PIP Assessors Report

dave030445

vicki84 wrote: »

Hi

Sorry I haven't replied before no I did not score any points for therapy I had my back payment in my account yesterday I have not received my decision letter yet.

Im really happy with higher rate mobility and standard care so I didn't want to risk doing a mandatory because of getting marked down.

Hi is there a slim chance that you got points for therapy and got marked down else where to stop you getting the enhanced rate as Alice said. but all will be sorted when decision letter arrives.

vicki84

My decision letter arrived I didn't get any points for therapy

Alice_Holt

vicki84 wrote: »

My decision letter arrived I didn't get any points for therapy

If you detailed in your PIP form, and confirmed at the assessment, that you need assistance with physio / therapy for 3.5hrs pw, then that is a bad DWP error that has deprived you of c.£4,000 over a 3 year PIP term.

dave030445

vicki84 wrote: »

Hi

Sorry I haven't replied before no I did not score any points for therapy I had my back payment in my account yesterday I have not received my decision letter yet.

Im really happy with higher rate mobility and standard care so I didn't want to risk doing a mandatory because of getting marked down.

This make's me sick people are so scared to appeal in case they may lose whats already been given. the DWP do it deliberately to stop people appealing and getting what they deserve In this case the DWP needs shooting. Go for it Vicki84 yours is just a case of they ticked the wrong box.

A_Flock_Of_Sheep

I would urge somone to challenge this and it also heightens my view of:

Who really is taking the decison here? It seems the DWP count up the tick boxes and award points accordingly. I think those tick boxes should be got rid of and a decison has to be made based on the free text being used.

I mean - why don't we simply hand over the entire PIP budget and task to the assessment providers and do away with the DWP.

Muttleythefrog

vicki84 wrote: »

My decision letter arrived I didn't get any points for therapy

Can you confirm their explanation for the award of zero points in the letter.... even if just for our education here. Usually they DMs seem to just reiterate the justification of the advice given in the report.... but clearly they cannot do that here without being contradictory... so either they have contradicted themselves or they've said something to justify zero points right? It sticks in my throat this one... it would even if it hadn't affected the award... but the fact it will deprive you of thousands of pounds... well... it makes me want to get out my chair and come and handle your claim..lol

poppy12345

I've read and been told of 100s of stories about people PIP claims but this one surely is the worst. My thoughts are if this decision doesn't get turned around and you're not awarded those 4 extra points at MR stage, then it surely will at Tribunal! No way would i let DWP get away with this and deprive me of thousands of pounds! Please do think about this before making the decision of not going for that MR...

dave030445

A_Flock_Of_Sheep wrote: »

I would urge somone to challenge this and it also heightens my view of:

Who really is taking the decison here? It seems the DWP count up the tick boxes and award points accordingly. I think those tick boxes should be got rid of and a decison has to be made based on the free text being used.

I mean - why don't we simply hand over the entire PIP budget and task to the assessment providers and do away with the DWP.

This was a question i asked many years ago what does a dession makers do by what ive been reading not alot is the answer. All they do is copy atos's report a 6 year old could copy. think of all the money it is costing i can think of a few ways to save some money

vicki84

I will upload that section of my letter when I am at work on Monday. It basically says I can manage my own medication because I use a pill box and because I do physiotherapy at home.

Alice_Holt

vicki84 wrote: »

I will upload that section of my letter when I am at work on Monday. It basically says I can manage my own medication because I use a pill box.........

That bit in itself is wrong!
A pill box is classified as an aid and the use of one (other than for convenience) should score a point.

This from the PIP assessment guide:

"Activity 3 – Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition
This activity considers a claimant’s ability to:
(i) appropriately take medications in a domestic setting that are
prescribed or recommended by a registered doctor, nurse or
pharmacist;
(ii) monitor and detect changes in a health condition; and
(iii) manage therapeutic activities that are carried out in a domestic setting
that are prescribed or recommended by a registered doctor, nurse,
pharmacist or healthcare professional regulated by the Health
Professions Council.
The outcome of this activity is taking the medication or completing the
recommended therapy as prescribed / recommended, without which the
claimant’s health is likely to deteriorate.
Notes:
Managing medication means the ability to take prescribed medication in
the correct way and at the right time.
Monitoring a health condition or recognising significant changes means
the ability to detect changes in the condition and take corrective action, as
advised by a healthcare professional. Note that ‘keeping an eye’ on how a
person is doing does not count as monitoring, unless the person is
monitoring a specific parameter under medical advice and is implementing
treatment modifications to prevent deterioration. Asking someone how
they are will not meet the criteria unless there is a medical reason for
expecting a change, a defined sign of deterioration and an advised action
plan.
This activity takes into account the administration of medication or therapy
irrespective of who delivers it, and includes delivery by healthcare
professionals, such as district or community psychiatric nurses. It only
applies to medication/therapy delivered in the home environment i.e.
where the claimant lives (and may include care homes), that has
been prescribed/recommended by a registered healthcare
professional or pharmacist.
Examples of prescribed or recommended medication include tablets,
inhalers, creams, suppositories and enemas. Therapies could include
domiciliary dialysis, nebulisers and exercise regimes to prevent
complications, such as contractures. Whilst medications and therapies do
not necessarily have to be prescribed, there must be a consensus of
medical opinion that supports their use in treatment of the condition,
hence the necessity for it at least to be recommended by a registered
healthcare professional or pharmacist.
Descriptors C – F needs supervision, prompting or assistance to be able
to manage therapy apply to the duration of the supervision, prompting or
assistance and not the duration of the therapy. For example if
compression bandaging is worn 24 hours a day for venous insufficiency,
the time spent by another person applying the bandaging is counted, not
the time the bandages are worn.
For the purpose of this activity, the ‘majority of days’ test does not require
the individual to actually be receiving therapy on the majority of days in a
year. However, the descriptor would still need to accurately describe the
claimant’s circumstances on a majority of days – i.e. on a majority of days
the statement about how much support an individual needs a week must
be true. For example, if a claimant needs assistance to undergo home
dialysis for three hours on Monday and Friday, they would not actually be
receiving therapy on the majority of days in a year. However, the statement
that they need ‘assistance to be able to manage therapy that takes more
than 3.5 but no more than 7 hours a week’ would still apply, as it
accurately describes the level of support needed in a week."

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/547146/pip-assessment-guide.pdf Page 104.

Vicki - if you do decide to appeal, you could use this info (I've tried to put the important bits in bold) in your appeal. See also my post at 28. Getting a letter from your physio (as a healthcare professional) will be important.