No change for PIP review

Alice_Holt

andy29_2 said:

Thank you so much for all the replies, it's so helpful. I will get in contact with the CAB, but I think I'll just do my best with this first form. I did my absolute best with the original "how your disability affects you" form with the help of a disability charity and other mental health workers and there's not really anything I can add five years on. I already described my typical day with the points in mind, filled extra pages with writing etc. I don't know what else I could tell them just like back then. All I can do is repeat it, other than trying to word it better. Especially if I'll likely need an assessment anyway. I'll make sure I try to have help at that point but even with my original assessment I had a mental health worker come with me. In the end all the above wasn't enough to avoid a tribunal last time.

This is making my head spin Will they have access to the evidence I sent after the original mandatory reconsideration (so only the tribunal saw)? Will they have access to all the original evidence I sent which I can ask them to refer to?

   It's unlikely, I think, that a DWP decision maker will dig out the tribunal documentation and certainty the ATOS / Capita assessor won't have that. 
  Hence my earlier suggestion to include a copy of the tribunal decision notice with the form.
 If you still have contact with the Mental Health Team / Mental Health Nurse from your surgery / etc it may be worth seeing if they can confirm that your conditions have not improved since the last assessment. 

peteuk

Alice_Holt said:

   It's unlikely, I think, that a DWP decision maker will dig out the tribunal documentation and certainty the ATOS / Capita assessor won't have that. 
  Hence my earlier suggestion to include a copy of the tribunal decision notice with the form.
 If you still have contact with the Mental Health Team / Mental Health Nurse from your surgery / etc it may be worth seeing if they can confirm that your conditions have not improved since the last assessment. 

PIP assessors have access to your HMRC/DWP account via your national insurance number.  All related documents are held electronically so prior to a pip assessment they are meant to review previous pip assessments.  Tribunal docs are there but i was always told to ignore them.  But that doesnt make sense to me, because if I look at a previous assessment, assess the claimant and come up with the same assessment.  If the original assessment was overturned at tribunal then surly lets safe time and i can take that into account.

andy29_2

peteuk said:

PIP assessors have access to your HMRC/DWP account via your national insurance number.  All related documents are held electronically so prior to a pip assessment they are meant to review previous pip assessments.  Tribunal docs are there but i was always told to ignore them.  But that doesnt make sense to me, because if I look at a previous assessment, assess the claimant and come up with the same assessment.  If the original assessment was overturned at tribunal then surly lets safe time and i can take that into account.

As a claimant it's ridiculous, in my case I obviously told them something or showed them in some way that I should get many more points than the assessor gave. Maybe it was in response to a question they asked, maybe it was down to the panel's knowledge. Who knows? And it's worrying because I may not say or do things in the same way next time and lose it all. As you say why not be able to take it into account... even if it needs to be confirmed that there's no change then at least take a shorter path. Another assessment and mandatory reconsideration looking at the same answers and giving the same rejections is such a waste of time and money, for them and for the claimant. Of course I have my opinion on why it's done like that...

I did expect they'd have all the previous information the the computer system so that's good.

Alice_Holt said:

It's unlikely, I think, that a DWP decision maker will dig out the tribunal documentation and certainty the ATOS / Capita assessor won't have that. 
  Hence my earlier suggestion to include a copy of the tribunal decision notice with the form.
 If you still have contact with the Mental Health Team / Mental Health Nurse from your surgery / etc it may be worth seeing if they can confirm that your conditions have not improved since the last assessment. 

I have included the original trubinal decision notice and I'm glad you pointed it out because I didn't think of that. I wouldn't have had time to talk to the CAB, doctor etc. properly even with an extension, so I'll get that going for the assessment I expect I'll need.

Interesting what Poppy said about usually needing reapply with tribunal awards, all I know is I've been sent the "it's time to review your claim" form!

It's sent now so thank you for all the help and I'll see what happens next. The advice you all have is fantastic

peteuk

@andy29_2 (sorry havent worked out how to cut quotes quickly) 

Its hard to give examples but  a PIP assessor has to mention the previous assessment usually in the first line of the descriptor as "Previous PIP assessment dated XX-XX scored X points."

If they then find the same they wont write much of an assessment as they agreed with the previous assessment. But if they don't look at the previous tribunal decision they wont know if it was upheld or not, unless the claimant mentions it on the assessment questionnaire.  SO its setting up the claimant to go through the whole process again, unless the DM notes it. 

Obviously if you score 0 for something as this isn't effected by your condition and still isn't then its a simple questions and one line in the assessment. 

 

andy29_2

Just delete the bits you don't need when it puts it into your reply

I did gently mention to them that the tribunal awarded me 8 points while the assessment gave me 2 as well as sending that decision notice. I think it's all going to depend on whether they take any notice of it or not. Hopefully it'll help but what can I do...

Sncjw

When I did my initial pip claim this time round I sought help from welfare people at the council. As previous claimed were only given 2 points due to hearing aid. The new claim was because I have a cochlear implant and can't hear anything without ci and the restrictions j have with that. 

Anyways when it came to my renewed I didn't have a lot of time as I had recently got married and I was due to go on honeymoon two weeks after the wedding and they wanted the form when I was away..also due to.short notice I couldn't get help..

So I sat down a treated it like a new claim and compared what was written in initial claim. I did have extra issues due to cholesteatoma surgery on my other ear and I can't get it wet so I can only use use a shower and protect ear. I also made sure I sent photocopies of letters I had since my first assessment to the time.of renewal to cover me..I expected to get a face to face assessment but I didn't have to wait long to find they extended my pip for 5 years and also upgraded me from standard mobility to enhanced. Sadly not the criteria where I can get a blue badge.

Blue badge would help me sp much on car parks as sometimes I can't hear a car behind me and my husband has had to pull me aside quickly..

Spoonie_Turtle

Sncjw said:

… upgraded me from standard mobility to enhanced. Sadly not the criteria where I can get a blue badge.

Blue badge would help me sp much on car parks as sometimes I can't hear a car behind me and my husband has had to pull me aside quickly..

What descriptor(s) did they award you for mobility?

You can apply for a Blue Badge even if you don't get it automatically through PIP, if any of the qualifying criteria apply.  For applying on safety grounds maybe advice from CAB would be best.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-badge-can-i-get-one/can-i-get-a-blue-badge#people-who-may-get-a-blue-badge

born_again

Sncjw said: Sadly not the criteria where I can get a blue badge.

Blue badge would help me sp much on car parks as sometimes I can't hear a car behind me and my husband has had to pull me aside quickly..

Mrs got a blue badge before she got PIP. Just put in a claim via local council, link below, send you to your local council.

https://www.gov.uk/apply-blue-badge


No offense to you, but many people with normal hearing, fail to notice cars behind them in car parks. Mine even has a reversing beep & people still walk behind while I'm reversing.

Sncjw

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Sncjw said:

… upgraded me from standard mobility to enhanced. Sadly not the criteria where I can get a blue badge.

Blue badge would help me sp much on car parks as sometimes I can't hear a car behind me and my husband has had to pull me aside quickly..

What descriptor(s) did they award you for mobility?

You can apply for a Blue Badge even if you don't get it automatically through PIP, if any of the qualifying criteria apply.  For applying on safety grounds maybe advice from CAB would be best.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-badge-can-i-get-one/can-i-get-a-blue-badge#people-who-may-get-a-blue-badge

Ivw tried but they said no even on safety grounds.