What to expect from a PIP assessment?

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Designer_Reason73@reddit

A few of the questions they nearly always asks is

Do you work

How did you get here

Do you have a pet / dog

if your disability is mainly mobility related Most likely you will be taken into a room that is right at the end of a corridor

There may even be a few small steps you have to manage

But if you walk into the assement and you are able to walk to the room even using a aid like a stick and get up a few stairs and down them when you leave

It’s very likely that they will say you have no problem in walking and getting up and down steps as it’s over 50 meters from the reception to the assement room

In the assement room they often have you to sit in a chain with no arms ( this shows you can sit comfortably in a chair with minimal or no support )

They might ask you to get up on the medical couch if they have one in the room

By doing this they are assessing your ability to stand and sit on a raised bed unaided

Even the clothes you wear they can assume stuff

Like if you are wearing trainers with laces

They will assume that you can bend down to put on the trainers & tie up the laces

This requires dexterity in your hands

Same for if you have buttons on your top

If they ask if you have a dog and if you say yes

Then they will assume that you can walk the dog with no mobility issues

Hold a lead so no dexterity in your hands

That your able to bend down to pick up Pooh and stand back up so no real issues with bending and standing unaided

They might also assume that you can go out on your own follow and plan a route for you walk your dog

Even when you arrive and you have to sign in a book ( not sure if this is still the case ) but they will take that as you have no problems with your hands

If they ask how you got to the assement center and you say you drove

They will assume that you can follow & plan a route easily

That you can use your hands feet & body to drive your car therefore you have no real mobility issues

I’ve gone with a few friends and family on both PIP the old ESA assessments and they have been pretty similar in the way they ask questions

Although this was pre Covid so they may have changed the way they do assement

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VagueNostalgicRamble@reddit

Adding to all the above, we've experienced them outright lying on the report.

My wife went for a face to face assessment a few years ago where she was kept waiting for an hour past her appointment, then someone came out eventually and told her that the person doing the assessments was off that day so they'd have to cancel and reschedule for some point on the future.

My wife was exhausted and in pain just getting there, so this news broke her. She broke down in tears, called me crying, asking me to come and pick her up... By the time I got there they had managed to "find" someone to do the assessment after all so I waited with the car.

My wife eventually came out still visibly upset.

When we got the report back, as well as all the above tricks, they had put on it that she was "happy and in good spirits" throughout.

Took us 18 months of arguing and an eventual tribunal to correct their bullshit and get the right decision. Absolute farce of a system.

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Aggressive-Waltz1126@reddit

This puts a lot of things from my assessment last year into perspective!

My assessment room felt like it was miles away and it would have taken forever to get there if I wasn't in my power chair. There were also 2 chairs in the room, one with and one without arms.

Take someone with you and have them help you like it's your worst day, chances are it will feel like a really bad day anyway with the stress.

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Designer_Reason73@reddit

It’s really knowing what they are doing and why they are asking you such a question

Once you understand it it’s not hard to answer when being assessed

I would always always recommend taking someone with you if you can

I have over the years filled out a fair amount of these forms and gone with friends and family’s to reviews and they have all been successful in getting the award they needed

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Designer_Reason73@reddit

Yep I have gone on quite a few ( pre Covid ) with friends so wasn’t sure if they do the same

But i sussed pretty quickly how they assess you and a lot of it in face to face is

Although the questions you get asked you might think why are they asking if i have a dog or do i watch tv

They all mean you can do something which might contradict what you wrote on the form

Even carrying a folder with medical info in will mean you have no problems with your hands as you can hold it

Sitting in a chair for a min for say 30 mins while they go through the form could mean you a capable of sitting at a chair In work with no discomfort

If they ask do you watch tv and you say yeah I watch coronation street

They will assume that you have no problems concentrating and watching stuff and that as a minimum you can sit and watch comfortably for 30 mins

If for example your a women and you have nail polish on hair brushed and say in up a pony tail

They will assume that you painted your nails yourself so no problems with dexterity in your hands And that you can put your hands up behind your head to put your hair in a pony tail in place

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DameKumquat@reddit

This is all accurate - basically for each relevant question on the form, you have to explain why you can't do X Repeatedly, Reliably, Safely, to a Reasonable Standard and in a Reasonable Time. And why the 'obvious' solution isn't an option, eg I can't stand for long enough at the cooker to fry an egg. I tried a perching stool but don't have enough balance to stay on it so that didn't work.

So don't be pressured to try to walk faster than is comfortable. Feel free to ask for someone's medical qualifications and do refuse to move your body in any way that will cause pain.

Take your application form text with you and have notes so you can point out for every question what you actually can't do, eg I only managed to dress myself because I have clothes selected so there's no buttons, it takes me half an hour to put on a bra, I can't put on earrings, etc. Similarly for food, they can assume you are content on microwave meals unless you tell them you used to cook a Sunday roast and now can't slice/chop/lift the heavy pan, etc.

If you can take anyone with you, I highly recommend it. I've not had trouble myself but I suspect both me and spouse introducing ourselves as Dr X helps hugely.

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LilacRose32@reddit

Mine was a few years ago but was essentially answering the same questions; but in person and with clarification where needed.

The lady was quite sympathetic and the outcome was no change for me.

I will caveat that I am severely visually impaired/blind which is easier to medically evidence and for random people to imagine than many other conditions.

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HiddenSynner@reddit

You tell them how you struggle in each of the sections. Include even things you would consider normal for you but are caused by your condition.

Also give them information on good and bad days you may do fine one day and struggle the next.

They will not take for example I don't like people on a form as an answer they will however take a more detailed example of the exact struggles involved with that task such as not being able to enter a bus, or having to avoid crowded spaces and the physical effects.

I provided as much detail as possible and also added 10 extra pages as there was not enough space to fully explain the situation. You would be surprised at some of the things you get points for that to me would seem pretty tiny details.

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