PIP assessor walked out!

Prolly more resigned eye-rolling, BIS! Yeah, it's more the fact that letters keep getting lost in the post or sent too late or doubled up and conflicting info (which seems actually p/a!) that is a concern. Hopefully I'll have new evidence by then, anyway.

Does the MR request period start from the date the assessment is written (I'll assume 48 hrs?) or the date of the assessment? Just so I know an end date for my diary.

*groan* Turns out my assessor was ill today, so my PIP assessment's been rescheduled for the 30th, prolonging this debacle. I stupidly got up @ 03:00 to prepare for likely (appointment) shenanigans. PIP was for 9:20. They called at ~11:00. I still prolly wouldn't have been well enough to take part reliably.

Turns out the other (assessment) appointment was actually for ESA. I was told before (twice) that the (ESA) assessments were a "mistake" / "unnecessary", and would be cancelled. Nowhere in the main text was the name of the benefit it applied to, so I just assumed that it was the PIP assessment being rearranged, esp cos Chatham had told me it "won't happen again". Turns out someone hadn't done their job properly, or something.

Message delivered: hang tight - it's surely only going to be a few more seconds years!

I found it almost impossible to get through to even the (quite obscure) direct number I had for ESA, is it in meltdown atm? Seems like there was a lot of panicked back-and-forth on the end of the line, too. Kinda creepy janitor-answered-the-phone vibe!

Also (at the risk of it seeming p/a!) will I get anything except sneering if I send in my (self) filled-in descriptor form to ATOS? Or will they just ignore it? Would I need to get a GP to sign it for it to be deemed "official"? Or a nurse? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I've talked to my MP, but she wanted to know whether to speak to ATOS or the DWP. I said ATOS, I'm assuming that it's still with them if the assessor is ill?

Gordon

Yeah, thanks, that just about sums it up; I figured it would be prty futile. I just wanted to have smthn on the record, since I had no medical reports from my clinics.

I did go to the new eye clinic yesterday, but they were seriously short-staffed. I only saw a nurse! Usually see 3/4 ppl, including surgeon. I couldn't manage to get any good images for my eyes! 8o It took forever =( Bit of a disaster. I'll call my other clinic (that's just opened) later. No luck w/ GP or (local) nurse =(

Anyway, I called about ESA (main 0800) to get an entitlement letter, and they said something about an open investigation, or something. The woman on the phone (from ESA hq) was actually kind and helpful, which is about a 20% chance (my experience) and guided me through what I should do on my next call. Apparently, they haven't done anything (HAAS or w/e) and "left it open", saying that they have tried to contact me 4 times w/o completing anything. I think I've got 3 letters. She used some quite technical language about internal ESA stuff that I didn't rly follow. Also she used some industrial language, which I guess is reassuring; my default eye-roll being shared, at all this! Glad that someone else realises!

Apparently something (?) "happened" yesterday (I guess about the latest attempt at an assessment last week) and they may or may not have produced a report. Which is news to me. The ESA lady didn't know exactly what, yet.

She said call back in 2 weeks and just say "I filled in a form (ESA50) in March and haven't had any contact, just chasing up about it" or something. Which I guess is true cos they haven't ever called me. The explanation was just that it was to do w/ sars-cov2, and that something had happened because of that.

I said that it should go through on paper, as per, but I think we both shrugged.

Also, I didn't realise, but apparently, you can get an "indefinite" ESA award; but that "they" (meaning ESA phone staff) don't know / don't have clearance (!) to know what / why you'd get it. I said that my conditions are indef / life-long, so tis a mystery why I'm on 3-yr cycle. Any ideas?