Atos 'invite' me to a F2F after PIP Review, URGENT advice please

Update:

So, second time lucky - I have now received my copy of the PA4.

The HA describes themself in fairly vague terms on the form as 'Nurse'. While generally the overview is (surprisingly) quite poorly written and composed, in essence it does actually seem like a pretty fair summary of what I reported. It doesn't directly contradict anything that I said but it does miss out a few things, but conversely it also adds a few things that are actually relevant that I didn't think of myself at the time (I'm assuming these are the Assessor's own observations). So if the DM agrees with the points awarded (more on that below) then there isn't much - if anything - to contend.

In terms of points, for the Mobility Activities I was scored 20 points (10 for following/planning a journey and 10 for moving around). Moving Around is unchanged from previous awards, while Following/Planning has actually increased by a couple of points. Nothing to argue with there as far as I'm concerned and hopefully there's nothing for the DM to contend, so I should at least be awarded Higher Mobility.

The points for Daily Living are a little less satisfying - this is where things I reported were disputed/glossed over by the HA - but even so, they scored me a total of 12 points which is *just* enough to take me over the threshold to the Higher Rate. Unfortunately I can see a particularly officious DM doing their very best to take that single point off me, so fingers crossed. Unlike the Mobility descriptors however, there is plenty for me to contend in the HA's report there (he left a lot out that I feel should get me more points), so we'll see what I'm finally awarded.

I was also slightly disappointed that the HA recommended a review in 3 years (although they did point out that this was *solely* because of uncertainty over my physical health, giving me the impression that they agree my MH condition is unlikely to change).


So all in all, it seems like I've received a reasonably fair assessment so far, which I suppose is the very best you can hope for these days. If nothing else, while I'm still not fully confident it'll go my way my I'm less stressed and less fearful of the outcome now. And if I don't receive a favourable decision, at least I have this reasonably fair assessment to help me argue my case if I need it.

Let's just hope that now I get a DM with a spark of humanity left in them.

Just wondering:

I know that it will probably vary from DM to DM (they are, at least ostensibly, human after all) but is there any data on how much the HA's scores impact on their final decisions? Do DMs tend to stick to those scores as a rule or do they mostly just treat them as a rough guide, meaning they can use their own 'initiative' to effectively overturn an HA's recommendation ?

Update:

I've received the decision. It's good news, I've been awarded enhanced rates for both, and the DM has even extended the HP's recommended 3 year award to a 4 + year award (1st July 2023 to 1st November 2027, which means there's also a six month backpayment on the way). 4 years and 5 months is a very odd number to award, but I'm not going to question it. I magine it must be for their benefit rather than mine, perhaps to account for potential future backlogs in admin and processing.

The DM's decision statement itself is very brief, pretty much just saying "I broadly agree with the HP's report, but I have also decided to award you an extra year and a bit" without going into any further detail, so... it is what it is. It could certainly have been much, much worse.

Of course as we all know by now, it's best to start preparing for the next review at least a year before the end date of your current award, but in my case, that gives me at least a couple of years now where I don't need to worry about my PIP award again. In that time I can work on presenting the Daily Living evidence more effectively so that I can get those few extra points I deserved but was denied, to keep me at the Enhanced rate (at 12 points I'm currently on the very edge of qualifying).

As ever, thanks for all the help and advice (and for giving me a safe space to vent).