OS ways and Poor Health

Somewhere you mentioned not knowing where to find information on what you may be awarded D&G . If that means the current benefit rates for PIP , the official gov website has the information .
gov.uk pip .
Mar I know there's a mix of results so far on decisions and awards . Bear in mind this is the first time everyone on DLA has been assessed without exception . My doctor advised us to claim when dd was 16 , she has just turnes 32 and in all those years has never been asked to attend either a home or office based assessments and has been assessed periodically and we only new that when we received the letter continuing her benefit .
From DLA High care Low Mobility she been granted pip enhanced in both groups .
There's a fear factor out there much worse than the effect already felt when that envelope hits the doormat . Some is because of the random ways the assessments are done by different professional assessors . We were lucky with an experienced nurse others have met someone with no medical knowledge at all . That's why all medical things should go with the form - I used a paperclip to clip them to the front of the form and gp put all information in the letter he sent through to dwp . I still have the copy of that in the file here .
Keep copies of everything . One of the most useful things I always do is return everything 1st Class Signed For . You are given a receipt at the post office and the following day can check tracking on the RM site and see the signature and you know it's been delivered and aren't wondering if it went astray in the post .
I think the sheer scale of this transfer and the number involved has caused problems hence the backlogs , delays etc .
Among those we know some have had no problems some had to request a MR and a handful have gone to appeal .
I think it's important to bear in mind that much online comes from a negative experience not so much the positive ones .
We really felt the fear when we saw the company chosen to see dd but they sent an angel .
polly

LW We decided I would go to MR stage as dds appointee but not appeal because she could not have stood the added stress , high anxiety even with me doing the appeal without her presence . I would not have left her to attend as I feared the outcome . I wouldn't have been any use on the day as I would be worrying about her .
From what I can tell so far things are improving now . There has been such a backlash coupled with the way it was being carried out being judged against human rights that it seems to have changed a great deal for the better .
Despite being long in the planning everything started in a random chaotic fashion with too many agencies involved some of whom were already judged to be unfit for purpose . They stayed on while already dismissed to try to handle the sheer scale of every single dla claimant having to be seen . The architect of the plan who's name is never spoken under this roof , resigned .
As a former civil servant I recognise the need to once and for all see everyone before transfer . all of us can name one or more who've worked the system for years and taken pride in doing so .
Percentage wise that's far fewer than the media portrays . It's costing a huge amount to deal with the wrong decisions and MRs and appeals . I think it should have been dealt with in a different way . By all means weed out the chancers who give benefit bashers more ammunition , but make sure a fair and consistent criteria is in place with trained professionals assessing each person .
Too late to go back but things are getting better gradually and lessons have been learned .

The reason I bang on about the prep and the form is if you get that right with all the evidence you can you're a long way there . After an assessment everything goes to a decision maker who are generally judged to be both experienced and fair . They will have all evidence for your claim in front of them and base their decision on that .
The decision maker for my daughter wrote a warm and not standard template award letter explaining clearly why she'd was granting her full enhancement . I can say I've never seen a letter from dwp like that before .
polly

Mar you have all the appointments you attended , meds prescribed , changed etc . The searches for what the heck was going on and now the new one . There's a heck of a lot of that in your posts on the forum .
If your doctor is any good at all too tired to remember at the moment . It is worth making an appointment to try and get a record of those appointments , medications etc ( heifer included .)
I remember you were prepared to pay at one point to seek a private diagnosis and don't recall that being necessary . If your Drs practise is one that won't do a letter of support they may do so for a fee . You are also entitled to view or apply for copies of your medical history . Not sure about Scotland but in England if you're signed up to your surgery website you can make a request to view those things . Check Scotland NHS online and see if you are able to .
To get information on paper records do the same . In England we pay for written copies from the NHS . Viewing online records at the surgery can be free or have a small charge and are less extensive than the full ones but should show all the things handled through the surgery . They are quicker to obtain , make a request at reception to start things off .
I'm not trying to worry people here so if anyone finds this stuff too much let me know and I'll change the subject .
One last thing for anyone visiting consultants clinics etc if you don't already do it ask to be copied into letters sent to your GP . That can be done in England not sure north of the border .
The letters are usually feedback on your present condition and a helpful way to track things and if no other evidence is available can go with the form . Appointment letters aren't useful as they don't show any evidence .
I keep a separate easily carried diary which runs August to August .
I enter all appts , medications that are added in on an occasional basis . Note any sudden changes in dds health etc . I also put in all contact with DWP including dates and times of phone calls the name of the person I spoke to and any letters received or sent back .
It's really useful as everything is together and it can be carried in my bag .
I chose a mid year diary because if you are in a hospital near the end of the year and they pre book an appointment in Feb or so of the next year you can enter it in the present diary . I use a BusyB one which is light and has the same days on both the left and right side of the page giving a chance for sorting different things but there are loads out there .
polly