PIP telephone assesment today

Daisy2016

I first applied for pip back in 2016 and was awarded a paper based award . They later changed the award because they looked into everybody’s claim as they felt they hadn’t been properly awarded and I was awarded a higher award . 

I got sent my renewal form and it was sent back in January this year . Along with more evidence and supporting documents then the first claim . They have just got back to me and have said I have a telephone assessment today , obviously with covid it has effected face to face interviews 

i am soo soo worried . I am not good at talking either in person or on the telephone and find it hard to explain at I mean . And I have heard they very rarely award from telephone assessments . Afterwards I will almost certainly wish I had said something more or different because I would have had time to think about what was asked properly . 

I’m suprised that I’m having a telephone assessment after they used less evidence last time to make a paper award .

im not really sure what I’m asking but i guess I’m trying to calm myself by offloading here because I am in a right state already . Haven’t slept all night through worry and anxiety and I still have another 2 hrs till the assessment 😩

Daisy2016

So there now just over 20 mins late of calling ... I don’t know what to do ? 

Do I call them ? What if they try to call as I’m calling them ? 

Phones on loud and accepting all calls .... I’m literally sat here watching the screen ?? 

Anxiety levels are through the roof 😔

poppy12345

Daisy2016 said:

 I have heard they very rarely award from telephone assessments .

I'm not sure where you heard that from but it's definitely not correct. Since Covid19 telephone assessments have been very successful and even more people are being successfully awarded than before.

Unfortunately, just because you had a paper based assessment last time doesn't mean you would have had one this time. You sent more evidence but was there really any need to do that? Did you go through all the evidence before you sent it? Sometimes it doesn't help to send in huge amounts of evidence and less is very often more.

All you can do is answer those questions as best as you can. The call can last anything from 20 - 120 minutes, it really depends on what they need to ask.

Daisy2016

They have just called 30 mins late . Aparently the health professional is no longer available and they have rescheduled to Monday the 12th now ...

more distress , more anxiety and everything I’ve been through running upto this call today has been for nothing and I will have to endure it all again 😭

poppy12345

I'm sorry to hear that unfortunately, these things do happen and HCP's also get sick so they may not be working today for 1 reaosn or another. It happens even with face to face assessments. Hopefully Monday's assessment will go ahead.

Spoonie_Turtle

One proactive thing you can do is note down things you think it's important to mention, especially if there are certain things that are hard to explain about your condition(s) or the effect they have on you. I know it's horrible waiting and you won't know exactly what they'll ask, but they want to know about the activities that PIP assesses and may ask you some things about your daily life. Basically jot down all those thoughts that are racing around your mind and it might make you feel a bit calmer. I find when I'm anxious about something, doing something about it if I can is the only thing that really helps (or losing myself in a favourite TV programme or music or a hobby if at all possible, but that can be really hard to do when the anxiety is whirling away in the background).

Daisy2016

Sat waiting for the call 😩 

poppy12345

Hopefully by now you've had the assessment and now just need to wait for the decision but there's no timescales. If you live in the UK after a week you can ring DWP to request a copy of the assessment report to be sent to you, this will give you some idea what the decision is likely be to because they mostly go with the recommendations in the report.

If you're not happy once the decision is made you'll have 1 month from that date to request the Mandatory Reconsideration.

Daisy2016

Assessment lasted well over an hour . 

Can’t really say how it went she asked so many questions and it’s really confused me .
I haven’t claimed down to any physical disability and it is all mental health but she asked how I get into a car , and then said I put in my form I get dizzy and pain with cooking . I said I don’t get pain and haven’t wrote that and asked her where it said that on the form and she just said it’s not important and she may have got it mixed up because she reads these forms all day long . It’s very concerning .

thanks poppy I will give them a call in a week . She said she was sending it over today and to wait 6-8 weeks for an envelope to drop through the post 

so now it’s the dreaded wait 🙈

wild666

I never give the DWP or their third parties anything but my address. if they want to contact me it's either a letter I go to them. 

wild666

Send the DWP a SAR ( SUBJECT ACCESS REQUEST) and ask for a copy of the report done on the date in question at the time in question and copies of any evidence they used.