Im a PIP assessor - AMA

[pipfs]

Im a regstered nurse and have worked for PIP for a few years. I work in this role due to my personal health, i could not longer stand for 12 hours to do ward based work, i could no longer travel for the requirements of community. The jobs market when my health took a turn for nursing was limited, i had my own family to support, my options were very limited.

I do not do assessment via phone or in a clinic. That is not my role. I check claims as they come in, and will send to phone, clinic, or both where appropriate. If they are not suitable for asssessment, i will try everything i can to avoid an assessment, try to gather the evidence from health care providers, schools, social care, support contacts, appointees etc, and i write them as what is know as a paper based report. Some do end up having to go to assessment despite my efforts.

95% of claim reports i write, get awarded. Over 2/3 of reports i write get an enhanced/enhanced award. Half of the reports that i write are for 16 year old transitioning from DLA to PIP. Followed by cancers on active treatments, significant mental health, following a stroke, condition or incident where they are fully reliant on other people for their care, and cases where an attempted assessment has failed. But the transitioning cases build up the majority of my case load on an avergae week

I fully understand the frustrations and limitations of the system, i fully underand the stigma that comes from being an assessor, and how these reports can at times, be written. However the area of pip i work in is very claimant centered due to the nature of the cases we write, and i spend hours ensuring that these people, the people who cannot attend an assessment because of their health restrictions, get the support they require. It is a rewarding role.

So if anyone has any questions regarding the transistioning process, or in general, i am happy to answer where i can.

I have been receiving DLA for many years - it was granted as ‘indefinite’. I know at some point it will transfer to PIP but will I be reassessed at that point or will it be a admin swap? Thank you

As a SENCo I have been asked to complete many DLA applications by parents. I try to be as comprehensive about the child’s difficulties as I see them in school. However, lots of parents will ask me to include anecdotal evidence, ie what they have told me their child struggles with at home. I’ve always used the phrase ‘parents have informed me that …’ before writing what they’ve told me about.
In one of your responses above you mention about professionals noting what a person with diabetes may experience. How do you decide if the evidence presented by professionals in 1st or 2nd hand? As another PP noted, in the case of, say anxiety, how does a professional really know what a patient is experiencing without just relying on what the patient tells them?

Its really hard to say. Some DWP CM's will automatically transition, some will send to a HCP, it depends on what is written in your DLA reports. If there an appointee it should be attempted as a paper based, if not it all depends on the eveidence submitted as to whether that assessment is appropriate. Writing a paperbased isnt down to the evidence provided, its down to ability to manage assessment initially, then if we cant get evidence, assessment is considered.

Thanks for replying. My restrictions are the same now as they were when I first applied, and I have no new evidence because there’s no treatment or cure for the conditions I have, they are chronic. I get help with symptom management (physio for my joint stability) and even though both my conditions are degenerative I’m reluctant to say I’m worse than I was 3 years ago because I am worried if I get completely reassessed they will find a reason to refuse me again.

I’ve sent my review form back with all the evidence I gave for my initial applications, plus the written report from the tribunal that awarded me standard rate.

Incidentantally every assessor I’ve ever encountered, either on the phone or face to face, has oozed sympathy and concern, “oh bless you” and “gosh that sounds so hard” “I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this” and then denied my claim, often justifying it by misrepresenting the information I gave them. I will always record assessments from now on as I’ve had so many lies told about me by assessors. It’s horrific.

A professional writing that they have been told something can support in the sense that the claimant has shared this information with a professional, not just us. They are consistently telling people the same thing over a long period of time. Its not a confirmation. so in our report we would write, evidence suggests this is likely, evidence indicates this is likley, as its consistent. The professional saying, i assessed this and found that is much stronger. Then we would say evidence supports, evidence confirms. evidence reports etc The second holds more weight. But if the evidence lacks the latter, the first is enough to justify as long as it is clinically reasonable with any conditions they are reporting. So if there is evidence of adhd, parent reports easily distracted, unsafe around hot objects so they cannot cook alone, a teacher or sen support worker, writes, parents hae informed us he is unsafe in the kitchen at home due to getting distracted and there s arisk of harm or fire safety. He displays distraction in the classroom. Its all consistent.

What in general is the present time frame for DLA to PIP transition? ie from sending off the form to when a decision is made and the benefit is stopped or moved to PIP? Thanks.

Thats still new evidence. The physio writing a letter of input now, your mobility, tthat fact is degeneritive and unlikely to imporove is really strong evidece - stronger than a diagnosis from a consultant a number of years ago. The evidence of condition is less important than the evidence of restriction.

I again wish could counter what you say about assessors, i dont know what its likle to work in field. We are actively, openly encouraged if we are between 2 descriptors, to score up in the land or paper based, i feel that is not the case in field, but i cant say for certain as i have never done that role.

It can be worth requesting a paper based. Its not a guarentee, but if you have anyone in your circle, who can state that it is in your best interest to avoid assessment, and given reasonable restrictions why an assessment would or could be detrimental to your mental and/or phsyical health, that you wish to have a paper bassed assesment instead, that will be acknowledged and considered, but it cannot be promised.

The system is bizarre. I can have one claim where the forms were submitted in September, then the next the forms were submitted 3 days ago. Theres no logic, rhyme, or reason at all. Its baffling. I wish i could answer this, sorry. How cases are added to the queue is equally confusing to us.

I’ve been mostly bedbound since getting covid in 2021, the PIP form has to be completed within a month of initial sign up and I don’t have the capacity/energy to fill it out within the timeframe.

I tried ringing to ask for an extension but was on hold for hours and didn’t have the energy to stay on the phone any longer. Is there a different method to do the form/way to get an extension that is suitable for those with energy limitations?

I’ve now got someone who can write it for me as that was an issue but dictating the information for the form takes a lot of energy that I just don’t have.

Thank you - when it happens I have to stop everything I’m doing, there’s no way I could shower or walk - any form of exercise (no matter how gentle) would cause my blood sugar to drop even lower. I have hard evidence of the hypos from my libre app which feeds my blood sugars back to a graph so it’s all evidenced. Would they want to see the graph?

If your originally claim was withdrawn, you can recomplete, and reapply. It wont have any affect on your claim moving forward. The forms are so difficult, and gathering the evidence, the 4 week tim period can be really restricting. If you have someone to help you now, try and get as much together before you get the forms, and then call back and ask for them to be resent out. Explain that previously due to your conditions you were unable to complete them in time. that will then be documented and visable going forward.

As far as a diifferent way, no i dont think that there is. All the initially processes etc go via the DWP, and how they run isnt something i have any access too. The best advice i can offer to anyone in a similar situation though would be gather evidence prior to requesting the froms, and have a look online for an example form, so you can have a plan ready for when they arrive. You can also, complete the form as a words ducument, print it out, write on the form "see attached" and not hand write it. That method is very common and often much easier for people.

The evidence of hypos will help, but thats showing that they occur, not what happens when they do occur if that makes sense? So the additional supporting letter stating exactly what happens in these hypos is where the weight will be. But sending in the evidence of them happening i will definitely help too.

All the ones I've had have been really nice and kind. If you're anything like them thank you! It's extremely anxiety inducing and upsetting doing the interview anyway and if the assessor was brusque, unsympathetic sounding, rude etc I think it would be really terrifying tbh.

I support someone with ME and find the DWP seem to think if you aren't having regular contact with professionals or on medication you're fine. But lots of conditions that require pip don't get regular treatment because they're simply isn't any available, or medication of any kind.

why do people get asked questions like 'can you walk from the car to the shop?' What does this tell you? It could be a 5metres or 50 metres, they don't ask the distance! 'Can you walk round the shop?' Again how is this helpful? My local co op is two aisles and probably 50 metres to get round the whole shop, it's not really the same as a full supermarket shop in the local Tesco extra. I also find assessors tend to ignore the part about whether things can be done repeatedly. If you say you can manage something once it's assumed you can do it all the time and as often as needed. I've found they haven't considered whether things can be done repeatedly at all in the latest assessment.

My husband has been receiving PIP for many years due to severe depression and anxiety. I had to support him and help him to stay alive essentially.

After a lot of hard work he is a lot better. He did a training course 1 day a week and now works freelance, he does 2 short days per week. This is all he's able to do, at first it was really difficult even that. This works because it's flexible and being self employed if he has a bad day he can rearrange his clients. He's working really hard and the goal is to work even more in future.

However he is due reassessment soon. I'm terrified that they'll see him working part time and deem him fit to work and remove all benefits. Just because he can do this really flexible, part time, self employed work that he's in control of in no way means he can go out and get a full time job. Especially since he's in his 30s with very little employment history and no degree (he had to drop out as wanted to commit Suicid), he would struggle to get a job even if he felt capable!

Can we do anything to explain this in the assessment? He is genuinely working so hard and really at his max capacity at the moment.

I agree, the questioning is often misleading. And its not how i was tarined in my role. I was trained to hone in on those areas. So the line of questioning i would take would be if a car was parked on the drive could you safely walk to the car? If you forgot an item would you able able to walk back inside to get it immediately. In my role its more liley im talking to a family member than the claimant, and it would be more down the route of if you are talking them to an appointment, do you have to retrieve a chair, do you have to drop them at the doors and then go and park yourself, do they need to sit in the waiting area etc. Could they walk the length of a bus? The questions around shops and supermarkets are frustratingly vague. And yes, timely and repeatedly are not considered as much as they should be. I do fully understand and support that alot of times reports are written and they are not an accuarate picture of how that person actually manages. And wish i had an answer as to why that is. But you are completely right, repeatedly should be considered, and questioning needs to be more specific. Espcially with walking. I try to use bus lengths, going off 1 bus is 10metres, as its something most people can viualise, as judging distances is tough.

Firstly, you dont have to report it.

However, he is not working the majority of days a week, he is unable to work the majority of days. The work is flexible. If you mention the employment, report all of that. But there is no where on the form where it specifically asks you to doucment employment, how many days you work, and how often, its not asked. Obviously, if during an assessment they ask, you cant outright lie, but you re-enforce the fact that he only manages, at most, 2 short days per week, some weeks he does not manage that, he is unable to manage on the majority of days. Asl for an assessment to be recorded so you have that evidence should they use it against him, but it should not impact an award, working people are entiteled to support.

Thank you so much!

Even if you get a face to face clinic apppointment, if you are an appointee, the child does not have to attend.

Interested to read more about this. Do you have a link to this change of blanket policy?

Because that isn’t what is in the PIP assessment guide and a 2024 FOI request from DWP. It isn’t a given that the appointee/other PAB can attend F2F without the claimant. They say the starting point is that the claimant should attend F2F assessments as well as the appointee/other PAB. Then only where the claimant cannot attend because of their condition(s) or impairments, can the F2F assessment go ahead with just the appointee/other PAB present.

If you work does that exclude you from PIP.

My son has ADHD, possibly high functioning autism also. He’s about to transition to high school in September, I’m going to have to ask work to help me out as he wouldn’t be able to get to and from school. He has zero understanding of time, so I’ll need to be available to get him there and back. We don’t get DLA or anything like that but would we be able to get any help?

Its not a change, thats what the policy is telling you. In that post i quoted, the poster said their child cannot speak. There a number of conditions which they didnt disclose as to why a child cant speak, but in almost all cases, it is not going to be in that childs best interests to take them to an assessment, and is more likely to be detrimental to them should they have to go an sit through an hour long assessment listening to a parent list all they ways they struggle and justify it. That is what the policy is telling you. People assume even with an appointee that they have to go, when the facts are, if you as an appointee deem that assessment is going to be detrimental, they dont HAVE to be there.

What is the criteria regarding whether you get a phone of face-to-face assessment? I asked for face-to-face on my third application but they refused due to fall risk, they awarded me PIP on this occasion.

Have done a reviewed claim as condition has progressed, will I need another assessment?

No. You can still get PIP and work. PIP is about how a condition affects you on a day to day basis. I myself work full time and would be entitled to pip, i havent applied, but i could, as i have significant mobility restrictions and evidence to support that. I cannot do my previous role, had to leave for a desk based, home based role. My condition doesnt affect my ability to do this role, but equally being able to do this role does not mean my restrictions cease to exist.

Ah, I read you post as though it applied to all with appointees rather than just for that particular pp. It would be good if it was a blanket policy but it isn’t at the moment which is a shame.