Can I request paper or email based communication?

Hi Shantel, you're welcome. Just want to send big sympathy about phone avoidance. My husband has Asperger's Syndrome, our house-phone is within reach of his armchair but he lets it go to answerphone even when it is a call from dear friends, and he can hear then leaving a message. He does this ALL the time, even when I am waiting for a doctor's call back or something important and am out of the room.
Hoping your husband can compose a good letter according to BIS's guidance.
Best wishes, Denby

BIS wrote: Hi Shantel

You certainly should include a letter from your husband. Make sure he relates it to the PIP criteria or they will just dismiss it. He should also mention the risk to your mental health and your normal avoidance of using the phone.

Regarding email - 'communication' is one thing - 'assessment ' is another. Assessments are paper-based or phone.

Unless your husband is an official appointee he is unlikely to be able to speak on your behalf. Assessors want to hear from the claimant themselves even if it is a limited way.(Unfortunately, there isn't a consistent approach on this)

You could ask your husband to contact your local MP and see if they will intervene. Some have been very good and others less so.

BIS

Thank you so much for your advice. Would he be best writing to our MP as soon as possible, or should he wait until we find out whether they will do a paper or phone assessment first?
I will get him to include a letter then. Would it be useful to send in a diary as well from me, covering a week ? of my symptoms etc? Or should those details be compiled into a statement rather than a diary. I am also wondering if I could include a letter from my parents, although i'm not sure if they'd know how to write one out!

In regards to not including info that may hinder - I'm a bit stuck on whether I should include a part of my patient record. A year ago, my husband took me to see my GP as I was feeling suicidal - it mentions this, and other key information too about my insomnia, never having had a 'outside job' (meaning I have always tried to work for myself) and my chronic IBS, so very relevant info. I have had chronic fatigue for 8-9 years - the problem is, at the time I tried to increase my level of exercise to try and help with my depression and anxiety, and did a few days where I used my cross trainer for an hour each day. This - I later realised, really backfired and I suffered from pretty bad post exertional malaise. She happens to mention this exercise in my notes. I really do not want them to think I am doing this level of exercise - I barely exercise at all, particularly now. I don't want to omit the information that may help my case, but I also don't want them thinking I do not have chronic fatigue. Is it worth explaining this to them? Or should I not include those notes at all? Hope this makes sense, struggling to find the right words!

denby wrote: Hi Shantel, you're welcome. Just want to send big sympathy about phone avoidance. My husband has Asperger's Syndrome, our house-phone is within reach of his armchair but he lets it go to answerphone even when it is a call from dear friends, and he can hear then leaving a message. He does this ALL the time, even when I am waiting for a doctor's call back or something important and am out of the room.
Hoping your husband can compose a good letter according to BIS's guidance.
Best wishes, Denby

I totally sympathise! My stomach does a back flip if the phone rings. I never answer it, I usually let it go to answerphone, and then if it's something important that I can't avoid (like a call back from my GP) then I'll ring back, if I can cope with it. I just can't face answering, when I don't know who it is, or what it's about.