PIP assessment , terrified they will examine me

I have a pip assessment in 3 days and have read that they examine your limbs, check range of movement and such like.

I suffer from CRPS in my right knee and and any sort of bending or touching of that limb will be agony for me, to the pont of shouting out and being in tears with pain. Not only that but would last for hours and make things worse.

I have hardly slept in the run up to this appointment due to the worry of the aforementioned as I have read that if you refuse to be examined then the assessor can terminate the appointment and you can end up with no award. Either that or they advise the DWP that you refused to be examined and again goes against your claim.

I know it's short notice but any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Mark

Your full name is showing along with your message - if you want to change this, go to the frequently asked questions section and it will explain how to do this.

I believe that when you go for a medical you are within your rights to explain that certain movements/procedures are not possible for you; I don't know for certain (I'm sure other Mods will put me right here) but I believe that if you turn up for the face to face and explain at the outset that you will do all that you can BUT that your knee is extremely painful and any manipulation of the joint could cause more damage, the assessor has to accept this. You are NOT refusing to take part in the assessment.

A letter from your GP confirming this would help, I'm sure. Also, if you phone the DWP and explain the situation and assure them that you will attend the interview and you are NOT refusing the medical, but the damage to your knee is severe and very painful and you will have to refuse to have that part of your body examined.

The application form for PIP which you filled in will have explained the degree of pain you suffer from. There should not be any argument about that at all.

Good luck

I am sure the examiner is to allowed to do anything that will cause you pain or discomfort if this happens tell them how you feel

Hi,

Welcome to Benefits and Work

If your forum name is also your real name, you may wish to change it to maintain some anonymity.

This can be done quite easily by following the instructions in this FAQ :

My full name is showing, how can I stop it?

---

The physical exam part of a PIP face to face is generally pretty basic, it is more of a Q & A session.

However, if they ask you carry out any actions that would cause you pain, discomfort or risk whilst doing so, you can refuse.

You should make it absolutely clear that you are not simply refusing point blank and explain why you are refusing.

The Assessor should then make allowances !

You don't state whether this a Home Assessment or one carried out at one of their Consultation Centres.

Either way, you can read what to expect from around page 69 of our : PIP Claims Guide. (2nd Link down the page)

You could also read through the latest version of : The PIP Assessment Guide which was updated on 28th July 2015 and gives guidance on how the Assessor should carry out the PIP Assessment.

For a Home Assessment, you can choose the room where you wish the Assessment to take place, and the Assessor should not want to look around your home.

You may of course want to point out any Aids or Adaptations that you need to use to carry out any Activities that may be in another room.

You can have someone else present, and they can take notes.

A quick "heads up", PIP Assessors can turn up early, or not turn up at all !

For an Assessment at one of their Centres, travelling time to and from an Assessment Centre should not take more than 90 minutes either way using Public Transport.

You should be aware that how you manage the return trip to/from the Assessment Centre will be taken into account as part of the actual assessment.

You may be observed on approaching, leaving and whilst inside the centre.

Assumptions may be made by the assessor with regards to the above.

These assumptions could result in the assessor writing comments/recommendations within the PA 4 Medical Report which they compile and send to The DWP.

Please keep us updated !

You should Bookmark/Favourite this page in your Internet Browser now. That way you can return to this topic easily to pose any further queries that you may have by replying to the topic.

Thanks in anticipation of your future co-operation in keeping all your PIP related queries to this topic !

bro58