PIP telephone assesment today

poppy12345

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-assessment-guide-for-assessment-providers/pip-assessment-guide-part-2-the-assessment-criteria#mobility-activities

Descriptor E. This descriptor applies to claimants where undertaking any journey on the majority of days causes overwhelming psychological distress (OPD) despite being aided.

‘Any journey’ means that in order to satisfy the descriptor on any particular day the person must not be able to manage to undertake a single journey. If the person can manage to leave the home to undertake a journey once then on that day the descriptor is not satisfied, even if they’re unable to undertake other journeys during the same day. Being able to complete a journey at night time only however, is not considered to be completing a journey to an acceptable standard. Therefore, in these instances, this descriptor may be appropriate.

It really depends on how often you go out. For EG, if you go out say once or twice a month or every few weeks for an appointment or for shopping then the majority of the time you are unable to undertake any journey at all. If you cannot undertake a single journey on the majority of days due to overwhelming psychological distress, then 1E will be the applicable descriptor, even if there are occasions when they could follow a familiar route, if accompanied.

Daisy2016

My carer does my shopping for me . But I do go to appointments a couple of times a month , maybe more some months maybe less others . My carer does make me go to the park on occasions and other quiet places where there arnt too many people as I can’t be in crowded places or I’d have a melt down . 

I personally think descriptor F ( as awarded before ) is applicable . But I don’t know if I have conveyed that in the box or what I’d have to write on the reconsideration to get that across . Like I said I find it difficult to explain myself 😔

Daisy2016

I’ve never asked for a reconsideration so I don’t know what is asked or what the procedure is . I just feel I haven’t been based on my circumstances and have been based on this other persons who last went out last year .  

I’m sorry if I keep repeating myself and askin the same thing , I’m finding it all very hard to understand to be honest 

poppy12345

It really does depend on how often you go out. If you can go out on the majority of days, with assistance but unable to plan a familiar journey because of OPD then it's 1F. If it's just a couple of times a month then it's definitely E.

poppy12345

You need to forget about the "garden gate" because it doesn't matter either way, whether you have one or not. What matters is whether you do go out the majority of the time and this is what you need to think about. Nothing can be done anyway until the decision's been made, although they mostly go with the report, it has been known for them to go against it but it's rare.

I think you should get some advice from an advice agency near you. Most of them are not doing face to face appointments but they are doing telephone ones. This link will help you find what's local to you. https://advicelocal.uk/

If you do decide to request the MR they will look at the whole award again so you need to specifically tell them that it's the mobility part you don't agree with. This link will help you with that. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/appeals/mandatory-reconsideration/ There's a link in there that will take you to a form that can be filled in for the MR.

The most important thing is that you give a few recent real world examples of what happened the last time you attempted to go out and even what happened when you were out. State who was with you, where you were and exactly what happened.

MR success rates before Covid were only about 17%. They then increased to more than 50% success rate but now it's falling again to around 30%.

The MR decision can take anything up to about 10 weeks, sometimes longer. If the decision remains the same then it's Tribunal.

Daisy2016

Thankyou poppy 

I will of course await the decision as I can’t do anything till then but I think I am going to ask for MR as it will just keep playing on my mind that they haven’t assessed my situation but that if someone’s else’s . If it stays the same , gets lowered so be it at least I know it was based upon my circumstances .

i will make them aware the part I don’t agree with is the mobility . I will state what happens and when and how often etc and try to be clearer this time . I will refrain from using the garden gate ... but I have to say I disagree because the assessor said I haven’t left the house when I never said or wrote that . That’s okay isn’t it ? I don’t want to write and say shes confused me with someone else even tho she clearly has as I don’t want to get anyone in trouble so will say I think she may have misunderstood my getting out and about bit ? 

Thankyou for your help . You really are a tremendous support to us who don’t quite get what we’re doing wrong , ie explaining ourselves properly and what actully needs to be said , thankyou 

Drobbin

Daisy2016 said:

Thankyou poppy 

I will of course await the decision as I can’t do anything till then but I think I am going to ask for MR as it will just keep playing on my mind that they haven’t assessed my situation but that if someone’s else’s . If it stays the same , gets lowered so be it at least I know it was based upon my circumstances .

i will make them aware the part I don’t agree with is the mobility . I will state what happens and when and how often etc and try to be clearer this time . I will refrain from using the garden gate ... but I have to say I disagree because the assessor said I haven’t left the house when I never said or wrote that . That’s okay isn’t it ? I don’t want to write and say shes confused me with someone else even tho she clearly has as I don’t want to get anyone in trouble so will say I think she may have misunderstood my getting out and about bit ? 

Thankyou for your help . You really are a tremendous support to us who don’t quite get what we’re doing wrong , ie explaining ourselves properly and what actully needs to be said , thankyou 

Hi Daisy , 
I just wanted to give you some encouragement I have had success with MR , you just need to write it out in a statement, make the point that you do go out more than 50% of the time with carer, if the carer can write a letter of support that would be good evidence. I would say you should make the point that you disagree with the assessor and why, explain that she has it wrong that is not the case and explain what is the case. I have had to apply twice for MR's and both times have been successful so it is very possible to succeed. Just set it all out clearly for them , if you need help can you get someone to assist you with writing it? then get it sent in within the time scale. They need to understand that they have based their decision on the wrong facts. Good luck!

poppy12345

Before requesting the MR you need to think about how often you do actually go out, doesn't matter where, could be anywhere. What they look at is what you do the majority of the time and i don't think you're taking that into consideration. You're thinking of the report being for someone else and not you and you're letting this get to you too much. It's not advisable to concentrate on the report when requesting the MR or Tribunal.

Spoonie_Turtle

Isn't it based on what you are able to do for the majority of the time, not necessarily what you actually do? If you don't have a carer or a reason to go out on most days, that shouldn't matter. It's more whether if you had to and you had someone accompanying, you *could*.

Daisy if you feel your circumstances haven't changed then there's no harm in requesting an MR. If that fails and you still believe you should get the higher award, you are well within your rights to appeal - but you definitely will need some external help for that.

You need to make clear that you can go out if you have enough support. If the reasoning for the decision is based on inaccuracies on the report, you can address that - e.g. if in the decision it is based on only having left the house once in the last year, tell them that's not correct because you've left the house however many times/however often.

Asking your carer to write a letter (but you need to check it before it's sent, just to make sure nothing contradicts what you've said) is a very good idea. Your examples at the top of the page of going out because your carer has encouraged you to are good as well - shows you can, but only with the necessary support.

Daisy2016

Thankyou for all your replies and help .
I haven’t been on because I’ve been perticuly bad this weekend . My carer is printing off the mandotory form today and also writing a letter for me .

thankyou again everyone