I have my PIP Assessment tomorrow, it was supposed to be at 8.45am but due to sickness on the assessment teams behalf, they have now changed it to 2.45pm tomorrow. I have spent all day trying to prepare as I applied in 2016 & after an appeal this was denied. I have been back through all my documentation dating back to 2009 which is as far back as I can find from my DLA. I was initially put on DLA after a road traffic accident in 2003 when I was a pedestrian crossing the road and hit by a car resulting in a multitude of injuries, including fractured skull. To look at me I walk & talk fine and outwardly there are no symptoms that anything is wrong so I would welcome any help or advice from anyone who has any information that may help. My Husband is going to accompany me when I go for this assessment as he has lived through all this with me, he was even with me the night the car hit me whilst crossing the road. He feels the benefit should never have been taken away from me as he sees me on a daily basis and knows this has caused me problems. If anyone can give me any tips that would help I would be really grateful.
PIP Assessment : I have my PIP Assessment tomorrow... - Headway
PIP Assessment
Just be sure to emphasise your difficulties based on your worst days ; these people don't grasp the complexities of brain injury, its unpredictable effects and the fatigue.
I recall how my 'well groomed' appearance (their words...…& reference to make up and nail varnish !) went against me in an assessment and the fact that I could perform simple tasks at that particular time.
Good luck Denny. x
Hi Cat,
I have my PIP assessment on Friday.
With the leaflet included, they make it sound like there is nothing to worry about at all.
They say they PROMISE to be compassionate and respectful towards me and that the health assessors are either trained nurses, OTs or support workers or whatever.
But I have read a lot of cases were hundreds, if not thousands, of people have been denied their benefits.
So, are the PIP assessors talking a load of boswollox... deceitful tricksters, just like Satan. Or have the PIP really changed their tune?
These leaflets make it all sound fine don't they but it doesn't stop you worrying. I think it's sad that we have to justify the whole brain injury thing. I have asked that when I have my assessment by someone who understands Brain Injury so I hope this happens and I'll let you know how it actually goes. I can't see me finding out the decision for a few days time after the assessment but at least I can let people know how I am treated.
I doubt that in this Tory regime anything which helps the sick or the underdog will have improved. More likely they've dressed up the 'wolves' in sheep's clothing and reworded the correspondence to fit the deceit.
Hope you get on OK though on Friday Matt ; let us know how it went won't you...……. Cat x
Will keep you posted cat.
I saw my bro yesterday and I told him to wish me luck for Friday.
He was saying something like, cos the assessment was near the begining of the month I might be in good luck. I forgot the reason why or more so, didn’t hear or understand the reason why. See, proof of brain injury again :).
But I was thinking that what if I have the assessment now and they let me know by letter that I had been denied right before christmas. What a darling present that would be :|.
See that is another thing that gets up my goat. When you write these forms out andsend them off, it takes weeks and weeks or even months for them to answer and once the assessment is done then they could give an answer right away.
I’m not too worried about the outcome though, I have had people, including my mum, say that it is obvious that I am not fit for work, I have proof from my GP saying so and plus also I have the support of my Headway too :).
As for the ‘wolves in sheeps clothing’ thing. You couldn’t be more right. Or as I say “DWP actually means Devil Wears Prada” ;).
I think they have targets to reach. Stupid questions from people who treat you as stupid . Make you feel you are stealing from them. Talk to you as if they totally understand your problems when the assessors don’t even lift their head from the computer. If you can lift an empty box from one place to another that’s you fit , if you can open a door , your fit . Terrible way to treat people who are genuinely ill but then there must be lots of people who know how to work the system . Sad times
Shona
Very sad times indeed Shona.
As you said “they don’t even lift their heads from a computer”... and that is where they might want to visit the Headway website and understand brain injury a lot more.
As I said before in another post, I had a phone call once, I think it was from the DWP or another department for the DWP. Anyhow, PIP, DLA, ESA and so on and so on, their all in the same bed, and the bed is marked ‘inconciderate bastards’.
Anyway, getting back to this phone call, they asked me questions and told me my answers would not affect my benefits. He asked me if my disability fluctuates, which obviously it does. This is something I will have to mention again during the assessment.
They’ll most probably ask me to do the bending over test and it has to be said then because some days I might be able to bend over without no problems and other days it might feel like my brain had been replaced with a house brick. I could bend over and the weight would pull me forward.
Thanks Cat, I am usually well groomed as I care about how I look but today it's a no make up, jeans & trainers day. Can't believe i have even been worrying about what handbag to use as on a daily basis my handbags are designer 1's Westwood, Lagefield etc and would they notice stuff like that but think I have got myself so paranoid about this. Anyway only a short time to go and it'll be over xxx
Try turning up with your belongings in a Tesco bag m'love !
Just a pity we can't be ourselves instead of having to resort to making a physical statement of deprivation. Decent clothing has no bearing whatsoever on our health issues but they seem to think it's a factor.
You'll be on your way soon ; hope it's a fair result. Let us know the outcome. x
PS love the photo !
I've started doing a Fashion Blogg - fashionalwaysmylifestyle.blogspot.com, do like my clothes 
but not posted this week as I've been decorating and had all this playing on my mind. Can't wait to get me back xx
you need to go as if you havent washed for days and look really unkept.
The thing with PIP it isn't so much the symptoms, it more about how it affects you doing things and how much help you need to do things so everything has to be in context.
If you mention things like "I have memory problems" by itself it means not a lot. If you say "I have memory problems and forget about a bill when it arrives, this means I get into financial trouble" or "I have memory problems and if I boil a kettle and walk away I forget about it. So I have to stand there and wait for the kettle which is quite painful because of ...."
Hope it goes well and you get the correct decisions
I get that I haven't submitted my gas/electric readings in months, last year I went the entire year with out submitted it (due to medication breakdown) and they sent a engineer out to take the reading and to see if anyone was living at the property, I also have to leave the kitchen light on to remind myself my oven is on and I have spend so many times forgetting that I was in the process of making tea and had to reboil the kettle or I ran out of supplies
Well went for the assessment, took my husband which I think was my biggest mistake as minute we came out of the place all I got was why did you tell them you could walk places ?? You said you could do stuff that you shouldn't have, almighty row. what he did not take into account was that I'd pre done the assessment and saw the places I would get points so made sure these were the bits I made big deal about, you know like incontinence, not being able to make food, manage money. I will not lie about my walking I worked hard to be able to walk again and I am proud of this. Now in the lap of the DWP
Hope it's a good outcome Denny...………. xx
I’m still in the process of learning to walk again and deal with the other symptoms. Thankfully ,,I turned 65 today so the pip can be a thing of my past —enough to worry about. H
Hopefully you will pass the assessment. Fingers crossed 🤞🏼
Shona 🤗🏴
Well Many Happy Returns Shona 🥳🎂
Here’s a thought.
If Britain is swarming with CCTV cameras and everyone is monitored while out and about then the DWP would surely know/see that some people have problems with their balance.
But then again though, I just don’t think they really care that they cut benefits from people who clearly need them.
It’s all about money these days, it’s pretty sick really.
Made sure my husband went to get the car to collect me from outside the building rather than walk to the car, not giving them anything more than I already have. So annoying, I worked hard to learn to walk again after the bones in my leg were shattered ( got some fab scarring) which was not easy when I at the time was a 40 year old with a lot of other injuries including the bleed on my Brain. I remember last time when I got penalised as I was observed walking 100 yards from my car to the assessment. Surely as medics they should be encouraging people to keep active ??? the lady that did my assessment said she was a Pilates instructor as I told them I do Pilates to keep fit so that's probably something else that will go against me. I should just sit on my ass, become overweight and moan than maybe I would be considered disabled rather than looking after myself.
Well I've had a text saying the DWP has received a written report of my assessment so it's a waiting game now. As a guide I should hear from them within 6 weeks. So that's all over Christmas :-(, at least I'll have that to take my mind off wondering if I told them is what they needed to hear ? or yet again I am considered too capable to be considered worthy of PIP and my Brain Injury that is never going to go away satisfies the pen pushers as a form of Disability ??????
Not what you're looking for?
You may also like...
PIP assessment
PIP assessment
PIP Assessment
PIP assessment
PIP Assessment
Initial PIP assessment 
PIP Assessment not fit for purpose?
Petition to Investigate ATOS PIP Assessments
HELP! PIP assessment appeal advice greatly appreciated
