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.

Take someone with you by all means.

Neither you not the note-taker can see what the assessor is typing whilst the assessment is taking place, that's why it's important to ask for a copy of their report, although considering how fast my relative's assessor was typing and how much she typed, Id guess that the final report is just a precis of the typing done at the assessment, but it's that final assessor's report which DWP seem to consider as Absolute Truth, despite any contrary medical evidence you've already submitted.

This is the crux of the problem. When the assessor's report is different to your own medical evidence and contradicts it, DWP insist the assessor is right. They do that at MR, that's why so many people go to Tribunal, because at Tribunal, the panel look at all of the medical evidence you have submitted, not just the assessor's report.

I think one of the best bits of advice upthread is when you're answering the assessor's questions, don't try and downplay your condition, describe it as it really is. Don't answer questions with Yes, but... if it's something you have difficulty with most of the time, because they only register the 'Yes'

Practise answering with No. We are all taught to be polite and not to discuss details of our health issues with anyone so it is unusual to be forthright about personal things.

You may get an assessor who knows about your condition(s) and who does a fair assessment for you. You just have to be prepared, just in case you don't.

I'm as clear-cut a case as you can get, really, so not typical. But I viewed it as a poker game. It's probably important just that you seem sussed enough to bring a note-taker in the first place, IYSWIM.

The most important thing is that your answers tally with your PIP form and you should know which aspects of your disability qualify you for which points ( www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/personal-independence-payment-pip/pip-points-system ) and these must be emphasised when you answer. So I reckon your person noting it should make a note that you have definitely declared e.g. "I need to use an aid or appliance to be able to reliably wash or bathe", and it's worth 2 points and so on.

And the "reliably" is important, they are supposed to be judging a typical day rather than a good day.

And if they reject your claim unfairly, call their bluff.

Mine was lovely, I was there for severe MH issues including PTSD and my assessor was a paramedic who had left due to PTSD from something he'd seen/had to assist with at work. He actually shared techniques he had used to get by, and wished me luck as my main condition is pretty much never going away. He was sorry he could only help with the PTSD.

I got so lucky. I doubt he's still there, he was a good guy and it must have been soul destroying.

Don't answer questions with Yes, but... if it's something you have difficulty with most of the time, because they only register the 'Yes'

Practise answering with No.

This, absolutely. "No Because" is MUCH better than "Yes But". I really prepared, but even I fell into the trap one time because I'm a helplessly polite, "I'm terribly sorry but your tiger appears to be chewing on my foot" type.

I can't believe someone sent 500 pages and expected it to get read. Evidence is important but it is the quality not quantity that is important, there is literally no way that anyone has the time to read 500 pages on an individual and even if they do they won't remember half of it.

(I should add that I'm so ill that my family actually did the home visit with the assessor for me in another room except for three minor questions, so I have bugger all experience here :) He was very nice and the whole thing seemed something of a formality in my case because I am so fucking ill.

Yet my first DLA application was turned down entirely nonsensically purely to discourage me - in the end they caved before the tribunal and all my decisions have been fair since.)

Around 70% of the appeals are won, by the way. It really is worth appealing. It is horrible to think of those who were to ill or stressed to go on with it who probably would have won.

About to go through the same appeal stuff as well, as they are turning me down at MR again due to some mistakes from the assessor. and ignoring the last appeal decision. What a waste of time. Won last time on paper.

My award has recently expired, I've got an assessment booked at 2pm today. At 08.47am I received a phone call asking me to come at 9am. 13 minutes notice.
Err that'll be a no. So it's been changed to 3.30. Is this a new tactic to fluster me?
Not looking forward to this, when I originally applied I was turned down, appealed and was told I had exceeded the time allowed to appeal, errr because my letter had an incorrect date on.
At the tribunal I went from 4 points to 16.
The assessor wrote that I was a lifelong smoker (I've never smoked in my life), that I was confident and kept eye contact (I cried through most of it).
I asked for directions to my bus stop (centre on a one way system so not where I got off the bus), "turn right, bus stop on left) and that meant I could follow complex instructions.

Reading with interest and terror...!

I have a home based pip assessment booked for next Tuesday. I genuinely don’t know how its going to go as the conditions I have and the combination of them is incredibly rare - less than 1 in 500,000 so even if they know about one of the conditions I doubt they will understand how they all impact on each other. I’m going to have to do a lot of explaining and hope they are a decent person who wants to help people. Who knows.

Terrified!

Latest stats from Benefits and work newsletter
Looks as though you REALLY need to explain how your condition(s) affect you for all their questions and keep a note of your presentation during the assessment e.g. fatigued, emotional, upset etc.

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/3853-almost-half-of-dla-to-pip-claimants-get-lower-award-or-no-award

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/3852-1-in-4-pip-claimants-lose-entire-award-on-review

"LATEST PIP STATISTICS
The latest PIP statistics show a wide variation in outcomes, depending on your condition and where you are in the claims process.

For DLA to PIP, the figures show that while 39% of DLA claimants had their benefit increased when they were reassessed for PIP, 22% had their benefit cut and 25% had it stopped completely.

But your condition makes a big difference. 40% of claimants with psychoneurosis had their award stopped altogether, compared with 28% with learning difficulties and 16% with arthritis.

Statistics are also available for claimants who have been in the system long enough to have a review of their PIP award.

25% of PIP claimants who have their award reviewed get no further award at all, 16% have their award decreased, 16% get an increase and 43% stay the same.

Again, your condition makes a big difference. 46% of claimants with psychiatric disorders have their award stopped or reduced, compared to, 36% with neurological disease and 32% with respiratory disease.

Good Luck Fairylea and Cherrytree

It shouldn't be a question of luck at all, it should be a genuine assessment based on your genuine needs.

Thank you Blank. When I originally applied I had a support worker from a local charity to help me. I've moved now and haven't yet found any organisations in my area to help me.
However when I was going through all the paperwork I clocked that my original award notice ran to July 2019.
I rang the PIP helpline in the hope (false) that it's a clerical error and I wouldn't have to attend today. The very nice advisor said that re assessments are carried out well in advance.
At which point i burst into tears and couldn't stop sobbing about how stressed I was last time and I was terrified about going alone.
She calmed me down and told me that I can get help via a council scheme and that I can immediately request a copy of the assessors report so that I can get the ball rolling quickly if I'm turned down.

The assessments should be filmed as a record of what was actually said and done :-(

The assessments should be filmed as a record of what was actually said and done :-(

We all know that, we all want that, the DWP won't do it.

1. Because then they'd be seen to be giving less points than people genuinely should score.
2. Because the assessor's report is not always only their own work, it can be altered i.e. points removed before being sent out. (Read accounts on the PIP assessor's reviews linked upthread)

@cherrytree63
I'm so sorry, I don't know about them being able to do such early assessments.

They made a mistake on my relative's and contacted them for review eight months after the Judge had awarded 'inappropriate to fix a term' at Tribunal.
DWP had already written to say relative will not be contacted before the 10 year anniversary of the PIP Tribunal decision. I rang and got to speak to a supervisor who altered it straight away and confirmed they will not contact before that 10 year deadline.

Yes they are allowed to reassess you up to a year before your award ends. This way they can save themselves a chunk of money if they take your award away. So if your award ends July 19, they send you the form July 18, assess you say in September 18 then say you no longer qualify, they've saved themselves 10 months of money 😕

Bombardier I'm not under any illusions about anyone in Government caring, since they are the ones who approved this system. It was more about making this issue public by presenting her with heaps of boxes full of paperwork. But that would only work if the whole thing was reported as important news by television news programmes and that would never happen. I realised that about 30 seconds after I posted. The Government have successfully avoided publically addressing any issues other than Brexit since DC's re-election.

I still think a modified version of the Op's idea, with the consequences falling on the 3rd party companies rather than individual assessors, is a good one. But I don't have the energy or mental health needed to do any organising and I don't expect anyone else has either by now. People who are physically and mentally healthy enough have plenty of other things to worry about, like stable employment and education for their children. So it goes on.

Thank you for the good luck

I really wish they would film these things. It’s so unusual in this day and age when everything else is recorded- you only have to ring to order something / speak to someone on the phone about anything and it’s recorded. It does make you feel the government wants these people to lie to reduce the disability budget on purpose. I don’t think anyone has any faith in the system anymore.

This government has created a society where instead of targeting hatred towards those who earn the most and evade the most tax, we are supposed to point the finger at the most vulnerable in our society.

My assessor came to the house, my toddler sat on her knee the whole time and I didn't move from the sofa once.
In the report, it claimed I travelled to the assessment centre by car and my husband helped me with my wheelchair. Went on to say I refused some tests and performed others well. I got standard care and mobility awarded. Ended up at tribunal and got awarded enhanced mobility and standard care which I could accept.
One of the panel did make me cry though when she kept on at me about how could I possibly do my job with the number of drugs and amount of pain I'm in. There are only so many ways to say it's bloody difficult, every day is a nightmare and I can only work part time, but as my DH is unemployed, I don't really have a choice

Looks as though you REALLY need to explain how your condition(s) affect you for all their questions.

Yes. Repeat yourself if necessary but give a full answer from scratch every time.

We're waiting for my dh's decision, it's been over 8 weeks since his assessment, pretty sure that means he's going to receive a 'no'. It's so frustrating because his DLA was indefinite.

Not necessarily Loopy it took around 9 weeks for my friend and she got enhanced care and mobility.

Ah, that's good to know, thanks, delores

It's taking up to 12 weeks to make decisions at the moment. Due to backlog apparently.

Yes they do start it early the reviews. Mine was set by tribunal till next June, but they have taken it away already. Nothing has changed, they have just made up some lies. It is taking them ages to do the MR as well. It's been going on since April this review.