My time has finally come......

fenwoman

Why is it that the government has produced a system that leaves genuine claimants quaking in their shoes and distrustful that they will have a fair hearing?

Because the Tories need to make savings and disabled people are worthless drains on society. They need to get rid of benefits, in order to let their wealthy chums have their tax breaks.

Prinzessilein

Just an update....letter arrived today....face-to-face Home Visit...next Wednesday.

Another week or so and it will all be over.

(until I get the decision.....maybe I will need to appeal the decision!!!!)

Prinzessilein

Well....the F2F is over.

I am rather tired...and a wee bit angry and irritated!

I really don't see what the point of the meeting was!

The assessor turned up 30 minutes early - which threw me a bit as I am very strict on routine - and if someone says an appointment is 2pm then that's when I expect them! (Thankfully Mum was with me at the time...and of course she stayed throughout the meeting as previously planned)

The assessor came in and Mum offered them a seat....."I need to plug this in" they said, indicating a laptp...not 'please may ...I' or 'would it be okay if....'....a little politeness wouldn't go amiss!

Throughout the assessment the assessor talked down to me...not just my opinion, Mum mentioned it too.

The assessor only wanted to concentrate on physical issues...and seemed intent on getting yes/no answers which is just not possible as my conditions vary.....when Mum (who answered most of the questions for me) gave statements about my mental health the assessor did not appear to enter these into the laptop.

The assessment included a Mini-Mental-State exam....can I spell the word 'World?....and do it backwards?...what change would I get from £2 if I spent 75p....Can I subtract 7 from 100....(When I successfully managed one of these tasks the assessor actually said 'Oh well done, what a clever girl!....I am in my 50s and have an honours BSc....talk about patronising!!!)....there were some physical tasks too, but the assessor stopped these when it became apparent I was not going to manage them.

Finally we got the usual spiel "I don't make the decision, I just send my report to the DWP decision maker" (No, the assessor doesn't make the final decision, but the DWP will base their decision on the assessor's report).

We will give it a few days and then try asking the DWP for a copy of the report....maybe get a head-start on prepping for Reconsideration followed by an Appeal

Of course, I could be wrong....maybe I will find the report was thorough and fair...and I will receive a letter giving me a fair award....we shall see!

Muttleythefrog

Good look with the report... yeah definitely request soon.. maybe even tomorrow since it'll go electronically to DWP I believe. The attitude... well... you'll not be alone... but hopefully the report does have sense in it... we'll see. In the meantime try your best to switch off from the event... I applaud anyone who gets through one of these.. and realistically there is nothing much you can do until at least you see that report and that could be in a week. All the best.

teddysmum

Prinzessilein wrote: »

(When I successfully managed one of these tasks the assessor actually said 'Oh well done, what a clever girl!....I am in my 50s and have an honours BSc....talk about patronising!!!).

Well done on saying nothing ,as I can't help myself...


Some years ago,at a Job Centre interview (I was only working part time as a college tutor, but needed NI credits), I had to take the new mandatory Basic Skills tests in maths and English.


Anyone failing had to attend an appropriate course at the local college , so I couldn't help asking that, if I failed, would I have to attend my own class.

easy

Prinzessilein wrote: »

(When I successfully managed one of these tasks the assessor actually said 'Oh well done, what a clever girl!....I am in my 50s and have an honours BSc....talk about patronising!!!)

Blimey, that's absolutely appalling. If I have to undergo a F-2-F and they address me in that patronising manner, my husband will go ballistic. He hates the way people make the assumption that anyone with a physical disability must have a learning disability too. He refers to it as "talking to you like a budgie!".

Once you have the decision and everything is settled, in your shoes I would write a letter to DWP to complain about that, and about the rudeness over plugging in the laptop. :mad:

vicki84

Prinzessilein wrote: »

Well....the F2F is over.

I am rather tired...and a wee bit angry and irritated!

I really don't see what the point of the meeting was!

The assessor turned up 30 minutes early - which threw me a bit as I am very strict on routine - and if someone says an appointment is 2pm then that's when I expect them! (Thankfully Mum was with me at the time...and of course she stayed throughout the meeting as previously planned)

The assessor came in and Mum offered them a seat....."I need to plug this in" they said, indicating a laptp...not 'please may ...I' or 'would it be okay if....'....a little politeness wouldn't go amiss!

Throughout the assessment the assessor talked down to me...not just my opinion, Mum mentioned it too.

The assessor only wanted to concentrate on physical issues...and seemed intent on getting yes/no answers which is just not possible as my conditions vary.....when Mum (who answered most of the questions for me) gave statements about my mental health the assessor did not appear to enter these into the laptop.

The assessment included a Mini-Mental-State exam....can I spell the word 'World?....and do it backwards?...what change would I get from £2 if I spent 75p....Can I subtract 7 from 100....(When I successfully managed one of these tasks the assessor actually said 'Oh well done, what a clever girl!....I am in my 50s and have an honours BSc....talk about patronising!!!)....there were some physical tasks too, but the assessor stopped these when it became apparent I was not going to manage them.

Finally we got the usual spiel "I don't make the decision, I just send my report to the DWP decision maker" (No, the assessor doesn't make the final decision, but the DWP will base their decision on the assessor's report).

We will give it a few days and then try asking the DWP for a copy of the report....maybe get a head-start on prepping for Reconsideration followed by an Appeal

Of course, I could be wrong....maybe I will find the report was thorough and fair...and I will receive a letter giving me a fair award....we shall see!

Hi

Can I ask was it atos or capita that did your face to face I have got mine at home on Friday.

Prinzessilein

easy: We are certainly thinking of complaining....but not until AFTER the award is settled.....although it is our word against theirs, and I suspect that nothing will come of a complaint.

Vicki: My assessment was carried out by ATOS...good luck on Friday.(Remember that you can have someone with you for support, as I did)

vicki84

Prinzessilein wrote: »

easy: We are certainly thinking of complaining....but not until AFTER the award is settled.....although it is our word against theirs, and I suspect that nothing will come of a complaint.

Vicki: My assessment was carried out by ATOS...good luck on Friday.(Remember that you can have someone with you for support, as I did)

Thanks mine is with Capita hope everything goes well for you 😀

pollyanna_26

Prinzess . I haven't been online much lately but have popped on to try and catch up .
I am so sorry to read your post . It sounds as though that woman was totally unfit to be dealing with anyone . Did she tell you exactly her status? We are all aware some seem to have been randomly sent out with no awareness of medical conditions whether physical or mental .
It is common for assessors to turn up either earlier or later than the time slot originally given . Like you my dd need things to happen to plan if they have to happen at all .
I think a flaw in the system is there isn't a consistent level of professional and informed people doing the job of assessing claimants .
As I posted elsewhere my daughter was fortunate to be sent an experienced nurse who introduced herself and spoke of her work in nursing . She kept things calm and lighthearted to the point I began to worry she was laying a trap .
My dd was eventually able to engage with her which is rare as a stranger in her safe place is a total meltdown situation normally .
She told us she'd read all the form, the doctors letter in support of the application and quoted from the form , the letter and spoke of all the conditions and medications before she opened her laptop (which was obviously fully charged )
She didn't expect my daughter to stand up or walk and kept saying I can see you are anxious and in pain . Each thing was checked will the don't do this once it starts to feel a step too far .
Long story short she treated my daughter in sensitive and caring manner .
She was probably only a few years older than my daughter and at the end she read everything she'd written down back to us and asked if we felt that a true and fair account .
She closed her laptop and sat chatting to my daughter about hair and eyebrows as they are both natural redheads . Then told my daughter she should look into modern developments in hearing aids as she had picked up my daughter was reading her lips and very stressed because it meant looking at her face .
She then revealed her husband is deaf and modern advances have helped him a great deal .
If only she could be cloned , that is how it should be for everyone .

I hope by now you and your lovely Mum are asleep . Do get the request in for a copy of the ATOS report . Go through it and if it is not a fair and true summary put in for a MR citing the reasons why .
You have a lifetime of solid medical evidence to back up any misleading points and hopefully this will be settled without need for appeal .
Take care both of you
polly xx