PIP assessments not fit for purpose

[notfitforpurpose]

The ONS figures show that 70% of the DWP decisions at tribunal/appeal stages were overturned in favour of the claimant.

This is particularly ominous as this will be the assessment which will be used to decide if a claimant has lcwra in future.

AIBU to think that the whole system is unfit for purpose?

They also lie. Take what’s been said and twist it.
If there are too many people on pip it’s about time someone started to look at what’s going on in this crappy country and do something to fix it!

Also if you think IABU could I have your reasons why please. Thanks

I think it really depends on the disability and how it impacts ,from my perspective my 14 year old gets the highest rates of DLA due to having severe mental impairment and looking at the current criteria i cant see this changing once he transfers to PIP
I actually know several kids who have transferered to PIP whose rates have gone up because the criteria is different
But on the other hand some people who qualified under DLA dont under PIP due to the critetia change

My friends husband claimed pip & they'd had a home visit assessment, the pop fella didn't write anything down while he was there which was about 15 minutes, when they got the rejection letter and read the report , they didn't recognise who they were reading about, it was all the complete opposite to what had actually been said. He took it to appeal and won.

My husband had a serious accident which left him disabled in one of his limbs. He has had several very complex surgeries to repair it but has lost all movement in the limb.
Naturally, we provided his full medical record as evidence.
On assessment, the PIP lady wrote in the report that he "had the body type which indicated he was well nourished and could feed himself" therefore didn't qualify.
We took it to appeal and won.

Mine was accepted without needing any interview but it is incredibly stressful for many. I think they need to look behind the illnesses and ask why more people are getting sick.
Long waiting lists, really poor CAMHS support for teens, crap MH care for adults.

The assessors are healthcare professionals, but often not appropriate for the people they are assessing. They have high workloads and limited time to make notes. They cannot do a meaningful assessment for complex/ multiple conditions in the time they have. Certainly with how many assessments they are given for their workload.

The guidance is to err on fewer points rather than higher points if unsure.

When the assessment is sent to the first level assessor as DWP (also excessive workload/ no time to properly review) they are encouraged to not disagree with the points given by the assessor.

It is only at mandatory reconsideration and appeal level that additional scrutiny is given to either the initial report OR further medical records.

Capita prefer to do video assessments - which you cannot record/ have recorded. These are cheaper than face-to-face appointments and harder to challenge if incorrect.

Always ask for a recorded appointment. The audio cannot be used for the initial assessment. But it can be used at mandatory reconsideration and appeal level. This can show where information is clearly given at the health assessment and not properly considered (a major complaint for many claimants).

A lot of money could be saved by not using third party suppliers for the assessments. Often in the additional costs caused by appeals and reconsiderations.

My late uncle had to go to assessments to prove his foot had not grown back.

Making the PIP assessment the gateway for LCWRA makes no sense at all.
YOu can be eligible for one and not the other.

This is why im so concerned because if so many claims are dismissed and then overturned at appeal stage, surely the government must realise that the system it's using to assess the criteria is inherently flawed. But they're doubling down. And knowingly utilising a flawed system in an attempt to make even more cuts to ill people on UC. It's appalling.

I have been through two separate applications for PIP for family members. Very different conditions, years apart in age, years apart when the applications were made. Both successful without any difficulty. The earlier one was a transfer from DLA after a good few years and included a face-to-face assessment, she could not have been more helpful or understanding and made notes on a laptop.

Fucking hell 😳

It's just (yet another) case of where there is wasted money in the system. The government is billed by their supplier for assessments.

Circa 67 million adults in uk, 3.7 million pip claimants. Roughly 5.5%/1 in 20 adults claim pip.... seems a little high tbf

Yes, it is ' a little high'

You might also want to look at how dreadful our healthcare system is compared to other countries.

I had to prove that my hearing and sight were cured. According to the person who assessed me I've been cured. There's no cure for what I have.

And I've got to look forward to the same bullshit next year

Yep, it's terrible. I got sent by my specialist for physio. The physio didn't have any idea I was there and was surprised when I said my symptoms were caused by a disease. The physio then told me to go back to my specialist!

It took about ten months to get that appointment and it was a complete waste of my and their time.

I could go on with stories like this. I have dozens.

Does it? Sounds about right for percentage of population with disabilities.

I'm not really interested in health care in other countries, I live in the UK.
What does concern me is paying for a high percentage of people that can work, to not work 🤷‍♂️

PIP has nothing to do with work

So the disabled people on LWCRA and PIP are all lazy scroungers, are they?

Jesus, some people

PIP is not an out of work benefit. Many people who claim PIP do work. There's also a lot of people over State Pension age who receive PIP.

PIP is not an out of work benefit.

Read this line and don’t make such a stupid comment again 🙄

I'm concerned with how these people manage to hijack every thread about disability benefits and shoehorn this rhetoric into all of them regardless of how irrelevant it is to the conversation, personally. 🤷‍♀️

We are sadly not a healthy country. Data from 2012 showed that more than 15 million people - 30% of the UK population - live with one or more long-term conditions, and more than 4 million of these people will also have mental health problems.
This has gotten worse since then and comorbidities mean even if timely treatment is available returning to improved health is very far from guaranteed.
Compared to many other developed countries we have very poor mental health (and an alarming increase in incidence in the the under 25's), we have increased the numbers of people who are overweight and obese and our respiratory health is poor. The nation is sick and getting sicker. We have intentionally or not pursued policies that have completely fucked the health of the nation and it will take a generation to turn around (if the public and government of the day can even find a way to come together to do that).