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Evidence Query - Submitting full 150+ page medical records?

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11 months 2 weeks ago #286091 by SoutheastSD
Dear all,

Thank you for your continues support, advise and efforts on this platform.

I am now at the final stages of my application which has stressed me out to a point where my CFS/Fibromyalgia has flared up and I am nearly becoming bed-bound due to this.

I am limited with how much more time I can spend on this application and I have used ChatGPT4 to assist me with writing my responses, which I believe is allowed or should not negatively impact my application. *

Q:* Should this be something I need to disclose to DWP and tell them I have used ChatGPT to help me answer the questions?

Q: Additionally, I would like to query whether it is advisable to submit a copy of my full medical records which my GP has kindly provided to me, these are over 150 pages long and list the majority of my health conditions diagnosed, which are about 20-25 conditions, as well as the medications I've been prescribed, and an extensive list of all interactions I've had with my GP since my first visit about 18 or so years ago.

I will of course be submitting all of my other medical records which I have requested through a SAR request, half of which I will submit and the rest of which I will provide at a later stage - I have noted this in the additional notes section.

The combination of my full medical records and the various other health professionals, so appointment notes, consultation notes, diagnoses etc with each specialist, will equate to about 350 pages of evidence, as it includes information about each condition and any tests, results, conclusions and doctors' notes etc. *

Q* Will submitting this amount of evidence support my application or will this just be an opportunity for them to ask further questions about my conditions? if it will raise further questions, I simply cannot go through with explaining each one of my chronic, complex conditions if they ask me to.

I do need to submit the application as soon as possible as it has already been passed to the assessment team and they have sent me two text messages for "information" purposes but I have not yet heard about an assessment date.

Thank you all.
The following user(s) said Thank You: KimABT

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11 months 2 weeks ago #286120 by BIS
Hi SoutheastSD

Do you have to tell the DWP you completed your application using ChatGPT4?

No, you don't. However, if you had a friend or professional help you complete it, you would say so - so, in my view, you might as well say that you have used ChatGPT4. If you are exhausted and experiencing brain fog and all the other symptoms from CFS/Fibromyalgia, then it makes sense that you require help wherever that may come from. If you don't say that you used it, expect the assessor to make assumptions about your current abilities and symptoms that may not be true just from the style of answers it may produce.

Should you submit your full medical records?

Only you can decide what you want to send in, but there are certain things you should consider before doing so.

1. Are the notes all relevant to the PIP criteria? The DWP are not so interested in your disabilities per se - they are interested in how they impact your mobility and daily living.

2. Is there anything in your notes that you would rather the DWP don't see? I hope that you have read through every page of the 350 pages and checked this. If you haven't, be aware that doctor's notes are not always supportive in the way patients think they will be, and we know of instances where medical evidence has harmed someone's case and not helped it.

3. 350 pages is a huge amount. I do know of others who have sent as much, but I have my doubts about whether the people assigned to their cases actually looked through every page. Assessors are unlikely to look at appointment notes of a visit to a GP ten years ago. Although many claimants do send old information, especially if you are trying to show there has been a pattern of support over many years - it doesn't have to be every appointment. At the end of the day, you have to do what feels right for you, and if you would be worried about missing something out you're better off sending it than worrying about it.

Will sending in so much evidence support your application?

I can't tell you because I don't know the details of what you're sending in. Whatever you send in, the DWP has the right to question you about it. So, if you don't want something raised - don't include it. You could ask for a paper-based assessment to be done when you send in the information you wanted, - but they may not agree.

You said in your post that you have between 20 -25 conditions. Plenty of people get awarded PIP on one condition, and many people get awarded it with multiple complex conditions, but there will come a point when it just makes the application more complicated than it needs to be so some of the diagnosis may not actually make any difference. Remember that all your focus should be on the specific PIP criteria.

BIS

Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems

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11 months 2 weeks ago #286151 by Scared
I know they have a certain amount of time per file and so it is unlikely they will read all your medical record, so best to pick out the most relevant bits. just copy those pages and use a highlighter to emphasise what you want them to read. They might not even read the whole page. I think this is why so many claims get revised at MR or appeal. They just have not read the stuff first time round.

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