P.I.P. timescales...

dialysis

siac wrote: »

My experience with PIP is not great. I applied for PIP in September. It took 2 months for the form to get to the top of the pile and Atos proudly told me this as though it was a good thing! I rang several times to ask when my appointment for assessment and each time I was rudely told it would be when my form got to the top of the pile. I wonder just the act of ringing up got it sent to the bottom each time. Eventually I got an assessment interview...9 months after application. The timescale on the letter gave me 5 days to work out getting there. Given that i had to arrange transport (I lost my Motability car 7 months ago as well as losing all DLA payments) as well as make sure all Doctor's statement were up to date this was very short notice. I had asked for a downstairs appointment as walking range was under 10 metres and stairs impossible. Naturally I got an appointment at a private health care establishment with a 10 meter ramp and then another 10 meters to waiting room followed by an appointment on the 1st floor. It felt they were making everything as difficult as possible to put me off claiming.

The interview was quite traumatic and went into very intimate areas of my life which I am supposed to share with a female half my age who i have never met before and who never stated what her medical qualification was. She just kept referring to her "boss" and photocopied everything in sight. At the end of the interview she was apologising profusely and saying I should never have been called for interview and if I was it should have been on the ground floor. I did point out I had requested a home visit as well as ground floor and within a 10 meter distance from car. To her credit she was very sorry and almost in tears when she witnessed me fall over due to impaired balance (I have ME/CFS and fibromyalgia and walk with crutches).

I have now been without financial support from DLA/PIP for 9 months and without a Motability car for 7 months. I had to stop affording someone to support me staying in my own home who would cook/clean/iron clothes/take or collect children from school depending on what was needed on a given day (I have 4 children living with me. I did finally get a letter from Atos saying they had all the information they needed and were passing my case back to DWP. They actually apologised for the length of time I had been waiting. I am still waiting though. No idea how long or what monetary level of award or how much back dated award I am due. Whatever I am awarded, it doesn't pay for having to remortgage the house, just to stay solvent, or having to borrow heavily off family to buy a car I can be remotely comfortable in. From the level of benefit I was on I should be owed £4,500 and counting. Anybody know if I can claim compensation for the stress, delay and physical, mental, emotional and practical stress I have been under for the last 9 months?...

I sympathise with you I have ME and fibromyalgia and my walking distance is the same as yours. My assessment was a total shambles and the assessor said on her report that I had walked 200 metres from the assessment total B.....T my hubby picked me up outside in the car. After six months which is not as long as some on here I was awarded enhanced care but no mobility:mad::mad: I am in a wheelchair and walk with sticks round the house. I cannot walk more than 10-20 metres without severe discomfort. I have now been fighting with the DWP to get mobility for four months and they still haven't done anything with it after having been told wrong information for four months. I have wrote a complaint letter 6 weeks ago and have been told they should have dealt with it after 15 days. I don't think you have any chance of anything from them u are lucky if u get the 5 day call back I have waited 15 days for one of them after ringing three times. Good luck with it and hope u hear soon.

lemontart

well finally got assessment date will have been 7 months thereabouts since application - heatlh gotten worse in that time, and tests have thrown up more issues too in that time - going in for a biopsy and more tests next week after they found what they think may be cancer last week .........so should have those results for the assessor too. All ready diagnosed with ME and fibromyalgia, various spinal issues just to name a few that have been given labels in the last 7 months. But hey on the positive side they ruled out cushions decease last week and the liver is working normally..........

If I get awarded pip great if not such is life having to sell house as cannot afford to stay here anyway.

dialysis

lemontart wrote: »

well finally got assessment date will have been 7 months thereabouts since application - heatlh gotten worse in that time, and tests have thrown up more issues too in that time - going in for a biopsy and more tests next week after they found what they think may be cancer last week .........so should have those results for the assessor too. All ready diagnosed with ME and fibromyalgia, various spinal issues just to name a few that have been given labels in the last 7 months. But hey on the positive side they ruled out cushions decease last week and the liver is working normally..........

If I get awarded pip great if not such is life having to sell house as cannot afford to stay here anyway.

Thinking of you:A:kisses:

JoStinkerbell

Hi

I've not posted for a while as I was going through the appeals process for PIP as I was refused and the MR was refused. My appeal stuff had gone in and was waiting for dwp to respond, I had a call today from dwp and they looked at it again and changed the original decision ... I got standard for both, as I accepted I don't have to attend an appeal.

It has been a 10 month long stressful process, but can now manage a little better with the award.

Don't give up, if they refuse you ask for a reconsideration, if they refuse you again, go to appeal and never let them win.

Thanks for the peeps here they helped me to not give in


Regards to you all Jo x

kittykat17

JoStinkerbell wrote: »

Hi

I've not posted for a while as I was going through the appeals process for PIP as I was refused and the MR was refused. My appeal stuff had gone in and was waiting for dwp to respond, I had a call today from dwp and they looked at it again and changed the original decision ... I got standard for both, as I accepted I don't have to attend an appeal.

It has been a 10 month long stressful process, but can now manage a little better with the award.

Don't give up, if they refuse you ask for a reconsideration, if they refuse you again, go to appeal and never let them win.

Thanks for the peeps here they helped me to not give in


Regards to you all Jo x

So happy for you that your wait is finally over and you've been awarded PIP at last. Things seem to be happening a tiny bit quicker now so hopefully all of us that have been waiting for such a ridiculously long time won't have to wait too much longer.:T

geordie_girl_2

hi joe, and congratulations, well done.

Clairebear_17

Hi all I called dwp today 29 weeka after first applying and exactly 3 weeks since they recieved my report back and they awarded me standard daily care no mobility, I will appeal but am so happy I got something for now feels so much better, will check their decision and points then sort out MR and I feel u wasn't awarded right because it wasnt the lady who did my assessment who completed form as she left so someone else had to just go on her notes and my form, has anyone had a MR if so what was you first awarded and what was you awarded from MR and how long did it take etc thankyou x

Mrs_Ryan

I rang DWP the other day and asked them how long - they said they received report back on 29th of May and that the decision time is 3 weeks - I got a letter today apologising for the delay and saying that they have the info and I will have a decision sometime soon. The lady I spoke to said there should be a decision by the end of this week so I'm going to give them a call tomorrow and ask them if theres any further movement. Im only on week 22 since application though so I suspect they might drag their feet a bit..

dialysis

Mrs_Ryan wrote: »

I rang DWP the other day and asked them how long - they said they received report back on 29th of May and that the decision time is 3 weeks - I got a letter today apologising for the delay and saying that they have the info and I will have a decision sometime soon. The lady I spoke to said there should be a decision by the end of this week so I'm going to give them a call tomorrow and ask them if theres any further movement. Im only on week 22 since application though so I suspect they might drag their feet a bit..

Good luck I got my decision a couple of days after I got that letter :T

alien9211

Mrs_Ryan wrote: »

I got a letter today apologising for the delay and saying that they have the info and I will have a decision sometime soon.

I received a similar letter yesterday telling me exactly the same thing. My report was sent to the DWP/PIP on 27th May. I did not have the f2f (don't know why) as ATOS did the paper based review.