PIP Assessors

[MotherEarthisaTerf]

I had a pip assessment a couple of weeks ago. I felt as comfortable as one can going into our video meeting. I’m able to articulate well enough, I was happy that I was going to be honest and I didn’t need to work too hard to convince anyone I have significant difficulties with mental or physical health. They are evident throughout my medical history.

There is no way anyone could have sat through that interview and thought I was a bullshitter, that I don’t need assistance in life. I was scored 2 points.

How does anyone go to medical school for years, spend all that underpaid time and commitment in the NHS to then go on to metaphorically piss in the faces of vulnerable claimants?

At best I hope my assessor considered that I might have better support to push it through to appeal, and let me ‘lose’ so someone else could win. But in the dark hours I won’t think that.

What a fucking grim system we’ve created, stripping out the humanity in everyone. Forcing sick, diseased, disabled people to beg. Forcing hard working staff to lie and hold people to an unachievable threshold.

what the fuck are we doing to people?

Your assessment is highly unlikely to have been done by a qualified doctor, or even nurse. Those people are recruited from all kinds of unqualified walks of life with specific training just for PIP assessments. The whole process is vastly skewed towards disability denial. I am sorry you are going through this.

If you don't emphasise how your day to day life is affected and recount your worse days than you will get nowhere.

Yes, its hard to be so negative and it's soul crushing but they need to know about your worse days to get a picture on how your condition affects your daily tasks (washing, eating, socialising, travel etc) and mobility.

Not everyone with the same condition will be affected the same, so if you feel it prevents you from living normally and you need additional support to help you afford the affects of being disabled then they need to understand why.

It's a horrible process with very low fraud rate, so I understand why you are annoyed. Please appeal, there are a few charities that help with these applications.

Sadly, you'll just have to appeal. I think the govt hopes to keep numbers down with how many people can't face appealing.

Very, very few PIP assessors are medical doctors. The vast majority are nurses, physios, occupational therapists (OTs) and paramedics.

I have an OT attached to my care needs who works for the council and she told me when we were chatting that she did not train first as a nurse and has no medical background. Her qualification is solely in occupational therapy. Yet she could become a PIP assessor.

I do not know why some assessors make the decisions that they do. My first PIP assessment completely failed to take into account a rather major sensory impairment of mine that was there in black and white in front of them.

Please try to find the energy for a Mandatory Reassessment and Tribunal. The success rates at Tribunal are high and the awards are backdated.

And don't try to reason it out; and don't please take it personally (difficult, I know). I treated it like a work project and focused on matching evidence to descriptors as per the regulations, reading websites like 'Benefits & Work'. You have to spoon-feed it to them.

It was done by a nurse.

“If you don't emphasise how your day to day life is affected and recount your worse days than you will get nowhere.”

I did. Repeatedly.

“Please try to find the energy for a Mandatory Reassessment and Tribunal. The success rates at Tribunal are high and the awards are backdated.”

I will try my best!

Do a mandatory consideration and join fightback for justice and our benefits for work. You have to be explicit in each difficulty. It's horrid but you probably were to matter of fact. It's like competency interviews it doesn't matter how competent you are if you don't say event to tick the box in the interview you won't get the job. Assume they haven't read your paperwork. Send every doctors letter etc you have they won't try very hard to get them you have to supply all the evidence.

I considered applying for a PIP assessor role since I am dual-qualified and have experience in both general and mental health nursing.

However, after looking at reviews from people who have done the job there seems to be a lot of dissatisfaction in the role.

Many of the complaints are regarding the unrealistic targets, which you have to meet, in addition to the fact that submitted assessments are often overruled by the 'powers that be' and you are asked to change things, which you may not agree with.

Hence I decided against the idea. No way am I going to do a role where my clinical judgment is going to be ignored.

PIP assessors outright lie in my experience (with a witness too)

My PIP is due for renewal next year (I had a lifetime DLA award...)
My 2 Autistic young adults are due too.
None of us will 'get better'. It's all a massive waste of money by a Govt that hopes you give up / die before going to Tribunal. Best of luck with your fight.

We are gearing up for a mandatory reassessment / Tribunal for my adult DD.
Following an accident she can't walk without 2 sticks and even then only a short distance and then needs to rest for an hour.
Apparently though she doesn't qualify for the mobility part of PIP as assessed by someone over the phone.

Did they assess her as being able to fly?

The assessor and decision maker are not the same person. The assessor sends their report to the DWP. A decision maker then reviews the assessment report along with your medical evidence and PIP2 form before making a decision. Obviously they base much of it on the report, and when many of the reports are completely inaccurate, it does not surprise me at all to read @9outof10cats comment that assessors are often told to change the reports.

I expect the assessors themselves are not terrible people but the system is.

Definitely put in a mandatory reconsideration request. Most are rejected, unfortunately, but you can then appeal. If it gets to that point I strongly advise you to contact your local citizens advice or benefits advice service to get help with it from a specialist. Sometimes the DWP award PIP after you've lodged the appeal but before it actually gets to tribunal. Presumably because they know that they're turning down people who are eligible, and I'm sure they just rely on many people not having the motivation or ability to take it that far.

My yd has just had her phone assessment and the assessor seemed nice. But we have been there before in a face to face who appeared nice, sympathetic and on her side who then lied in the form they sent to the determiner.

If you don't have the energy to appeal yourself @MotherEarthisaTerf I haven't used them myself but there is a group called Fightback who are on Facebook but also have a website, who help and seem to get most people's determinations overturned and usually raised if they can be.
I appealed my yds decision a few PIPS ago as they took everything away and got it back plus low rate mobility added. Fury helped me but if your disability causes fatigue, no amount of fury will help.

I had a PIP assessment last week with a nurse……she seemed absolutely lovely and sympathetic but I’m under no illusion that it will stand for anything.

We spoke a lot about my disability and how my day to day life is affected but I don’t expect to be awarded anything based on all the stories I hear from other people who applied but got rejected.

I’m really sorry you had this outcome OP and if you do appeal I hope it leads to the right result.

“The assessor and decision maker are not the same person. The assessor sends their report to the DWP. A decision maker then reviews the assessment report along with your medical evidence and PIP2 form before making a decision.”

I did consider the decision maker as the anonymous meanie, which I sort of understand as a system. There is some merit in that set up. I received no points from DM which I was expecting, but rang to get a copy of my report from the Assessor. It’s this that disappointed me. I don’t recognise myself in her assessment. I had assumed DM had overwritten points and considerations - I understand that their job is to gatekeep. It’s the assessors report that’s thrown me today.

fortunately I’ve years of evidence and back up after a total nervous breakdown - I’ve been referred to all sorts of support. I’ll get PIP, just think it’s fucking ridiculous to go through this inhumane process. It’s unnecessary.

it’s designed to ensure only the cruel and detached get to work in there, which means it continues to be a poison.

I agree that it's inhumane and unnecessary

I was awarded 0 points for pip on both assessment and mandatory reconsideration
had to take it to tribunal, someone had to attend the virtual hearing with me cos I no understand most things

the court awarded both care AND mobility which actually surprise me and backdated nearly 2 years

DWP are horrible to peoples like me I no understand why

My pip assessor was a former paramedic. I have a neurological condition that he had never heard of. The assessment was supposed to be around an hour yet mine was done in ten mins. I did get awarded but I was pretty amazed as I wasn't asked much. I did send in a LOT of medical evidence from neurologist, physio etc though. Feels like pot luck. How can someone understand the effect of an illness you have that they know nothing about.

Just going through tribunal with my Dad, the report from the assessor recorded that he is able to walk 50m with ease. Which is BS and not what was said in the assessment at all because I was there. Poor man can barely make it 10m due to a well documented nearly fatal RTA. I firmly believe that the only reason it has got all the way to a tribunal is because I was previously a health professional who has the confidence and language to challenge all this - there is no way it should be like that, it creates a two tier system where those with enough education and family support can challenge the DWP, otherwise you're fucked.

I'm waiting for mine. I have fought previously and got no where, gone to tribunal twice and wasn't awarded. Each time been 2 points off getting it. They have had my forms this time since mid November so I'm expecting to hear February time for my assessment

they are rarely medical professionals these days they used to be decades ago. anyway I have had the same disability since birth I've had to fight and go to tribunals for benefits last 1 was the mobility component of PIP because I put I was able to follow timetables and organise a taxi. its an absolute disgrace and it's just getting worse and worse . they don't want disabled people to live with dignity they don't think we deserve it !

Please ask for a mandatory reconsideration. If this fails go for a tribunal. I had to do this and I was successful.......the citizens advice bureau were fantastic in helping me with this necessary paperwork. Good luck!!

they are box ticking doesn't matter if it was a nurse. they don't decide they do the box ticking training!

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk has a wealth of information about how to fight back and win your MR or appeal. Your l9cal council may have a welfare rights department who will help too. Many of us understand exactly what it's like, including tribunal judges!