s consultants ect. Using extra pages where needed putting your name NI number on each page and the descriptors you’re writing about. Request a copy of the assessment report a week after your assessment then you can if need be prepare an MR if needed but this can only be requested once the official award notification letter has arrived.
Oh believe me I submitted all the info they needed and I had fully researched everything. As a member of the Benefits & Work website, I’m very aware of how the assessors manipulate your answers. Taking a recording for your own use is the best way to say “ well no this is what I actually said”. The recording came in VERY handy for me with a successful outcome
Being a member of Benefits and Work for 6; years now it has helped me to apply for PIP and when applying for change of circumstances. My last change was for daily living because I use mobility scooters and drive an automatic car the assessor assumed or presumed I could do the daily living descriptors so set my award the same. Having received the assessment report I new what my award would be but I now had 6 to 8 weeks to prepare an MR which I did . I produced a 10 page A4 printed reasons why my assessment was wrongly scored and stating reasons why . My award went from 8 points to 14 with an ongoing award. So always request your assessment report .
Yes Tish1A, yes so much information, I’ve downloaded the information packs in pdf format into iPad books got a Wealth of information update when new information comes available. I do a lot of pdf saving references my own disability MS or any subject matter for future reference.
So can I ask if u apply for pip what needs to be your score I did one on line but it said I didn't pass? Do they judge u if u have to work and drive which I have no choice with having a mortgage x
Good morning, the best self test is the benefits and works site it’s only a guide but if your being totally honest with your answers then you should get an honest opinion of your eligibility to claim PIP. You need 8 points for the lower rate and 12 for the enhanced benefit. There are lots of information about claiming PIP the descriptors ect just google your question the government site is very informative.
I had exactly same experience but face to face, I used to get advanced care, and standerd mobility, as a result of the assessment I now only get basic living. It doesn't mean though your result will be the same. I felt she didn't like me, asked me same questions but rephrased them, almost like she was trying to catch me out. It was 90 minutes l8ng, I was drained, on edge and tearful afterwards . I keep my fingers crossed for your result. I'm not sure about rules for recording though xxx
Sorry it was such an awful experience for you. Make sure you contact DWP for a copy of the report. I did and there was a lot of information that was not about me or my condition. It said I had a son which I don't and panic attacks which I don't have. A bath seat which i also don't have. I was not successful in my claim. I spoke to DWP and they forwarded a complaint to the assessment company who gave all my papers to an independent medical advisor who stated that the report should never have been sent to the DWP. They contacted the DWP and I was then awarded both daily living and mobility. Its a good idea to keep all reports for future reviews.
A 1.5 hour interrogation for someone with Fibro seems very unfair. I’m brain fogged, anxious and fatigued if I have to concentrate for more than 20 minutes or so, and that’s just reading or filling out a form.
Yeah I understand. I asked in advance permission to record call even tho I didn't it stopped them fromlying which they do and it's well published.I had a long call I had my son listening and helping me answer as had call on loud speaker. I have fog he helped. Stupid questions were,
Mine to asked what I tend to read magazines or books. Well I don't read at all cos can't concentrate.
They are reading from a script so don't take it too personal .
Good luck in your claim it's not easy but if it was all unnecessary insundry will be claiming. Making it harder for disabled people.
Hi. I would have thought they record there calls as most companies do for their benefit as well as yours. Best to wait and see what the outcome is from your call
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Had my pip assessment today...
The pip assessment 
Pip telephone assessment 
Pip assessment
