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Scoring 0 on PIP assessment

dazahomestead

Although I presented myself in the usual fashion, no eye contact, earphones in, twitchy fingers, I still managed to score 0 in all categories.

Reading the report along with the decision, which came today in the post, was like reading a fairytale.

Ok, I can walk, I drive, I work, albeit part time, but anything to do with socializing, managing activities I'm unfamiliar with, new situations, unplanned events etc and I'm in pieces.

I'm not looking to freeload, I'm not looking to harm anyone, indeed all I want is a life to live that doesn't involve unnecessary complications with people.

The money most certainly wasn't the main point, although, I can't lie, it would help towards the cost of family living, all be it, the basics and most certainly not the luxuries, but it would have funded my private diagnosis.

The report was, if nothing else, an exaggeration, heavily tipped away from my favour. I had no intentions of misleading them, I'm very principled when it comes to honesty but reading it made me sound 'ordinary' 'average' 'neurotipical' to which I'm certainly not!

I read on this forum about how to challenge their decision making and with that I sent a letter this very afternoon!

I'd like to thank whoever it was that posted the link and details. Maybe I'm unrealistically stubborn, tell me something I don't know, but I don't back down from something I feel is unjust. More fool me as I tend to pick the losing side and might well run out of energy to fight before the first month of the year is even up, (that's January 2019, just to add context)

From reading past posts I don't think I'm alone on this. Has anyone else had any similar issues with PIP/Benefits? If so, did you get a positive resolution to it?

Parents

  • I', expecting my results shortly. Had the assessment on the 27th. As soon as I left, I made a list for the complaint!

    1. Asked "how does this affect you?" I didn't know what context or conditions she meant. I asked her to explain and she said "just tell me how it affects you". Friend tried to help but she shut her down. She only let her speak when I panicked. I tried to give an example of traveling and she said "we aren't doing that section yet".

    2. When she asked about medical treatment, she seemed to ignore that I haven't had a flu jab this year putting me at risk of bronchitis - and I have a medial history, and she didn't note missing the asthma test, or not seeking help earlier for anxiety or depression.

    3. She didn't ask why travel was difficult - in fact she barely went into the sensory issues. I tried to explain vision but she brushed it aside.

    4. I tried to explain about the lights and her typing and she brushed it off with "well I have to do it" without seeming to realise it was a sensory issue.

    5. Said her experience of autism is "they" are good at paying bills.

    6. Didn't seem to realise sensory issues change during the day - so not being able to coordinate in the mornings doesn't mean I can't in the evenings.

    7. Comments such as "you can't tie laces yet you can coordinate to type 12hrs a day?"

    8. Accepted that I can travel to 2 miles on a bus, but didn't seem to register the difficulties involved. Such as getting the right bus on the wrong side of the road, missing busses, not getting on them, etc. Not to mention getting lost when I am there!

    9. Didn't understand when I said I need to prepare for journeys anything up to a week in advance.

    10. Asked a lot of questions along the lines of "why do you do that?" which the only answer I could give was "autism". These questions seemed to be only answerable by clinical psychiatrists!

    11. It was explained my friend was there to help with communication yet she kept stopping her with "He needs to answer", or "It's not your assessment"

    12. Didn't seem to realise I needed to process the questions. At one point she said "we need to get a move on"

    13. On the form, travel issues were gone though in detail, yet the assessment was nearly 90mins and several buses into a strange city. Had I been going alone, I wouldn't have gone.

  • in reply to Candlewax

    That sounds like an unpleasant experience for you and the assessor sounds awful! I'm glad your complaining.

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