PIP driving me up the wall and possibly to an early grave

pagoda

Hello

I apologise for the long post...especially as it is my first here...but I am just so confused and upset by the PIP assessment process and how the firm doing assessments is treating me

A little background first.

In 2017 my DLA low care for life was stopped as part of the transition pruning to PIP.  I requested mandatory reconsideration and that failed.  So I appealed.....3 years later and 3 phone tribunals and two upper tribunals later its back with upper tribunal.  The last phone tribunal was so bad that I left my own room and my advocate/support worker told them to call back which they did and they turned me down, squashing all previous points acrued.  So as I say, that is back at upper tribunal and awaiting a date.

In the meantime I decided to make a new claim after taking advice.  Submitted the new claim in October 2019 clearly stating the need for a home assessment and that they must arrange through my advocate/support worker so that she will be here with me.

First appointment came though......to me, not my advocate/support worker......she was unable to attend so she rang them reminded them to go through her for a date, they cancelled and told her they would rearrange through her.

Second appointment came through.....again to me and not my advocate/support worker....again my advocate/support worker unable to attend, reminded AGAIN to make appointments through her, they cancelled

Third appointment arrived, through advocate/support worker......advocate/support worker arrived as planned.....assessment company cancelled - no-one available to attend - after we had waited 3 hours

Fourth appointment arrived through advocate/support worker.....advocate/support worker arrived as they called her - no-one available to attend

Formal written complaint lodged....apologies and compensation agreed for their mistakes

Fifth appointment arrived through advocate/support worker.....assessment completed......this was on Feb 19 this year

Today I get a "we have rearranged your PIP assessment to March 19" letter

My advocate/support worker is on leave so I rang PIP assessments..."what is going on, I completed the assessment last week"

"We want more information so you must agree to an assessment"

I mentioned that there had already been a catalogue of errors, apologies sent, compensation agreed (although still not received) and that an assessment was doen last week and the woman who did it took a GP letter and my Mental Health Practioner letter stating my conditions and treatments and limitations etc and that the constant and stressful situation that the assessment firm keep throwing at me are becoming life threatening......seriously life threatening

"Well you must have an assessment or your claim for PIP will be voided....your choice" and she hung up on me

I have left a message at my advocate/support worker's office but she is not back til Monday next week.....

What do I do?

I am at the end of my rope with these people...they have more than enough evidence so why are they torturing/punishing me?

poppy12345

I'm sorry to hear you've been through all of that. I see you've applied multiple times and each time you've been refused with a phone hearing. Appearing in person will give you a better chance of a decision in your favour, do you have someone that can attend with you if it does get to Tribunal again this time?

pagoda

I am unable to leave home due to severe agoraphobia so the original tribunals have had to be over the phone

The new clain started last year is home assessment....they screwed up 4 times and now that they finally came to do an assessment for the new claim, they tell me I have to have another assessment next month despite already doing the assessment last week

poppy12345

I have heard this happening before where they didn't get enough of information the first time so the claimant has to have another assessment for the rest of the information. Did you ask if they could ask the questions over the phone? If you didn't then i would ring them to ask if this would be possible. Others may have more advice for you when they see this.

pagoda

poppy12345 said:

I have heard this happening before where they didn't get enough of information the first time so the claimant has to have another assessment for the rest of the information. Did you ask if they could ask the questions over the phone? If you didn't then i would ring them to ask if this would be possible. Others may have more advice for you when they see this.

No

She was really horrible to me when I asked why a second assessment before getting the result of the one last week.  Told me that I had no choice but to have an assessment if I wanted PIP.  I repeated lots of times that I had a PIP assessment last week at home with my advocate/support worker, and that the woman who did it told us she had all information needed plus letters from GP and mental health practitioner etc

I kept asking why another assessment was demanded and that it was piling on too much stress having to deal with them and all their previous mistakes and she hung up on me

My advocate/support worker is on leave so now I am trying to stay calm but I can't whilst that company is constantly being so nasty and uncaring to me....I feel like a criminal and I am not....its killing me inside and I don't know what to do to make them stop punishing me

tacpot12

I don't think they are trying to torture you or punish you. I think you overreacted when you were told that you needed to go for another assessment - your overreaction is understandable to us, because you have explained all the background, but on this occasion you were grumping at some random person in their contact centre. That person is never going to have to the power to say "We've changed our minds, you don't need to come in for an assessment".

theducky

Are you sure that the assessment was for pip and not esa? People do get the two mixed up which is understandable. The assessments for both are for totally different criterias