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Looming face to face assessment with Atos
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7 years 4 months ago #176333 by Confusedappointee
Looming face to face assessment with Atos was created by Confusedappointee
Hello,
I am a new member here. My son has ASC and Sensory processing disorder and Hyperacusis which is an acute sensitivity to Sound. He has recently turned 16yrs and as his appointee been advised that he will no longer get DLA both at higher rate (mobility part was awarded at Tribunal) for indefinite and I have applied for PIP on his behalf. I have just received a letter stating that there will be a face to face assessment at our home during the day when he will be at school. I am not sure what to do and also my son suffers from acute anxiety due to his sensory disorder. He cant walk on the street without having a meltdown and notability car has been a God send. His understanding is not typical as well and just telling him there will be an assessment got him very anxious already. Will they talk to my son though me or will the questioning be directed to him? DWP already recognized me as his appointee so not sure why they would put him through this highly stressful situation. Please can somebody advice me on how to proceed?
Thanking you in advance.
I am a new member here. My son has ASC and Sensory processing disorder and Hyperacusis which is an acute sensitivity to Sound. He has recently turned 16yrs and as his appointee been advised that he will no longer get DLA both at higher rate (mobility part was awarded at Tribunal) for indefinite and I have applied for PIP on his behalf. I have just received a letter stating that there will be a face to face assessment at our home during the day when he will be at school. I am not sure what to do and also my son suffers from acute anxiety due to his sensory disorder. He cant walk on the street without having a meltdown and notability car has been a God send. His understanding is not typical as well and just telling him there will be an assessment got him very anxious already. Will they talk to my son though me or will the questioning be directed to him? DWP already recognized me as his appointee so not sure why they would put him through this highly stressful situation. Please can somebody advice me on how to proceed?
Thanking you in advance.
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7 years 4 months ago #176335 by Gordon
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
Replied by Gordon on topic Looming face to face assessment with Atos
Confusedappointee
Welcome to the forum, you might want to have a look at the following FAQ which explain where everything is
Welcome to Benefits and Work
If you have not already done so have a look at the PIP Claim guide as well as explaining what the assessment criteria are it also covers the assessment process and the questions likely to be asked.
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/help-for-claimants/pip
The assessor is going to want to question your son if he is capable of responding and has insight in to his conditions, normally a companion would not be allowed to speak during the assessment but as his appointee this should not be a problem, but you should speak to the assessor on arrival and make sure that they know that you are his appointee and will, where necessary provide comment on your son's problems.
Moderators are only online at certain times, but you can still post questions over the weekend but they will not appear in the forum until they are approved.
Gordon
Welcome to the forum, you might want to have a look at the following FAQ which explain where everything is
Welcome to Benefits and Work
If you have not already done so have a look at the PIP Claim guide as well as explaining what the assessment criteria are it also covers the assessment process and the questions likely to be asked.
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/help-for-claimants/pip
The assessor is going to want to question your son if he is capable of responding and has insight in to his conditions, normally a companion would not be allowed to speak during the assessment but as his appointee this should not be a problem, but you should speak to the assessor on arrival and make sure that they know that you are his appointee and will, where necessary provide comment on your son's problems.
Moderators are only online at certain times, but you can still post questions over the weekend but they will not appear in the forum until they are approved.
Gordon
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
The following user(s) said Thank You: Confusedappointee
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7 years 4 months ago #176337 by Confusedappointee
Replied by Confusedappointee on topic Looming face to face assessment with Atos
Thank you for your reply. My son is capable of responding but have limited insight into his condition if any. He will tell you when asked that he can buy items with money but he will not tell you that he will not wait or expect a change for his money or how much change he should get back. He needs me to be able to explain in detail how his condition affects him and will the assessor take my word for it?
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7 years 4 months ago #176394 by Gordon
This is why you must speak to the assessor as soon as they arrive.
If there are problems then refer them to section 2.7.2 of the PIP Assessment guide
Gordon
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
Replied by Gordon on topic Looming face to face assessment with Atos
Confusedappointee wrote: Thank you for your reply. My son is capable of responding but have limited insight into his condition if any. He will tell you when asked that he can buy items with money but he will not tell you that he will not wait or expect a change for his money or how much change he should get back. He needs me to be able to explain in detail how his condition affects him and will the assessor take my word for it?
This is why you must speak to the assessor as soon as they arrive.
If there are problems then refer them to section 2.7.2 of the PIP Assessment guide
However, the companions may play an active role in helping claimants answer questions where the claimant or HP wishes them to do so. This may be particularly important where the claimant has a mental, cognitive or intellectual impairment. In such cases the claimant may not be able to give an accurate account of their health condition or impairment, through a lack of insight or unrealistic expectations of their own ability.
Gordon
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
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7 years 4 months ago #176974 by Confusedappointee
Replied by Confusedappointee on topic Looming face to face assessment with Atos
My son had his face to face assessment today. I did say to the woman that because of cognitive/mental difficulties, my son may not be able to answer her questions.She still wanted to talk to him and didn't checked my son's answers with me. The woman asked my son his date of birth, the date today, the year we are in, and some adding and subtraction questions (10p +30p, 50p - 5p etc) to which my son answered correctly. iIf you give my son £20 and he bought something for 20p, he would not wait for change or know how much change he would get. I am so afraid that this is going to be taken as he is able to function the same way when buying goods in a shop which my son has never managed to do before. My son asked her if she was going to take our car away and she didn't answer. I am so anxious I feel like throwing up. My son was asked to read a sight test paragraph which he did. He can read but understanding is not there. He was asked to touch his nose, mouth and forehead which he did but I do not understand what this mean and whether because my son was compliant that PIP are going to say he doesn't need the same level of help he is getting now. She asked my son "do you cook?" and he answered yes but with my mum and teacher's help. Can you please tell me how long before we hear back from them now that the assessment has been done. And is this the standard of questioning aimed at autistic people?
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7 years 4 months ago #177023 by Gordon
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
Replied by Gordon on topic Looming face to face assessment with Atos
Confusedappointee
PIP Decisions are taking 4-8 weeks however Xmas may delay this slightly.
You should be able to request a copy of the assessment report in a couple of days.
The tests are fairly standard for claimants who fall under the general headings of having mental health or cognitive problems, they are pretty basic and are usually used medically to suggest that further testing should be carried, unfortunately they are taken as being more significant by assessors and the DWP.
Gordon
PIP Decisions are taking 4-8 weeks however Xmas may delay this slightly.
You should be able to request a copy of the assessment report in a couple of days.
The tests are fairly standard for claimants who fall under the general headings of having mental health or cognitive problems, they are pretty basic and are usually used medically to suggest that further testing should be carried, unfortunately they are taken as being more significant by assessors and the DWP.
Gordon
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
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