My PIP Assessment story

Muttleythefrog

poppy12345 said:

I did read your whole comment and not just the payment part. The reason i said what i did was because you complained, which is good and you were then offered a good will gesture.

As the sticky suggests at the top of the thread, this forum is for help with benefits entitlement.

And that's precisely what their post is about. It is a warning to other claimants on how they may fail to gain, or lose, entitlement through not just no fault of their own but by malicious actions of others. I did not interpret their post as complaining about the compensation amount - but frankly I would refuse it as laughable because the consequences had the claimant not been so on the ball could have run to severe harm as well as far greater financial loss and events like this should never repeat (I am being overly optimistic given I've read same before). That said I do like their laid out points where there was failure and that is refreshing to see and almost certainly that would have appeased me without any monetary compensation. But we already have seen plenty cases where failed claims or loss of entitlement has led to rapid decline in sick or disabled people.... now imagine someone deliberately sets that ball in motion, as a healthcare professional, to protect themselves.

As above.... staff can be unavailable... life is life...staff meetings... sickness... that can be managed.... albeit with some inconvenience just like the well documented overbooking... but this was well beyond inconvenience. This is about potentially destroying a disabled person's claim in order to preserve one's job. 

Obviously we have a very different interpretation of the seriousness of the events here which I do fear are repeated out there... after all.... who would you believe.... a qualified healthcare professional doing their job or let's imagine someone with mental health problems trying to get a bit of money. Well let me give you a starter for ten - I was not able to persuade an assessor I knew my own wife's name.

In the end we describe to claimants what the claim process here is.... it is only right that claimants also be advised how to deal with when the claims process isn't followed with propriety which as we know is a blooming big chunk of the subject of these threads or on advice boards elsewhere and it's people like you kindly spending your time advising them.

Fortunately in this case things ended well... the next person coming to the threads might be wondering what to do if their scheduled appointment was waited for but apparently didn't happen.... and I'm sure I keep hearing that reported here or elsewhere over the recent months... the sound advice material of the thread seems to be make quick intervention to state you were available for the assessment and await explanation (as happened for the second failing in their real example) or complain (as happened regarding the first failing in their real example). It'd be a damned shame if such useful advice were to... em... vanish.... as it has nothing to do with benefit policy (as the response from the assessment company itself clearly indicates - it was about failing to follow protocols at the assessment company)... it's about getting properly assessed for your entitlement and what to do if the assessment itself fails to materialise as scheduled. If someone comes to these boards and says they waited for a telephone/video assessment yesterday but received no contact I presume you or others would try to advise them what to do. 

ooogemaflip

Thank you Muttley 

Muttleythefrog

ooogemaflip said:

Thank you Muttley 

You post could be invaluable to other claimants and for that reason I would advise taking a copy of the text for use in other advice arenas (where it may be more easily referenced/durable). It shows that the claimant can be believed and get a result along with proper assessment and outcome but they may not be able to rely on passive systems to undo human error or wilful neglect of duty. More specifically if you expect an assessment call and do not receive such (giving some scope for it potentially coming later than planned in the day) then take a proactive line of complaining to deter a later determination you did not attend.

ooogemaflip

I have spread it around and got in touch with Fightback on facebook for advice on where to put it further

HillStreetBlues

I must be in a parallel universe when a real life example of how the benefit system can sometimes work isn't a help for future claimants. 

ooogemaflip

HillStreetBlues said:

I must be in a parallel universe when a real life example of how the benefit system can sometimes work isn't a help for future claimants. 

Sorry I do not understand your point

HillStreetBlues

ooogemaflip said:

Sorry I do not understand your point

My roundabout way of saying real life experiences (good or bad) can be helpful to any new claimants.

ooogemaflip

HillStreetBlues said:

ooogemaflip said:

Sorry I do not understand your point

My roundabout way of saying real life experiences (good or bad) can be helpful to any new claimants.

Awesome