Urban75 Home About Offline BrixtonBuzz Contact

Atos Medicals - Questions, Answers and Support

Letter sent 13th, arrived 16th (staff here only just let me know I had post) - PIP assessment on the 25th. I told them I needed AT LEAST a fortnight's notice to arrange for my support worker to come with me and he's not even in 'til the 28th, so I'm going to have to rearrange (if any staff will phone for me - today they refused because I could "do it myself" :facepalm: ). Bet they book the next one for a date I can't do too :mad:
 
Oh and I'm also stressing because the assessment is just down the road, not up in Lewes like I was told it would be. It's one of my 'safe' roads - know it well, always quiet, close to home if I need to escape - so I'm worried my assessor will have seen me walking past and assume I'm lying about the difficulties I have getting around :rolleyes:
 
iona said:
Oh and I'm also stressing because the assessment is just down the road, not up in Lewes like I was told it would be. It's one of my 'safe' roads - know it well, always quiet, close to home if I need to escape - so I'm worried my assessor will have seen me walking past and assume I'm lying about the difficulties I have getting around :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
I'd be surprised if people paid that much attention if it's their workplace, suspect they're too busy concentrating on getting in on time or are in a rush to get home. Please try not to worry x
 
Well that's one problem sorted. It seems it pays to keep pushing for a home visit as the bastards have given in and decided to do a paper assessment instead so I've been put in the ESA support group. :)

Do I get a copy of the breakdown to see what points were awarded for what to use as evidence to back up my PIP claim? and also as evidence that the PIP department are defrauding claimants? :)
 
WouldBe said:
Well that's one problem sorted. It seems it pays to keep pushing for a home visit as the bastards have given in and decided to do a paper assessment instead so I've been put in the ESA support group. :)

Do I get a copy of the breakdown to see what points were awarded for what to use as evidence to back up my PIP claim? and also as evidence that the PIP department are defrauding claimants? :)
Click to expand...

They are supposed to send you the basis of your decision, so if it doesn't turn up in the next 10 working days, phone them and chuck shit at them!
 
WouldBe said:
Well that's one problem sorted. It seems it pays to keep pushing for a home visit as the bastards have given in and decided to do a paper assessment instead so I've been put in the ESA support group. :)

Do I get a copy of the breakdown to see what points were awarded for what to use as evidence to back up my PIP claim? and also as evidence that the PIP department are defrauding claimants? :)
Click to expand...
Hurrah!! Victory is yours! Jolly well done :)

Did you manage to get that overpayment bollocks sorted as well?
 
ViolentPanda said:
Like I said, they're supposed to, but like you, I've only ever had them when I've appealed a decision.
Click to expand...

I used a template from the Benefits & Work website that referred them to the Freedom of Information Act and asked for all decisions,correspondence, emails etc relating to the decision.
They still never actually answered it but included it (kind of) in an appeal pack.

It all sounds a bit dubious and secret to me but we shouldn't be surprised by that bunch of arseholes.
 
WouldBe said:
Another brown envelope this morning. DWP have dropped the £50 fine for not telling them about what they did. :)

Still got to repay the overpayment though until my PIP gets sorted.

As Meatloaf said "2 out of 3 ain't bad" so far. :)
Click to expand...
perhaps you should write to them telling them they have sent a letter informing you that they dropped the £50 fine...
 
Good news WouldBe on the Support Group decision, and on them dropping the £50 fine. I hope it comes in three's and you eventually get a good outcome on the PIP tribunal as well.

Latest on my PIP, my MR was rejected (I asked for MR re them stopping my DLA for 'failure to attend' my medical). I used the DWP criteria for determining whether I had 'good reason' for failing to attend (thanks Jackobi ), which I thought I did (but they obviously didn't, or just rejected it cos that's what they do with 80% of MR's or whatever the figure is :mad: , I forget) I am now preparing an appeal against that decision. I've asked for help from Benefits and Work, and will probably go to CAB as well (although as equationgirl says you have to strike lucky with the right advisor who knows their stuff about PIP and appeals, and previously I've spoken to someone who wasn't sufficiently clued up, and B&W have been better).

Good luck and strength to anyone currently slogging through a fight with this bastard system. As Ken Butler of Disability Rights UK said in an article I'm going to post in the 'Campaign against welfare cuts and poverty' thread... "The system now only functions really to put people off going any further – the whole process is quite lengthy and stressful." Exactly that :mad:

Edit: the 80% figure for rejected MR's is correct, I checked
 
Last edited:
Just won my PIP appeal folks :)

Went for a paper appeal this time as really weren't up for going through my whole life story again, only just finished an ESA appeal.

Interesting because the DWP referred to the ESA Health Assessment in their decision. When I pointed out in Mandatory that the information from that assessment was flawed that's why a legal decision was made to set aside that decision, they then pulled out the "oh ESA and PIP are different " chestnut.
I pointed this out in my appeal and asked if that is the case then why have they used information from the ESA claim to decide my PIP entitlement.

One more point I refused to do the silly little physical "test" for the PIP assessment and told the HP (lol) that I was refusing because there was enough evidence from more accurate tests done by specialists and consultants for them to refer to.

I was only one point short of mobility but got enough points for standard care. I'm happy with that tbh as I don't have to worry about HB/CTB Non-Dep charges for my teenage children now.

Lengthy and Stressful yes, as chainsawjob has mentioned above, but worth it every time one of us proves that their evil ways will not always prevail. Good luck everyone, I'll be keeping an eye on this thread of course to support you all.
 
I had a letter yesterday from my MP. It appears that the MP's assistant e-mailed the DWP for a mandatory reconsideration of the fine. It took the DWP all of 3 days to reconsider their decision. :eek: This must be some sort of record.

Perhaps we should put all mandatory reconsiderations through our MP's. It would speed up the process and make the MP's fully aware of what shit the DWP are causing claimants.

I've received a letter this morning from the tribunals service. I've finally got my PIP tribunal at the start of October. 15 months after I had my F2F assessment. :eek: :mad:
 
Good news on your MP's intervention WouldBe. I'd been thinking of doing the same, and am writing a letter to them now (still unsure if I'll send it). My MP is doesn't represent my views at all, but has been involved in a specific mental health campaign.

15 months is shocking, but at least there is a date now. I've had similar waits for ESA F2Fs (after returning my ESA50), but not had a tribunal before. You're right, all this dragging out causes us a lot of shit and stress.

So I've got a week to get my appeal to the Tribunal Service, so I'm getting on with it now. I'm waiting for a call back from the CAB (rang them Tuesday and they hoped to get back to me by the end of the week), and I've have a bit of advice from Benefits & Work, although they said they didn't really know what to advise, except I've got to try and prove 'good reason' for not attending the F2F. So I'm going to have another look at the criteria, and have a better go at trying to prove they didn't abide by their own rules. Knowing that 80% of MR's get turned down anyway, it probably didn't matter what I put :rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
Turned up for my PIP assessment at 1:15 and told they were having staffing issues so I'd have to wait until half two, maybe three if I wanted to be seen today - "Oh, we've been trying to call you all morning. We must have the wrong number..." Funny, my phone's been on all day with no missed calls and it rung straight away when they tried calling it to check the number they had. I'm sure they wouldn't just make that up because I'd brought a support worker with me though, would they?! :hmm:

Going back on the 19th :rolleyes:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

ska invita
  • Poll
Do you support the UK increase in the military budget?
4 5 6 7 8
Replies
211
Views
7K
weltweit
weltweit
C
Protest outside Old Bailey in support of Constance Marten & Mark Gordon
9 10 11 12 13
Replies
369
Views
13K
krtek a houby
krtek a houby
Dystopiary
Hatred against people on disability benefits getting ramped up again
2 3 4 5 6
Replies
152
Views
8K
Orang Utan
Orang Utan
ash
Another Brexit benefit- using Wi-Fi in Europe
2
Replies
51
Views
2K
Elpenor
Elpenor
C
Housing Benefit Abolished
2 3
Replies
79
Views
3K
Anju
Anju
Back
Top Bottom