pip assessor lies

[1littleduck]

Hi all.
I have read a lot of your posts regarding lies made by the pip assessors and I am joining your club.
My rejection letter was received on Friday and is a total fabrication to which I am going to fight all the way.
I had an assessor pointing, shouting and threatening me because I had a panic attack. They stated that I demonstrated good power and movement in my legs when I spent the whole duration of the assessment sitting with my feet up on the couch.
Could I make a suggestion. Is anyone familiar with starting a campaign and raising signatures for the government to make a new law stating that 'if an Employed assessor provides deliberate false and misleading information relating to any part of an assessment they can be personally sued for liable whether or not they are working on behalf of any company employed to carry out the task. If the company responsible for supplying the information requested deliberately alters the report, then the officer making the alterations should be named and is therefore also guilty of a criminal act and can be sued as an individual'
I am sure this, providing false documentation, is a criminal act but not clear weather an individual can be sued for it, but saying that, If we manage to get such a law passed through parliament then the days of the sheer fabrication, dishonest reporting and dam right lies of the PIP reports would be a thing of the past.

I know we will need 10,000 signatures for this to be debated in parliament and would think we could well exceed this if we tried.

They should be called to account but who is going to do that? Dsis doesn't have the strength or energy to complain and I think they bank on that tbh. I don't see why there needs to be an assessment if someone has comprehensive medical reports after all the nurse who did dsis's assessment wrote a report at odds with the reports of numerous consultants who have known dsis for many years. Why should their knowledge be considered less worthy than that of a nurse who saw dsis for 45 minutes only once.

Is it possible for these assessments to be videoed? Would the person being assessed be able to request it? Then there wouldn't be any question about what happened.

Reading all these horrific stories I feel so lucky to have been awarded. I didn't have an assessment as I was in hospital for a month for the condition at the time. I'm so sorry that so many of you have been fucked over by the system

Should these assessments not be videoed and recorded?

The DWP insist on only the type of tape recorders the Police use so they and you have an original; at the end of it.
The equipment's hard to get hold of and not cheap and you need to let them know in advance if you want to use it.
It still doesn't record their "observations" of you though.

The DWP are allegedly going to trial a video recording of PIP assessments, but when?

See Benefits and work website, they usually have the latest on these things.

I agree it is all down to luck of the draw ! I help a lot of people to apply for PIP. Some people who I think wont stand any chance of being awarded it end up with enhanced rates and others who I think will have no problem get turned down. Its a crazy system. I think the evidence you send in with the form helps.

My YD is having her second assesment next week and I am dreading it. She is only 19, and has RA, anxiety and panic attacks. How do you prove those last two things?
One small beacon of light though after reading the booklet that came with her appointment. When asked to do the basic movements, you can tell the assessor you can't do them if they will cause any pain.
I've not looked yet, but are there any posts on here which offer help and suggestions for having the assesment done? What to say or not to say? Has anyone ever asked if their assessor is medically trained?

My son will have to go through this shit show next year, he’s autistic with ADHD and requires lots of emotional support.

I will be grilling the assessor about their expertise with autism and taking note of name and profession. If they lie on the report and are a nurse it will go straight to the NMC.

They are supposed to look much more carefullly at mental health these days though. We shall see..

Are all assessors nurses?

My DDad had a similar experience. I can’t remember the exact number but the assessor said she witnessed him walk x amount of metres unaided when the length of his house wouldn’t have even permitted him to demonstrate that!

Some assessors are mental health nurses or general nurses, some are Occupational therapists, Doctors, paramedics etc.

Maybe we could start collecting people's stories and present them to the Prime Minister.

She doesn't give the first fuck about disabled people. Did you not see all the Tories laughing about the UN report on (the lack of) disabled rights in the UK?

My friend's teenage son has autism and a physical disability, she sent in his EHC (?) plan and consultants letters etc and he got both parts without a F2F. My friend with severe MS and osteoporosis also got it from DLA without a F2F, they called her MS nurse she said. Maybe helped the paper work sent in, not sure.

I'm fairly sure my report was about someone else...or just a complete work of fiction, so they stopped mine. I put in a mandatory reconsideration 3 months ago and still waiting to hear, after waiting 6 months for the results of the assessment. I'm fully aware I'll have to go to tribunal and also that I'm one of the lucky ones in that my husband won't actually stop washing or feeding me in the several months gap before there is any chance of it getting resolved. How are people paying carers supposed to manage?!

They did collect people's experiences, here, but it is closed now. They got thousands apparently.

www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/work-and-pensions-committee/pip-esa-assessments-forum-17-19/

Interesting comments on what it's like to be an assessor working for Capita.
www.glassdoor.co.uk/Reviews/Capita-Disability-Assessor-Reviews-EI_IE10883.0,6_KO7,26.htm

Or Atos www.indeed.co.uk/cmp/Independent-Assessment-Services-(formerly-Atos-Healthcare)/reviews?fjobtitle=Disability+Assessor

ATOS have namechanged to IAS, read carefully not all of these reviews are from PIP assessors.
www.indeed.co.uk/cmp/Independent-Assessment-Services-(formerly-Atos-Healthcare)/reviews?

Want to be an assessor for PIP?
www.capitapipjobs.co.uk/what-youll-be-doing/
www.indeed.co.uk/Pip-Clinical-Assessor-jobs

"Inevitably, PIP appeals are upheld due to the tribunal’s rejection of the evidence of the Atos or Capita Health Care Professional’s report." more here
www.disabilityrightsuk.org/news/2018/august/95-atos-and-capita-pip-medical-assessment-reports-unquestioned-dwp

@Cleo18 - did you report the claimant who lit up a cigarette and walked away?

@Orangeblossom1976

Any ideas where there's a copy of that report or is it still pending?

"Chair of the work and pensions committee Frank Field said: “We’ve never had so many submissions from people that haven’t been organised so we’ve had over three thousand people
“I don’t think any select committee has had more voters, ordinary people writing in wanting to be part of the inquiry.
We’re massively grateful because what they can’t see but we can see is there are common patterns of how they are all treated

More here, although as a disability site why they don't have a clearer typeface is puzzling.
www.accessable.co.uk/articles/9-shocking-errors-made-in-assessments-for-pip-and-esa-by-capita-atos-and-maximus

I wonder if it will improve any in Scotland, they are meant to be not using these assessment companies anymore. Will be good to see if it gets any better.

Yes, think the report and response is accessed from this page. www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/work-and-pensions-committee/inquiries/parliament-2017/pip-esa-assessments-17-19/

and here for the link about the claimant experiences
publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmworpen/355/355.pdf

Thanks for those Orangeblossom they make an interesting and informative read.
At least there's recognition of how the system fails.

you can take someone with you but the rules on recording the assessment are designed to make it impossible
AFAIK you have to use a non digital method capable of making 2 simultaneous recordings, ie a twin deck cassette recorder

You can use two separate tape recorders, I did it in October.
www.youreable.com/forums/showthread.php?16419-PIP-assessment-recording-problem

You can also ask the Health Professional to see what they’re writing in their report.
www.mypipassessment.co.uk/your-assessment/at-your-pip-consultation/#where-it-will-take-place-1527

I would recommend www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/

Know your rights and make that politely but firmly clear.

(You can also bring someone along who makes their own written notes.)

So dwp spend a fortune on third party assessments.
Mandatory reconsiderations and appeals are high
Decisions go against dwp in majority of cases.
MR and appeals cost a fortune.
Each lost appeal should result in a deduction of payments due to third party.l
Who is in charge of their service level agreement? The system is costing them a fortune!
The system is failing. Too many people with anxiety and depression cannot go through the appeals process and disappear from stats..
Being able to drive is held against you.appeals
The stories are real and Ms Rudd needs to go and see what is happening first hand.

NonExistentFox If you do take someone with you to take notes, what should they be concentrating on the most, do you think? I don't think there would be time to note everything unless it was someone who could use shorthand. Would it be worthwhile paying for a private secretary or something? (so worried, I have assessment coming up)