P.I.P. timescales...

925dancer

smudge75 wrote: »

update

Rang dwp its is 2 weeks since they got my report and the gentleman on the phone said due to it being 2 weeks he is going to raise it with management as it should have been done by now , he also said that i should recieve a phone call in next 5 days i assume he means working days of a decision .

I seen what you have wrote 925dancer i am going to give them until the 5 days is up and if i havent had this call will be back onto them . I had told the gentleman that it is now coming up to the 9 month mark of me starting my claim and he did apoligise and say that most claims are taking this long . This really isn't good enough at all something needs to be done . i have seen in the paper today that Atos are possibly losing they contract and that they have made so many mistakes but what about us that are left waiting and also what about people getting the wrongs decisions . because after 9 months i still might not get a award and have to fight and struggle on all the while getting more ill with no help .

This is what happened with me on Friday, I got a call back yesterday morning just telling me there was no update, completely useless! Hence why I called again late yesterday which is when I was told they'd scrapped timescales altogether. I hope you get a result smudge.

I've now sent a complaint email to several government departments and my MP.

925dancer

silentwolf wrote: »

hi can i have some advice had medical 17th january im still waiting to here anything from pip

That's very recent, if you read through the thread you'll see many of us waited months after our assessment to hear anything. My report went to DWP 23rd January, had my assessment with Atos 18th October. You can call Atos/Capita (depending who carried out your assessment) for an update but I think it will be a while before you hear anything.

mellymoo74

Monday it will be 31 weeks. MP is getting nowhere, complaints to Capita CEO ignored, IDS believes itsnnothing to do with him at wits end not eaten proper food for 3 months when the last of the savings ran out people at work are feeding me now I have dropped so much weight.

serendipity2706

Seen on the news just now, ATOS is trying to end their contract. Presumably everything will be in limbo now...

rich_shot2003

serendipity2706 wrote: »

Seen on the news just now, ATOS is trying to end their contract. Presumably everything will be in limbo now...

yes saw that as well.

i think if they do pull out then the days of IDS in his job will be numbered which has to be good.

the whole thing now is just a fast and needs pulling.

Mr_Lawnmower

serendipity2706 wrote: »

Seen on the news just now, ATOS is trying to end their contract. Presumably everything will be in limbo now...

Not so. ATOS are trying to end their ESA Work Capability Assessment contract, not their PIP assessment contracts which are separate.


If you go over to Youreable and read the sticky PIP thread in the Benefits forum, you can read a detailed timeline of my claim (decided in December) at post 27. The same post gives an explanation of the contractual timescales that both assessment providers are struggling with.

I believe there's a lot of useful information in that thread, especially for those who have not yet had their face to face assessment.


N.B. I'm posting here under a different user name, as the one I use on Youreable is not allowed under the MSE forum rules. As a new MSE forum member (but occasional lurker) I can't post links here.

Morglin

To bring a little positive to the PIP saga, I have been told, this morning, that a new claimant, recently diagnosed with a degenerative disease, and suffering the effects of it, who applied for PIP (via ATOS), supplied lots of medical info, and got back a positive decision yesterday, with both components being awarded, at higher rates.

The whole thing took 4 weeks, and she didn't have a face to face.

I know it's only one case, but it's the first positive experience, that took no time at all, that I have come across!

Perhaps there is a glimmer of light appearing at the end of the tunnel....

Lin

Mr_Lawnmower

Morglin wrote: »

To bring a little positive to the PIP saga, I have been told, this morning, that a new claimant, recently diagnosed with a degenerative disease, and suffering the effects of it, who applied for PIP (via ATOS), supplied lots of medical info, and got back a positive decision yesterday, with both components being awarded, at higher rates.

The whole thing took 4 weeks, and she didn't have a face to face.

I know it's only one case, but it's the first positive experience, that took no time at all, that I have come across!

Perhaps there is a glimmer of light appearing at the end of the tunnel....

Is it possible this case was handled under the Special Rules (progressive illness, death reasonably expected within 6 months)? This is the expected speed and approach for Special Rules cases, but it would be surprising otherwise.

925dancer

I got my decision, I was turned down. Having spoken to customer service they relayed the decision letter to me and she was shocked to see I was assessed by a physiotherapist as I asked if it told her. She then had the decision maker call me.

There followed a conversation where I completely melted down and he apologised and sounded genuinely sorry that my report wasn't at all thorough enough for someone with mental health problems. As I suspected might be the case, my GP was not asked for any information and I am yet to have got to the top of the referral lists for proper psych treatment. He asked me lots of far more probing questions than I had at my assessment. He has made a note that my claim is to be looked at again and I am going to get a supporting letter from my GP, who I am seeing on Monday anyway. Thankfully I have a friend who has offered to pay for that letter should there be a charge as I am barely scraping by on ESA assessment rate.

I spent much of yesterday crying and now I am thoroughly angry that mental health patients are sill being treated this way. My report, snippets of which the customer services lady read to me, make note that I attended on my own in a taxi but didn't note I told him I was nearly late as I was trying to find a way to book said taxi online due to my anxiety with the phone but couldn't so had to make a phone call, which took time. It also noted I was well presented showing I looked after myself well. Again, wholly unfair, I happen to be heavily involved with vintage and don't own anything anyone would consider casual clothing other than pyjamas! What was I supposed to turn up in!? I had a head scarf on because I hadn't showered for weeks and wanted to hide my hair. I might be severely depressed but I still have a smidgen of pride when out on public.

So all of our fears are true, the WCA doesn't sufficiently make allowances for those with mental health conditions (and many others) and neither, would it appear, does PIP.

My fight to keep my flat continues, as does my fight to stay well enough to keep myself alive.

Morglin

Mr_Lawnmower wrote: »

Is it possible this case was handled under the Special Rules (progressive illness, death reasonably expected within 6 months)? This is the expected speed and approach for Special Rules cases, but it would be surprising otherwise.

No, it is a degenerative disease, but not a terminal one.

This is the only case I have heard of, but it is one positive.

Lin