Thoughts Re Assessments

I understand that some of us have negative outcomes and also appreciate that this might Not always be the fault of the assessor - I am Not taking sides here.

I worked in H&S as an Auditor, Inspector & Investigator and can appreciate that human nature plays a huge part in the outcome of any investigation/assessment and sometimes it is extremely difficult for people to effectively impart impacts/difficulties experienced daily, especially those that they take for granted, many applicants, under the pressure of assessment, do not always realise how complacent they have become in regards the impact their disability has. They have sometimes, over years, accepted limitations and fail to fully appreciate how their disability has affected/is affecting their lives, they only see it as normal and neglect to effectively relay that information.

There can also be a language difficulty - despite speaking the same language there can be misunderstanding/misinterpretation etc - it does happen! Regional dialects have a huge impact on my hearing - despite not needing an aid, (I'm on the cusp), I cannot hear certain sounds, I'm sure others have similar problems especially over telephone calls.

Repetitive questioning - yes, we know they go over the same or similar questions for many of the descriptors - don't get stressed over this one - remember the Assessor is just going through a list - so if you don't think it necessary to repeat yourself because you are getting annoyed at answering the same questions over and over again you could effectively be putting yourself in danger of losing points and actually having points taken from other descriptors - with the assessor justifying themselves that you could obviously do 'XYZ' then you must be able to carry out descriptor '246' and all because you didn't feel the need to repeat something for the fourth time!

When the Assessor asks whether you need a break - as much as you want this over and done with .... say YES if you need one, take it!

I can only endorse what has been written on this site many times, READ the guides and ready yourself for the assessment;

* You know an Assessment is likely to happen in some form or other once you have returned your paperwork, so there's nothing like preparation - start jotting down notes re how your disability affects how you carry out daily tasks whilst you carry them out, you can get these notes together at a later date to help compile that bullet point list for later! Compiling this over time and well in advance of the assessment could take some of the stress away once you have your date.

* Having a concise bullet point list per every descriptor - grab yourself a highlighter and mark them off once it's been fully covered with the assessor

* Make a list of the impact on other daily tasks not covered by the PIP Forms - eg: housework seems to be rearing it's head in assessments of late - and why shouldn't it! I know in my daughters case that despite going to work she would not be getting herself up, washed & dressed appropriately every workday - (covered in PIP Descriptors), but how about her clothing being clean, ironed, acceptable condition - as far as I'm concerned that's also a relevant point that should be made!

* request a recording & listen to it later on - I know that despite my experience I was still lacking in giving detailed information in a couple of cases - I fell into the trap of the assessor agreeing with me after a 'yes it does affect her' and did not 'back up' my answers as fully as I maybe should have - only time will tell whether I should have expanded further.

This may or may not help, it's only put together because I have read of so many people getting turned down despite obviously being able to effectively express their problems/needs on paper. I hope it helps

Thank you She966, for taking the time and trouble to write all this down - I'm going to make a note of it all and keep it for future reference. I thought I'd prepared well for my son's assessment, but there are so many things they ask that take you by surprise! In particular, in my son's case, the detailed questioning about things I'd already told them, in the review form, were not a problem - this took up a ridiculous amount of time and my son found it most confusing, while I couldn't help mildly expressing my irritation, which was duly noted in the PA4 and probably didn't help. If I'd been expecting this I might have been more patient! I guess they just go through every question in detail regardless of what you have already told them (or maybe it just indicates they haven't read the form) so you need to be prepared for this too. Although now I come to think of it, the activities for which my son lost points were the ones the assessor just skipped over and refused to listen to anything I tried to tell her, while making assumptions of her own. This sort of thing is not easy to contradict, but I'm sure your detailed notes will be so helpful to anyone who is still waiting for their assessment. Thanks once again.

Thank you for that, I really hope that it all turns out well for you and your son.
There is nothing more I can do at this stage, so will continue with the rigmarole if the decision goes against my daughter - I refuse to give it another thought until the decision letter is received