Zero points in PIP assessment

Hi Jonathan T,
I understand your sense of frustration, disappointment and despair at receiving such unfair comments.
Yes first stage of appeal is to do MR. If you haven't already done so, phone DWP and ask for a copy of the assessment report - PA4. Yes, it won't be nice to read, but you will need it to perform a proper criticism of the decision.
You are right what different does it make if you have andw diagnosis of something that has probably been with you since birth. Perhaps knowing later in life is worse since if any help was available whilst you were younger you may have had a different insight and coping mechanisms?
DWP have a number of stock excuses. Driving is one.( You drive so you can chop vegetables etc!) Medicine is another one. You take first line pills, so you ain't very ill. (Even though nothing else works.) There are many more unfounded assumptions that DWP make time and time again. At least this means although it might appear personal, it isn't.
You may have only recently been diagnosed but presumably you have had difficulties all your life? Was it a chance diagnosis, or did something happen that led to it? I think you can legitimately explain the background to your diagnosis. Explain the lifelong problems you have had, the reason for the diagnosis etc. This will be the opening few paragraphs of your MR letter.
Then perhaps using bullet points criticise the assessment. No need to criticise everything. Note the main flaws and combine the rest.
Eg.The assessor
• ignored my clear anxiety
• repeatedly failed to note my answers correctly
•failed to show any understanding of mental health conditions, s evidenced by repeated use of cut and paste
In addition, throughout the assessment the assessor was rude and condescending

Then, using the members guides to assist, as required, you can go through each descriptor and say why the 0 pts is wrong and what score you should have received. This can be a sentence or two, but give examples of what goes wrong, why you can't do the activity etc.

I would certainly include recent things that have happened, they indicate the sort if things that go wrong, and show that little things might turn into very confusing and confronting experiences. If you can explain the cause that might help give an insight into your health. Maybe you can get a friend or relative to make a statement explaining your difficulties. Don’t worry about repeating what's said already in the claim form. Also resend doctor's reports and your diagnosis report. You could add a comment saying that you have included all the reports again as they clearly were ignored the first time!
I appreciate that this may all sound a bit daunting. Maybe family can help. Your MR needs to be sent in within a month of the decision notice date. You can ring up for more time.
Remember to put your name and NI number on each page and keep copies of what you send.
Good luck.
I hope this helps.
LL26

Hi Jonathan T

i do feel for you, unfortunately it does very very often and it should not.

Once you get your assessors report (PA4) you will have a better understanding of how the DWP Decision Maker has come to their conclusions and you will now be able to argue against them.

I usually use a highlighter to highlight any inaccuracies, once you have gone through the report you then set out why you are applying for a MR and go through each descriptor one at a time why you disagree with the assessor and try and match it with any supporting documents you may have sent in.

Understand that the assessor is offering an opinion when they say 'in my opinion' you can do the PIP activities, tackling these head-on is unlikely to be successful, you need to show that the basis of that opinion is founded on incorrect information, so try and refer to your evidence to undermine what they have said., remember they are just an opinion which is not based on fact.

Also, try and stick to issues that lead to your scoring points, I often hear members referring to the assessors spelling, as an example, whilst it may show a lack of professionalism, raising it as an issue isn't going to help you get an award.

Your primary task is to show that you meet the criteria, there are many reasons you may have failed, you need to address each of these but don't get bogged down in criticising the assessment report unless you can clearly show that it is incorrect, it is a lot easier to argue the facts of the situation;

Lastly, make sure that you understand the criteria that you are being assessed against you can put the best case forward that is possible but you won't score points if you do not meet the PIP Descriptors.

If you have any further questions then please come back to the forum.

Good luck with your MR

Gary