This is a story about Capita’s abject failure to adjust its PIP assessment procedures for people who need adjustments.
Here’s a Personal Independence Payment decision letter received last week by Sean (named changed), a man in his 50s who has Asperger’s and severe depression and anxiety:
You’ll see the letter says that Sean – a long-term Disability Living Allowance recipient – has been denied PIP altogether. He has been denied PIP, because, the letter says, Sean “failed to comply at the assessment centre,” (Sean was assessed for PIP at a Capita assessment centre in earlier this year). That would appear to be that.
Except that it is not. I think this is a significant decision. It is significant because it suggests that Sean’s PIP assessors made no allowances or adjustments for Sean’s mental health and problems dealing with stress at his assessment. Sean says that he got angry and upset at his PIP assessment and that the assessor cut the meeting short, because Sean was clearly not able to cope. Now, Sean has been told that the official interpretation of this event is that he failed to comply at his PIP assessment. He won’t get PIP as a result.
This makes me wonder. It certainly makes me wonder how things pan out for other PIP applicants who have complex spectrum diagnoses and mental health conditions, and who exhibit so-called challenging behaviour in stressful situations such as PIP assessments. Is it One Strike And You’re Out for everybody? Does Capita actually have processes in place to make sure that people who clearly struggle with assessments have other assessment options? Sean says that the Capita assessor suggested a home assessment when his face-to-face meeting was ended – but the home assessment never happened. It turned out that Sean and his GP were responsible for organising a home meeting themselves. (I rang the DWP to try and get to the bottom of all of this and the officer I spoke to said that was how the “system” worked). Sean didn’t realise this. The upshot was that a home visit never took place.
Now we have this mess.
And as I say, this mess begs questions about the way that a lot of PIP applications are processed and face-to-face assessments run. Is the DWP saying that anyone who has a mental health and/or spectrum condition and who finds stress very difficult will be excluded from benefits such as PIP if that person struggles with the stress of a face-to-face assessment? How much experience of a very wide range of conditions and behaviours do these PIP assessors really have? You’d hope that at the very least, a system existed where companies like Capita would pro-actively organise alternative assessment options for people who required a different approach – a paper-based assessment, perhaps, or a home visit with plenty of support. Instead, we have someone being eliminated from contention for income to which he previously was entitled.
I am no expert on Asperger’s and mental health myself, of course. I just want to know how expert Capita is. Or isn’t. I want Capita to invite me and a few others in and to take us through their protocols for dealing with these sorts of situations. I called Capita a couple of weeks ago to discuss this and I asked for copies of the protocols its assessors work to when assessing people in Sean’s situation. I’ve heard nothing back.
Let’s not forget the mill that Sean had been through before he got to this PIP assessment, either. Earlier this year, Sean received a DWP letter out of the blue which told him that his Disability Living Allowance would end and that he must apply for PIP. You can see an example of this letter below. This is the sort of letter that people with serious depression and anxiety get. First thing they see is the big heading in bold: “Your Disability Living Allowance is ending.” I think you could argue that these letters are unsafe. Absolutely no concession is made for that fact that the recipients might not be able to cope with that heading and the threat of the end of much-needed money. Sean and his partner (who has a schizophrenia diagnosis) have no support. Their social worker stopped attending several years ago, because of funding cuts. These people are on their own.
Meanwhile, the political class wonders why so many of us are pissed off at it. Well – yeah.
I am currently sat at home filling in my pip form, part of me is dreading any reply and assessment. I have severe allergies, which have almost killed me on a number of occasions. I cannot leave the house on my own because if I come into contact with an allergen, I have possibly a minute before I go unconscious, so I need someone on hand to give me my epipen very quickly. My hubby is schizophrenic, so has his own issues and he waits the post every day with dread to see when he has to change from DLA to pip. My mother was turned down flat for pip even though she had recently suffered a mental breakdown, and was undergoing chemotherapy at the time. We have a grown son with Aspergers who currently gets pip but is due for a renewal at any time. Our lives are on knife edges at present, all because of the DWP.
all your family seem to be on benefits no wonder the country is ruined, there were no benefits 60 years ago and people had to manage, it seems a lifestyle choice for many, have a little illness and get loads of cash? how does that help? they should all be made to contribute to society even in small ways not sit at home waiting for handouts
not being nasty just pragmatic
You are not pragmatic you are a disgrace. I hope the manager of this page either removes your disgusting comment or allows all responses to express fully how differently all decent people think. You however are a shameful waste of oxygen. In fact ‘frederick’ who cannot even choose a capitalised screen-name, you are a monster of ignorance and ingratitude. Ignorance, well that is self explanatory? Ingratitude because you whine taht disabled people ‘sit at home’ when but for THEIR being excluded by employers from the labour market it would be YOU col;d and starving. Good people’s lives would be less wasted if the disabled and sick people who are happy to work – and we are – could trade with the whining, puling spoilt brats who complain about going to work. What kind of person COMPLAINS that they have to go to work and that others are sick? Ingratitude: to the universe who gave you a healthy mind and body a privilege of western white wealth – which you use for moaning and bitching.
Do you know what is more disgraceful than sick people claiming benefits? Healthy people thinking it is their business. And ignorant healthy people at that. So, you have your health? what have you done with it except read the gutter press and absorb propaganda without any grasp of the facts. Earnt money -possibly – but without ever troubling to buy a book or get a degree in a subject that would give you a grasp of the realities of life or the wide open possibilities of decency and generosity.
No, there were no benefits 60 years ago and you can have no concept of people’s lives back then. Read a history book to discover what death was like then, what life was like then. Since you find yourself competent in your ignorance and shameless waste of a UK education to judge others, pray let a literature graduate and Disability Studies M.A. school YOU in manners and ethics. If you believe in a hierarchy of work and ability I hope you are about to cringe. and cringe you should even under a mere M.A. because your intellectual attainment so far by no stretch qualifies you to judge anyone.
You know nothing of these people -or any disabled people- beside the information they choose to give you. They have given the pertinent information relevant to a discussion of DLA and health conditions and nowhere in that is it relevant what their qualifications might be. You don’t provide proof of your educational attainments except through a lamentable lack of skill with grammar, punctuation or knowledge so why should they?
although i may agree with the content of some of your reply, the way you did it was callous, spiteful, vindictive and downright trolling at times.
You cannot expect to respond to someone who is dismissive of others by attempting to cancel them out with such a rude obnoxious bullying and condescending reply.
Then you go on and abuse their communication skills whilst purporting to defend those who he criticised. That was beyond disgraceful. Hypocritical even.
People may not agree with what someone says, but we should fight to the death for their right to say it.
Be nice to people. You just came across as a rude troll.
I am appalled by your view. People do not choose to become ill. We live in a society that protects those incapable of protecting themselves.
70 years ago there was no NHS. 100 years ago there was no state pension. 150 years ago children were forced to work in mines or clean chimneys. Shall we go back to those ‘good old days’?
For 10 years I was a single white male pouring oodles of tax into the country – happy to do so as I was able and capable. And also glad that some of the money was used to protect people like mel.
Pray you are never affected by a long-term debilitating illness.
As for me, I have MS and whilst I’m losing the ability to walk, I still work – facilitated by the help of the benefits system. As for my work, millions of people are positively affected every day by equipment I have designed.
In school I learned that the Victorians tried to abolish “outdoor poor relief” for the “able-bodied poor” and the disabled. Everyone who had previously received “outdoor poor relief” had to go live in the workhouse or lose their money. So it is factually incorrect to claim “there were no benefits 60 years ago”. However, it IS correct to suggest there were fewer cases of people receiving disability benefits because the disabled often lived in the workhouse instead.
Of died!! My mother’s family were from South Wales and risked their lives and their health
Working down the pit.During the great strike many families suffered with starvation and illness. Correctly
There was no health system or benefits, but as a result of malnutrition and poor housing my grandmother and gt. Aunt died from T.b which was rife at the time, they were only in their early thirties. Do we really want to go back to these times. Compassion is all thats needed, for those of us struck down with a progressive disease which isn’t my fault and gradually losing my ability to do those things I loved. I am now 60 and worked up until I was 55 and played my dues, as did my parents, my father fighting in the second world war. SO, DON’T tell me that I don’t deserve some help a t this stage of my life, I have hadn’t it.
You sbsolute bloody minded moron.. Never have I wished so much anguish on someone. Let us just think of the support you or a family member may need through a diagnoses of chronic illness or accident. Here’s hoping that you may strike good!!!
goodness me, that is just rude.
Fred, in the old days, schizophrenics were locked in asylums and a lot of people died very young. Is that what you’d wish for Mel’s family?
Please go to Change.org.uk – PIP is breaching UN Convention on rights of disabled.
1335 have signed this to-date and I will be lobbying MP’s. Catch Frances Ryan article in Guardian Monday 25th July on disabled being failed by an effective opposition in parliament and also on-line comment to be published on August 4th. I have set this campaign up because agree about danger. The whole PIP assessment process is entrapment of the vulnerable. The UN have sent UK Government a scathing report about just how disproportionate austerity is against the chronically sick and disabled.
I have suffered a mental breakdown and a lot of this was brought on by constant ESA assessments and one tribunal. After years of “fighting I am in the support group. An advocate helped with my DLA claim .. and also am diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome..I have been told in the future I would be reassessed for PIP change.
Everyday I am in a state of anxiety waiting for that PIP letter to arrive..
Jesus it’s terrible isn’t it? I agree, my life is often overwhelmed with anxiety over assessments, changes in the system. I had an assessment before, the nurse who saw me said she was a doctor. She missed out the fact that I was on interferon treatment. I was very ill. She also said that I appeared to be under the influence of drugs, I wasn’t, she never asked me if I was. She also lied about other things and I was turned down. I was terrified and had a breakdown. I won the tribunal, but never got to make a formal complaint, nowhere would listen to me. My pip in October scared me senseless. I was heavily pregnant and having awful problems in many areas of my life. I live in fear of the brown envelopes
Get a job.
Know what the word “disabled” means?
Clue in the comment: “I was very ill.”
Can you get a job when you’re VERY ILL? Have a guess, Dr Spock.
Job application form: “I haven’t left the bed for 6 months because I am VERY ILL, but oh yes I can come to McDonalds on Monday and stand at the counter for 10 hours serving chips.” Sound plausible, Dr Spock???
d spock
Why are you allowed to exist?, instead of brutalising people for being sick, maybe we should round up the ignorant and starve them out, theres a lot more of them than there is of us. The way I see it, get rid of you and your like, and the world will be better, less sickness, less depression and anxiety, less stress and those good people will then be able to take the job your probably not doing, do it better than you ever could and they’ll gladly help the sick that come after them. The way I see it, you are the problem. I’m 36 and disabled with MS, can’t work now, and I hate it, I have 2 degrees in Math and Chemistry, but of course some little jumped up genious would happily tell me I’m just lazy and to go get a job too. Oh yes, we’re the problem. The very sad thing is, you probably only wrote that to invoke a reaction and haven’t actually got the intelligence to really have any opinion on the matter, small life, small prospects, small mind. Sadly some people are just always going to be wastes. Get well soon, you are clearly sicker than us, I genuinely feel sorry for you. I hope your life improves and you find what makes you happy, I’d suggest seeing a councillor for your inner turmoil, see whats eating at you, but we can’t go throwing the countries money at sick people can we. All the best.
Bless you, PiP is so bad. I had my assessment booked for last Wednesday at 8.00 in the morning, I got up early had a shower with the help of my hubby and sat down to wait feeling anxious and nauseous through fear. I then had a call from the assessor who claimed she had taken the wrong turn so wouldn’t be arriving. Now I have to go through this again!!!!!
ATOS did a similar thing to mt daughter, who has Asperger’s and OCD. All the medical evidence said that she cannot cope with a face to face meeting. They said she will have to. They then said that they had tried ringing all the professionals involved in her care, but apparently “none of them answered the phone”. I rang them myself. None of them received a call. So ATOS et al can say whatever they like and they will get believed.
capita is a new name for atos and the government pays the assessors 25 pound for every person they kick off the system
It’s immoral to pay so-called “professionals” to remove disabled people’s benefits. It encourages corruption: there is a strong incentive to make the wrong decision in order to earn extra money.
What about when the right decision is YES you should get benefit? Surely that’s just as worthy of a reward?
The government should pay disabled people £25 every time they attend one of those stupid assessments. Except that £25 probably isn’t a high enough reward for the emotional scars they are left with, after undergoing humiliation at the hands of someone who makes money by destroying lives.
capita is a seperate company to atos not a new name, another player is Maximus an American company that use the name Heath Services to do assestments, though given the fact they do actually acknowledge a persons health issues that name is abhorent.
Yep, all three companies involved in this evil attack upon sick and disabled people.
I went for my assessment today. It was at 10:30, arrived at 10:10 to be told it would now be at 12 noon! The receptionist told me and another person waiting that all assessments were doubled booked as people didn’t turn up, she was about to ring people to rearrange their appointments (no doubt double booking again!)
I attended a PIP assessment yesterday with my partner, who has Aspergers. It was with ATOS. We saw a nurse, who blatantly didn’t have any experience of spectrum disorders as her manner of questioning towards my partner was terrible. He doesn’t like being asked too many questions, and when I’d filled out his PIP form I had pointed this out. She kept going on and on at him, asking him why he felt like this, why did he feel he had aspergers, why did he think it affected his life….just a constant stream of why, why, why. After 20 minutes of this he was starting to get very distracted, looking anywhere but at the nurse, becoming jittery and stuttering over his words, and relying on me more for answers. The nurse didn’t even pick up on his change in mood or tone or anything, she just kept on hammering out those questions.
He’s already on PIP for his Aspergers, however it seems the DWP think he should be cured by now, so needed him to be assessed again. Numerous psychologist, psychiatrist, specialist and other supporting reports weren’t good enough to prove that he is not cured and will never be cured. The whole process is demoralising, patronising and cruel. The whole process, in my opinion, was designed deliberately to tie my partner in knots, wind him up, and make him more stressed and anxious than he already was.
My partner came home from that assessment yesterday and went straight to bed, and has been in bed all day today, It has physically and emotionally battered him, and he’ll probably be the same tomorrow. But the DWP don’t care about that. They still think that because someone looks ok, they obviously are. Makes me so mad.
I guess the government don’t believe that Aspergers is real. If they believed in it, they wouldn’t think it could be “cured”. They would exempt people with Aspergers from assessments and they would believe the NHS doctor’s evidence the first time round.
I was award dla indefinitely and now been denied pip im left with being housebound and having to get rid of car due to no tax now I am totally disgusted with pip my assessor as lied althrough it and did over phone re assessment and still got a no am so depressed by it all
they also have premises such as the one in Northampton where there is no car park for the builing and you often have to park on the street some distance away as town centre building, asked for home visit told no, then after 3 months waiting for outcome had to have a second appt which was a home visit. – not impressed as daughter ended up bedridden for two weeks due to exertsion, as did I as I have spinal issues and struggle to walk.
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Very wrong that people are being deliberately hounded like this. But one of the major contributors to all this has been the utter uselessness of Labour in opposing the abolition of the Disability Living Allowance. Even now I don’t hear anything from Labour about changing any of this.
Alas all we hear from Labour atm the moment is a leadership crisis… that lack of functioning opposition right now is causing monumental problems. Have been discussing that with a number of people of late.
I lobbied all relevant MP’s 3 weeks ago about my outcome of my PIP assessment and they are opting out of any responsibility. They rely on the key whitewash from DWP about the appeal process but the appeal process is so flawed it is not fit for purpose. Most significant issue is how the Government have managed to stifle the press and not report on the scathing attack from the UN Convention on rights for the disabled about how austerity has led to a disproportionate hit against the chronically sick and disabled. I am being interviewed by Guardian reporter Frances Ryan for an article to be published on-line August 4th.
Don’t worry. I’ve heard about the UN’s verdict on the BBC News, and there was a discussion about it on “Newsnight”.
More nonsence more grounds for appeal,these tactics are not new,it is hoped the person will simply walk away and except what is said without any reconsideration.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/appeals/apply-to-tribunal/
I have been refused a home visit as I apparently don’t fit the criteria. I was allowed a homemvisit for my ESA claim and my condition has not changed. I sent in a detailed and thorough application detailing my severe difficulties in both travelling and contact with people, I also sent a letter frommmy NHS psychotherapist detailing why I wouod be at risk if I was not assessed at home. They ignored my request completely asked me to go to Manchester City Centre for an assessment, When my benefits advisor rang to complain that they appeared to have ignored medical evidence, they sent a letter dated the same day (my advisor rang at 3.15pm) alleging to have ‘reviewed all the evidence’ and wish me now to attend a hospital I’ve never been to, at rush hour for 8.10am. My benefits advisor rang again and now they say they will ‘consider’ a paper assessment, I expect that on Saturday morning, which is when all the ATOS letters come, I will be told that also was refused and that I must attend. I can’t as I will have a mental breakdown which I will not inflict upon myself. At that point, ATOS will have successfully bullied me off DLA/PIP.
All the letters come on Saturday mornings? I experienced that when I took my work to the tribunal for firing me. It was always on a SATURDAY that the dreaded brown envelope would arrive. I became accustomed to a sort of “work” mentality on a Saturday morning.
I found it amazing that the letters always hit me on a Saturday. I concluded the administrators must have put things off until the end of the week and then posted them on a Friday afternoon. (They would send everything first class, for some strange reason.)
It’s a pain, but at least we’re FREE on a Sunday!
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Speaking as an Aspergers’ sufferer, clinical depression comes as the baggage that accompanies AS. Sadly, the depression can’t be cured, only managed.
I am in my 9th week of waiting for mandatory reconsideration, despite my local MP also asking for reconsideration in early August. DWP cite a month. MP’s think the appeal process is complete long before the Motability car is repossessed. A DWP spokesperson told me Occupational Therapists are medically trained, they are not. No-one knows the truth and no-one takes responsibility. DWP are responsible for the ministerial correspondence team so even if you write to relevant Government MP’s, DWP reply with typical government mantra. I have now made a complaint to the Director General of Operations for DWP because some information was uploaded to my file that had nothing to do with me. This illicit transfer of information breaches data protection and has clearly held up my case yet I am not allowed to know what it was. DWP have far too much power to do as they please and are solely applying bias in favour of government targets. You are not allowed to be chronically sick or disabled any more.
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I have long term chronic illnesses recorded comprehensively by nhs records, nhs medical health care and nhs specialists since 1997. Both physical and mental disabilities impair my daily living and mobility.
The “atos” hcp has deliberated fabrications of lies and damaged me completely with pedantic personal judgements.
No account of my main illnesses or main disparities mentioned at all. All personal comments about how i looked neat and smelt nice.
i lost my benefts due to atos lies
I have been ill for a very long time i have diabetes type 2,degenerative disk disease,asthma,hypertension,arthritis and i suffer with depression anxiety and PTSD and still they tell me this should not affect my ability to work, I sometimes doubt their ability to assess anyone ,i don’t go out ,i shop at asda because they’re the only ones open at 3 in the morning ,i don’t drink or smoke and i rely on my benefits to keep my car on the road or i’d never leave the house ,i now have to use a oerching stool to do the washing up because i’ve fallen a couple of times when i stand at the sink ,and finally they’re not taking into account the affect the medication has on me either i bring my meds home in a carrier bag ,i think they pressure people to the point that they think it’s not worth it and take their own lives because they have no reasonable way to live
As mentioned elsewhere on this forum, they declare people fit to work when they’re not, in order to earn a £25 bonus.
Please look up the “Black Triangle Campaign” on the internet before thinking about ending your life. There is TONS of help and support on the internet with the sole aim of preventing suicides among people who lose their sick/disability benefits.
I have just been sent a letter that said my Daughter had been been refused PIP even though she has been on disability living allowance since she was 3 years old. According to the assessor my Daughter is able to able to to care for all her needs independently. My Daughter is partially sighted and apparently is able to walk unaided from college to home. The journey is over 3miles, would take over an hour to walk and the roads are so dangerous as they have no pavements and are major main roads which would risk causing death or severe injury if anybody walked along them . Not even a person with normal vision would walk this route. The Assessor appeared to be so friendly and managed to get my Daughter to say things that were clearly untrue. Despite me raising this I was completely ignored and even told to be quiet. I am now going to challenge this decision as I feel my views were completely disregarded. She has made no reference to my Daughters sight problems in her assessment
Received DWP decision letter today after attending ATOS face-to-face with my wife present in December. Despite being on two forms of anxiety medication, awaiting CBT, having recently needed to book myself into A&E to see a psychiatric specialist due to suicidal thoughts, and having to meet with a wellbeing co-ordinator once a week who is managing my re-socialisation programme, apparently according to them there’s nothing wrong with me and my claim was disallowed. The helpful DWP lady informed that none of the above was on the ATOS report, despite my wife being at the assessment as witness, and having to do most of the talking for me as I broke down both during and after the assessment.
We are all just at the mercy of the DWP quota system folks. It’s about time the people started to fight back let them know we’re not to treated as victims and scapegoats for budget cutting campaigns.
I’ve been reading a lot of these comments and the same has happened to me I’ve got mental health issues and i was on dla and I’m on esa too due to my mental health. When i got a letter for lol i filled it out and then i got capita sent me a letter for someone to assess me they gave me a post code on where i had to go for it i put the post code in the sat nav but the sat nav said it wasn’t a real post code i was with my partner driving around trying to find the place in the end i was getting angry and couldn’t find the place i came home rang capita straight back and told them that i had been given the wrong post code and because of that i missed my assessment so they said they would do a home visit and that i would get a phone call to arrange a day and time i waited weeks with no reply in the end i got a letter from pip saying i cant have pip because me getting given the wrong post code wasn’t a good enough reason and to top it off i still to this day haven’t been assessed can they do that or have I been unfairly treated I’m thinking of taking it to court and all this happend last November and no one still hasn’t been in touch thanks Danny
Have you still got the letter with the incorrect postcode? If so, then definitely appeal..take it further as you were treated abysmally! And you were rejected without even having been assessed. No words.
I had my assessment last Saturday, so it’s only been a week. I’m not expecting a decision just yet. Though having read many replies and others experiences, I am not in any way hopeful of a positive outcome. The master plan is to get as many people removed from receiving disability benefits of any kind. It’s all about money, there is no care.
I had a pip assessment recently and everyone had to wait or come back in two hours “because the computer system went down in one of the buildings”. I noticed that staff were telling people to go to the building opposite whichever one they initially went to. I had to go in various buildings three times. So, people with physical disabilities will be caught on camera “being able to walk” but they might be struggling cuz no alternative is provided, no reasonable adjustments. And ayos/capita use camera footage as evidence both outside and inside buildings.
I had my PIP assessment terminated because I was anxious and agitated and found the pace of the assessment difficult. I said that the assessment was making me stressed and the nurse threw her hands up in the air and said she was terminating the assessment because I made her feel unsafe. She wrote a letter to my GP saying I was irrational. This is not true. My PIP decision is going to be made without an assessment and I’m not sure how they can do that.
I went with my Daughter to a PIP last November and she was completely turned down for Pip. The assessor with ATOS was awful and managed to manipulate my daughter in saying things that were completely wrong. My daughter had previously had a life time DLA award. To cut a long story short we took the case to tribunal and won. I know it is often difficult and daunting but if you feel you have a case it is definitely worth doing. The tribunal judges are not influenced by the DWP and will assess each case independently. We were able to get support from the CAB. I think the DWP aim to intimidate and put people off so that they won’t take things any further but it is worth pursuiing.
hi i suffer from schizophrenia i would just like to say that i am housebound and my partner filled in the pip assesment forms sent them off .they sent a letter back for an home visit at 8.00 in the morning 5/12/2017 i have been deeply stressed by this and what a time 8.00 morning ? . well having been stressed with anxiety attacks which lead to voices and a very unsettling state of mind my partner care got me up at 7.30. we waited my 8.15 8.30 at 8.40 my partner contacted them only to hear that the psyciatric nurse which they never stated was off sick ….
having apologised thet said to go about our daily business as usual. this made me very angry anxious and nearly in tears. they rang back but my partner went for a sleep i did not want to answer in case i said the wrong things. when she awoke i told her and she rang them back. they told her that they had rescheduled the appointment for the 14/12/2017 . i am stunned and lost for words can anyone please please advise me on what to do about this its absolutly disgraceful.
Write a complaint to the assessment company, DWP and your MP. If they turn you down for benefit, write to them asking for a Mandatory Reconsideration. Go to Citizens Advice. Vote Labour.
Also, they’d have fun trying that one on me because I don’t answer the phone!
I had a pip assessment terminated and I was shouted at by the assessor stating I was being difficult . Upon entering the assessment room the assessor demanded that i showed her my phone and that i had to turn it off and place in front of her as she was told i would be recording she then threatened me saying if I did not show her my phone and turn it off that she would not even start my assessment .
I turned my phone off and places it in front of her .
The assessor than didnt even identify me in any way or ask to see any paperwork or identification , she sat at the desk and proceeded to type away on her laptop, the 1st question I was asked was what causes my medical condition ?? I didnt understand the question and asked the assessor to elaborate, she then said as an example is my condition caused by weather ! ?? I said no ! I have a rare connective tissue disorder and because of my medical condition I have been diagnosed as having servior arthrallgia in all of my joints and that temperature changes can effect my arthritis but that weather changes do not cause my condition . The assessor then said ok well I’m going to put weather down for that ! ?? I asked for what and she responded with what causes my condition . I then responded by saying I’m sorry but that is not the answer that I gave you and you can not put down that weather causes my medical condition . I was then shouted at by the assessor stating I’m being very difficult and if I refuse to let her put weather down as the answer that she would terminate my assessment .
The assessor then terminated my assessment !. I then went into the waiting area and asked the secretary for information on how to make a complaint . The assessor then came threw into reception shouting at me saying to leave the building and for the secretary to not give me the information to make a complaint .. at this time the security guard who had been sitting on the other side of the door during my 10 minutes of my assessment was standing beside me in reception and witnessed everything and how the assessor was shouting at me to leave the building . I very calmly turned to the security guard and said . I’m sorry but I have not raised my voice once , I’ve not been dissrispecfull in any way and I do not understand why I was being met with such agression from the assessor and had he witnessed anything that would warrent the assessors reaction . The security guard stated No and looked shocked at the assessors manner . The security guard then gave me his information and so did the secretary ( there names and positions etc). stating they did not understand why she was being the way she was and apologised to me . I then made a complaint to which I was told a statement could not be taken from me and that I would be contacted within 21 days in order to get a statement from me .
I waited and waited but nobody contacted me . I called back on the 21st day and was told it’s too late and that no additional information would be taken from me .
I then awaited for there results via post . During this time I received a new assessment date . Upon misreading my assessment paperwork I did not see that it stated venue with my address next to it , I called Captia to find out where my next assessment was as I could only see a time and date on my letter, they could not find this information , i was asked to provide the ref on the letter which i did and was then put on hold .
After being on hold for 5 minuets I was told that this new assessment had been cancelled by them and that I would be sent to an assessment in birmingham , this is around 15-20 miles away from my home , I then asked as to why my home assesment was cancled and why I was being sent so far away as there is an assesment office at the end of the road I live on .. I was told it was because of the danger I opose to the assessors , I have never had a criminal record or ever been in trouble with the police , I’ve no history of agression or violence towards anybody yet the assessor that was under investigation had said that she terminated my assessment because i attacked her during my assesment . As i have read many tales of how these so called assessors have conducted themselves i requested to sit in a room at my local council with a welfare manager present who listened to the entire phone call. When I stated that I can not attend a 3rd floor appointment in birmingham and asked to change location and date I was refused!
Even tho I have the right to request a change if needed , captia refused to change assesment location and date/time stating it had all ready been changed , I aid I have not changed anything and that they had changed assesment location from a home visit , this was agreed by captia that on the day of receiving my new date they had all read cancled and that was my 1 chance to change date and location , not by me but they used my 1 time to change. This was all witnessed by my local council members of staff who sat listening to my telephone conversation with captia on speaker. I then stated I was passing on the phone and give full permission for the person about to speak on my behalf ( manager local council) how there voices changed
They stated they had not told me they have terminated a home visit even tho my representativ e heard this herself , that they never told me I could not change assesment time/date/location even tho she had also witnessed this .
I have now had my assessment and I am awaiting my results.
I have never been more insulted in my life !!!!!
Investigation into the conduct of the assessor states that during my assesment she found me fiddling with something and found I was trying to record covertly ! Out right Lie!!! My phone was turned off from the start and placed in front of the assessor … there is no mention what so ever of an attack to which my home visit was cancled and refused due to the danger I apose to the assessors , that after speaking with the assessor she then remembered additional information at a later time which I’ve still kot been told.. when I have phoned back to ask how can she change and add information yet everything I tryed to raise the complaint about was not take down or even investigated , there findings are impartial and that they dont pic sides lols when I stated that my phone was off befor assesment even started i was told that this is not what the assessor has said and that there upholding her versions of events . Discusting !!! I have never been so offended , I’ve been accused of attacking a woman with no police called m no records of an incident and I have details of the security guard that wrote no report as nothing happened . When I asked why these people were not asked to give information of what they saw I have been told that the secretary and security guard are temp staff and they would be able to find out who they were . I gave them there names and they still said they can not look into this any further now and that captia are unable to know who was on shift on that day . Total joke , ridiculous lies !! As if they dont know who there staff are be it temp or fulltime ..
Where do I turn to ??
What should I do when a corrupt service is investigating themselves
I’ve just had my PIP telephone assessment, phew… that was exhausting, a thousand and one questions about my life, plus already filled in the massive form. I don’t know why they think it is necessary to ask all those specific questions when all they have to do is get confirmation of your health condition/illnesses/diagnosis from your GPs and Hospital consultant and that obviously shows the ways in which your daily existence can be affected. All they have to do is Google the illness and read what it says about causes, effects, symptoms, medicine and side effects etc. Why spend an hour on the phone asking me?