video assessment

Hi Mark65

I'm sorry to hear of your experience. You ask whether it is relevant to your claim. I think that depends on the result of your assessment. I know you haven't received the decision, but you have the PA4, which should give an indication of what points you scored. If you're not happy with what it says, then you may be able to argue that you were disadvantaged during the assessment because of the breakdown of equipment and having to change the assessment type in the middle.

However, that wouldn't mean they would increase the number of points. They may just apologise and say that it made no difference to the outcome, or they could offer you another assessment. You then have to ask yourself whether you want to go through it all again.

If, however, it looks as if you are going to receive the award you were hoping for, then you can still complain about what happened, and they might give you a small amount of compensation for the stress caused or again, you might just receive an apology letter.

BIS

Hi Mark65

So if the decision-maker follows the PA4 report - then you should be awarded standard daily living. So I assume that your award is unchanged despite putting in for a change of circumstances. Award lengths have become shorter across the board. I hope that you get more than two years because in reality you would be sent a review form after one year.

You could write to the decision maker now and challenge any of the points you're not happy with and ask for a longer award length. You only have a small window to do this and would need to say that you reserve the right to put in for a Mandatory Reconsideration if necessary. It may not make a difference. Otherwise, you can wait for the decision letter - and decide if you want to put in for a Mandatory Reconsideration.

I know you put in lots of evidence, but I suspect one of the things that you are fighting against is the lack of understanding of your conditions. It's very difficult for anyone who hasn't experienced tinnitus to understand the impact of a constant noise in your head and the impact that has on concentration, well-being, communication etc. So if you do find yourself challenging the decision, have a new look at your explanations to make sure that it's clear how your conditions link to the specific PIP criteria.

BIS