Pip assessors

[Ghostfacekjlla]

What have people's experience been with pip assessors when having their assessments? Have they been nice or quite abrupt/efficient? Is one agency they use better than the other?

I'm attending one soon so wanted a heads up

Mine was on the phone, it was Capita iirc. They were nice as pie until they found I work 8 hours (all I can physically manage) a week, then they changed in a heartbeat to being really short and abrupt & unsympathetic.
The report was then full of lies an inaccuracies. The report after mandatory reconsideration just restated the lies. I don’t have the energy to fight.

Good luck with yours, I hope you get someone nice.

I'm sorry that happened. Was yours recorded?

My husbands assesors were kind, fair and listened to everything he said. There were two as one was a new staff member who was a qualified paramedic, and the other his supervisor.
On another occasion we had a very aloof and serious doctor. He listened and produced a very fair report. On our last two renewals my husband didn't have any interviews or phone calls as they accepted everything on our forms and made the award.
He was awarded high rate care and lower rate mobility. To be fair we've never had any problems applying for, or renewing his pip claims. I don't know if we've just been lucky as many people seem to have a difficult time with it.

Lovely to my face. Then lied on paper.

How so? Was yours recorded?

I’ve just had my renewal. The first assessor was lovely but didn’t submit a detailed report so I had to be assessed again. The second assessor was fine but wasn’t a natural and rather than it feeling like a conversation, which is usually does, she kept repeating a few stock questions.

My renewal was successful.

Lied a lot, made it clear she thought my consultant and GP were liars. Couldn't get her lies straight

When did you submit your renewal paperwork and how long was it between submission and assessment?

Mine wasn't recorded but the paper copy I got had written on it that she didn't think I had the conditions that several specialist consultants had diagnosed me with.

Was yours recorded?

It's really scary reading this as a common thing, the lying

Wtf?

I'm hoping the recorded ones they can't lie on surely

Mine was quite new I think, she said it was the first time anyone had asked for her to record their assessment. A few things were a bit off - she asked me if I could work out how much change I was due in a shop and I said I wasn't sure, she gave me an example and I tried to work it out but couldn't, then she laughed at me and said "no I'm not asking you to work it out" which confused me even more and she laughed even more 😵‍💫 but in general she was fine.

The ESA people were much more sympathetic, I felt drained and emotionally raw after my PIP call whereas the ESA call was very understanding and kind. I was awarded enhanced for both sections of PIP.

My first one was awful, the report was completely inaccurate, I appealed and then went to MR and was then awarded PIP. At my recent review, the assessor was lovely, she knew and understood my condition, which is a really rare condition and the report was really accurate.

Exactly the same situation here @ShameOnYouAndYourLargeTrotters. The lies they told were shocking. I thought they just have mixed up my paperwork with someone else’s. I’m waiting for the outcome of the mandatory reconsideration but I know it won’t be positive. I don’t think I have the energy to drag myself through an appeal after that.

I was terrified of my pip assessment due to horror stories I'd read online. But my assessors was fine. He literally just went through the things I'd put on my application. Asked me a few questions about looking after myself. Asked if I drive. Do I have any hobbies. What aids I have in my home. I was worried as it was on the phone and all done in 15 mins. I was successful in my claim. I did provide a lot if evidence so I wonder if that helped.

I'm hoping that my review next year is as positive as the last .

My assessment took an hour and an half, I had to ask for a break at one point as it went on for so long, and my claim was rejected. My DC’s assessment, on the other hand (for the same condition, v similar paperwork/ medical evidence) took literally 5 minutes and they were awarded full daily living & enhanced mobility (I did all their paperwork and am their appointee so the interview was with me as well). It really is down to the individual interviewer/assessor. It’s not objective at all.

Nailed it

I was lucky, mine was brilliant, first time applying, expected to get nothing but everything was accurate

My dds assessor was alright. Not nice but not horrible either just quite matter of fact. My dd got enhanced on both

Mine was changed to assessment without interview after they said it wouldn't be possible to record as previously arranged because "their tape recorder was broken".

I only found out because I called to check the day before, they had fully intended allowing me to pay for a taxi (to take me 25 miles to the nearest assessment centre accessible to those incapable of managing a flight of stairs in the event of a fire) and then tell me once I'd got there that the recorder wasn't working.

I said be happy to reschedule once the recorder was working again, they said not to bother, they'd judge me on the paperwork. Then they gave me zero points. The mandatory reconsideration also gave zero points, but the tribunal took 15 minutes (and some unexpectedly cunning questioning) to give me 11 points, just one point short of the full care requirement, which meant I was awarded medium rate care, and given the 18 months of back pay for while they fought my claim as a lump sum.

I'd advise anyone getting turned down for their initial assessment not to expect a fair mandatory reconsideration (mine was just a rubber stamp of the initial decision) and to wait for the tribunal decision before giving up. It's a horrible form of psychological torture inflicted on those least able to defend themselves, and the DWP know exactly what they are doing, and that a large number of the most vulnerable just aren't able to put themselves through the stress of a tribunal.

My ds had phone consult for initial assessment.

Renewal wasn't done in time and extended for a year minimum.

3 months later we've just had a letter saying renewed for another 3 years from now .

His assessment was quite comfortable and chatty. There's a few questions asked which I think are designed to prove someone's disability can't be as it is (for example what floor we live on and if there's a lift) but as long as you manage to address these things in the assessment it wasn't an issue ime.

Were those whose report had lies in it ones who were also recorded?

I attended with a family member a few years ago. The assessor was like a wolf in sheep's clothing. She made us feel at ease to start with, then became more officious as the interview progressed. She quite aggressively shoved a box of tissues across the table with a not very discreet eye roll when my cousin became upset. And, like pp's have mentioned, there were outright lies on the report. We submitted all the areas of 'error' (or rather porky pies) for mandatory reconsideration and cousin had low mobility payment reinstated and care changed to high without the need for a tribunal.

I wonder if any claimants make a complaint about assessors outright lies, or attitude towards them at assessment. I would not be surprised if people are scared of any comeback, especially if they are still going through the PIP process.

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