Opinion on domain scoring requested

Hello Gordon and all: Without my comment so as not to present a leading question, may I ask how you would score the following narrative entries taken from my the PIP assessor's report (that is, what descriptor do you consider matches the narrative entry)? I provide the scoring criteria as a reminder, and shall advise what the score was later! The entries reasonably capture the difficulties faced for the given domains.

Conditions presented in claim and confirmed with psychiatrist's and rheumatologist's reports respectively (ie, evidence for conditions not questioned by DWP):(i) generalised anxiety disorder (treated for 15 yrs; (ii) fibromyalgia (treated for 2 yrs). PIP awarded.

Making budgeting decisions: He is able to do this cognitively, but struggles with it due to his depression causing lack of motivation, and his fibromyalgia causing fatigue and poor concentration. He requires prompting to manage his budget because of this and takes his time when dealing with it

Descriptors: 10. Making budgeting decisions.
a. Can manage complex budgeting decisions unaided. 0 points.
b. Needs prompting or assistance to be able to make complex budgeting decisions. 2 points.
c. Needs prompting or assistance to be able to make simple budgeting decisions. 4 points.
d. Cannot make any budgeting decisions at all. 6 points.

Planning and following journeys: He is usually driven around now when he needs to travel, due to his physical symptoms, but also because of his anxiety about getting lost, and poor concentration. He avoids going out alone when he can due to his anxiety.

Descriptors: 1. Planning and following journeys.
a. Can plan and follow the route of a journey unaided. 0 points.
b. Needs prompting to be able to undertake any journey to avoid overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant. 4 points.
c. Cannot plan the route of a journey. 8 points.
d. Cannot follow the route of an unfamiliar journey without another person, assistance dog or orientation aid. 10 points.
e. Cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant. 10 points.
f. Cannot follow the route of a familiar journey without another person, an assistance dog or an orientation aid. 12 points.
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Thanks so much.

Gordon: Many thanks.

I was scored 0 for budgeting decision. I argued at MR that I have problems with COMPLEX decisions (but didn't have the report at that stage). It is concerning that, per your view too, there is clear contradiction between what the assessor states and what was scored, and that this wasn't rectified at MR (which is its purpose). It rather confirms my view that that, at least in my case, the only consideration for the decision-maker was the scoring - not the wider report nor anything I stated at MR, nor medical evidence.

This is reasonable evidence of the carelessness of decision-making... That loss of two points cost me enhanced DL, so of course I'm appealing.

I was scored 0 for planning and following journeys. The assessor appeared to accept that I don't undertake unfamiliar journeys without accompaniment (usually the driver) as I experience overwhelming psychological distress due to chronic anxiety disorder. Yet that wasn't quite what she reported. That descriptor - d - would have added 10 pts to the four I have for the other mobility domain. But the four you suggest, for b, would have entailed standard mobility - and b is the least I argued for.

I have no confidence in MR: in my case the outcome was just an ungrammatical, poorly-punctuated (cut 'n paste?) rehash of the assessor's report. What a waste of resources (unless DWP thinks that more money is saved by it if the claimant accepts MR...)