Distressing PIP Review Help

iPanda

Hi All, 

After research I would like to say this has been far the most helpful forum I've found. If you could as kind to help me with some questions, I have as things seem to be conflicting. Any answers of help would be greatly appreciated as this is a very distressing time for me. 

●Firstly, I've been on PIP for a year and my review has come up, I was awarded initially Enchaned on both parts with the backing of my health professionals. I also want to make clear that I was being investigated by the hospital whilst I applied & had no actual diagnosis. I applied in Feburary 18 & was awarded October 18, It took a while due to a few things, 1. I couldnt make the face to face accessment due to not being able to travel for more than 5 mins away and the centre was more than 10 miles away (Doctor wrote me a letter about travelling and encouraged me to apply initially) 2. They wouldnt visit me at home as something popped up to give them the impression I was violent *Despite no violent behaviour or history* (as proven by a phycristrist who does my home visits) Eventually after much heated phone discussions (x7 in a 3 month period) a nurse spoke to me and said she would do a paper accessment and I was awarded with back pay and been paid ever since. 

●During the year I have had 2 surgeries (wasn't anticipating 2 but knew it may result in 1 at least with the help of my local MP as the NHS unfortunately let me slip through the cracks so I fought hard for help) I had phoned to give them this information amongst changes to my medications and was told to wait for my review application to come through instead of phoning of the changes. (I found this to be a red flag but waited anyhow and done as I was told) They didnt receive the review and paperwork straight away due to a "backed up mail causing them to play catch up" I phoned 3 times due to a mental illness I have not knowing things and progress. Eventually was notified it was received. 

●Despite not many changes to my condition and being under the hospital again for potential further treatments, and it still stood I couldnt travel far, I was sent a letter after Christmas just gone to attend the same centre they invited me to before, I phoned and explained that it still stood and I wasnt able to attend there, I required a home visit or paper accessment. I was told that they couldnt visit me & So I stated that I had been told this before and I dont think my support worker & others would be doing this if that were true so better phone the mental health centre to clarify. Shortly after my support worker phoned me to say she had spoken to them and they were surprised to hear I wasnt violent (Support worker informed me that no report had ever been turned over to support that I was violent and they clearly were trying great lengths not to pay me) a couple of days later I received a letter that in due course they would contact and I'll be having a home visit (Sometime soon in 2020)

●Again, due to my mental health I required a better time frame of this so phoned, they said I hadnt supplied suffient evidence in my review to support everything of no changes to certain questions and hadnt been diagnosed with anything also, so they will be in touch when they have someone to visit, This left me most upset and I wasnt able to articulate a response at the time as it left me shacking as I was diagnosed originally back 2018 either but still had issues and that still hadnt changed (the whole meeting new people without constantly regularity is a hard one for me also, so at the moment is a distressing time knowing someone is coming into my home when I'm not very good at explaining in person and better at written expression. I'm also afraid of the fact that my property has CCTV in every room controlled by Yale the security company and was issued by the police along with alarms due to being a victim of something in the past year (also resulted to me moving, but was a good decision as the council issued us a disabled flat) 

My questions are as follows, 

●If I wasnt diagnosed before and proved that I couldnt carry out things for myself and had very limited mobility, can they say no? As i was awarded before surgery and thats even without any sign of surgery in the future?  
●Am I allowed to record the interview for my own security, personal records and peace of mind in case of lies? 
●If they are here for a short time should I be worried? 
●Will the money stop if they leave and do the interview dishonestly? As my husband/carer was going to food banks and getting electricity vouchers from Feb 18 - October 18 until i was awarded, so I worry with all the assisted taxi help and financial side to the hospital it's going to be tough not having the same income.  
●If I'm not able to communicate well, even though they've seen i can perfectly in written is that going to effect the claim also? 

I'm very scared as my health conditions at the moment may result in a lifelong chronic condition (as I already have a disease they cant cure) and I didn't anticipate and I only recently found this out due to an emergency trip to a&e by Ambulance, If I haven't declared that already, do I save that in my interview to explain or is it simply q&a based?

So whilst I'm being investigated, things seems to get worse and I'm worried that they wont take into consideration only what has been put on my review forms? 

Thank you for taking the time to read this. It means alot to me as my husband and I dont have anybody to turn to, it's been hard losing my independence at a young age and one of the hardest things ever leaving work and no potential future for family of our own either. So this for me personally is an intimidating thing being interrogated in person this time round and is hard to swallow when I've nearly lost my life during surgery in the past year. Having to prove such things when you've changed GP Surgeries also is very hard, and has been a tough thing for us. Sorry I wrote so long, I just felt more detail the better but without exposing everything I have. 

poppy123456

HI and welcome,

Lots of people are successfully awarded again after a review but we only ever hear the bad stories. It would be very difficult to speculate anything at this point. Hopefully, there won't be any problems and your award will remain the same.

If you record the assessment you will need to ring the health assessment providers to tell them you're going to record it. You must use the appropriate recording equipment, which is either CD or cassette recorder and you must produce 2 identical copies, one must be handed in at the end of the assessment. Laptops and phones must not be used.

The length of time they are at your home for the assessment does mean anything at all. Some are short and some are more than 1 hour, you can't predict anything from the length of time they are there.

If the worst happens and you're not awarded then you money will stop once the decision is made. If you're successfully awarded then you'll have a new award, with a new length of time.

You should mention all of your conditions and how they affect you. Remember PIP isn't about a diagnosis.

Not communicating well shouldn't go against you. The whole purpose of filling out the forms is to put as much information as possible and then the assessment is just to confirm what you wrote in the form, as well as any extra information that's needed.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

iPanda

Thank you Poppy, Yes that has put my mind at rest a little. Never been in this situation, and you're right, it's always negative. I guess I can only wait and be patient for now and see what happens, My home security goes onto a cloud and records over a monthly period, so not sure how I will be getting around that without turning off the power and dont want to forfeit my assessment either! I may ring citizens advice first thing about that. Thank you