The awfulness of waiting

I nearly finished the whole post and I must’ve pressed the wrong button and it just disappeared so forgive me if this supposed to twice I’m starting again. I had my PIP review telephone assessment on the 23rd of October. I was told whenever I phoned for a copy of the assessment about four days later that I couldn’t have it and that I just had to wait for the decision. I then received a text on the 5th of November from the DWP saying that they had my completed written report and that a decision could take up to 8 weeks. I did ask once again for a written copy of the assessment report but yet again was told I have to wait for a decision. Through gritted teeth I pretended that I understood and wouldn’t ask again I just accepted it basically even though I know it is completely incorrect and that I am entitled to report. I’m sure it makes us all the fury that we have to swallow because I couldn’t risk annoying or getting on the wrong side of anybody in the DWP that I talk to because from bitter past experience I know that they can be vengeful and deliberately do things to claiments that show any sort of self-respect. I swallowed my outrage basically.As of today I have hardly been sleeping I feel sick with anxiety waiting for that dreaded brown envelope to arrive. I can’t relax I can’t do anything I feel like I can hardly breathe waiting for this bloody decision. I hate how much power and control they have over our lives. Sometimes it feels like the DWP owners physically own our bodies and our minds. Today a brown envelope from the DWP arrived I thought oh my God this is it I was shaking I felt sick to my stomach but I Open the envelope eagerly anyway just to get it over and done with. I was so gutted to say that it was only a letter saying we have now got all the information we need to make a decision on your PIP claim. It then said there is no need to contact us we will write to you when we have made a decision. I would rather have not had such a bloody letter. I knew he was waiting for a decision to go. I’m just ranting now but I suppose a question I have is has anybody got a letter like this saying we not have all the the information we need to make a decision and is there any point in asking does it usually mean a decision is Eminent or there is a just stole a case of just wait for an unspecified amount of time? Eminent or there is a just stole a case of just wait for an unspecified amount of time. Thank you for listening to me ranting. It’s torture waiting to find out if your financial world is just going to fall apart. If I lose the paper then I lose the severe disability payment premium. Sigh.

Sorry my mobile phone screen is acting up so my original post is quite incoherent in places because I had to give up trying to type and I dictated through the audio function and it made me sound bit strange! To clarify, what I am asking is has anybody else had such a letter that says words to the effect ‘ we now have all the information we need to make a decision on your PIP claim’. And if so, does that mean that a decision is imminent ? Or is it as I suspect just still a case of it will take as long as it takes? This is torture.

Sorry Gordo, I posted my second message just for clarification because my first message was garbled And I was worried that I wouldn’t be understood. I hadn’t seen your reply before posting the second post. I have now read your reply and I really appreciate your help and I understand the advice that you gave me thank you

Hi Hollyberries,

In answer to your question. yes I had the same letter in a few weeks after my telephone assessment on 21st July. My extended PIP ran out on 20th November and I still have not had a decision letter, so it ca take ages. They are just very busy at the moment. However I did ring them yesterday and they informed me that a letter was in the post. They did also say that my award had been increased (I was getting increasingly concerned that it had been taken away as I had not heard anything). So basically what I am saying is yes it can take a bit longer than normal but it doesn,t necessarily mean its bad news if you don't hear anything.

Good luck and try not to worry