thats good
well the battle is not over yet , i spoke to DWP today to ask for a copy of the report , they said the report has to go back to Capita for a doctor to check and sign the report then it gets sent to Dwp for a decision i was told this process can take another 12 to 14 weeks add that on to the 28 weeks i waited for a visit the whole process will have taken nearly a year , utterly ridiculous 
what un-real have you phoned pduk and told them as i see they were intrested
yes i gave my story Gus , there is a lady grom the Daily Mirror interested in running the story , she is going to give me a call
great they should hold there head in shame
well i don't intend to give them another 12 weeks , my mp says give him a call in two weeks and he will chase them up they should have just left the old DLA system in place .
yes your right there & just have a shake up on the cheaters.im on dla they reckon there going to get everybody on new pip by 2016 ! never not going by your case
i wish them luck with that estimation can't see it happening if mine takes another 12 weeks to sort it will have taken 40 weeks .
i'm looking forward to the call from the Daily Mirror next week 
have a good rant !
i intend to they will need 3 pages to print my rant on the plus side if it takes 40 weeks its backdated
enjoy that back dated money,at least thats something
Hi Shelly65,
I cannot believe it will take that long for the DWP to come to a decision, That is terrible and I would certainly let the newspaper name and shame them. Why do they even need to come to a decision anyway, If the chap from Capita is satisfied and is putting in his report that you should be getting PIP then surely that should be good enough for them. I applied in January, I phoned the other day, The chap on the phone said that all my forms were in order and it had been sent over to the assessment dept and I should be hearing from them with an appt for a home visit quite soon. Its no wonder some people who should be getting PIP don`t have the energy to apply for it. I understand that all this is because of all the lead swingers and fakers, But how can you fake PD and why would you want to, Medical evidence should be more than enough to ensure that you get your claim processed in a reasonable time, To wait nearly a year is just not acceptable, You poor thing you must be tearing your hair out with frustration.
Hope you get sorted soon
Candyxxxxx
Hi Candy
Are you with Atos or Capita ?
It is Capita or Atos that are causing the delays , this is what DWP told me a few days ago
When you have your assessment or home visit the assessor sends his report back to either Atos or Capita for ' auditing' whatever that means and it is the auditing that is the problem , dwp said it can take up to 12 weeks for the report to get back to them from auditing
I phoned Capita on Friday and was told the assessor had returned the form to them it now has to be audited and they would not give a timescale as to how long that would be all they said was some were done quicker than others
My mp has suggested i give them a couple of weeks and if i have heard nothing he will again chase them to send the report to dwp
The assessor did say he was stating on the form that i could not walk more than 20 metres , i have read some instances on a different forum where people state there audited reports were different to what the assessor told them or they told the assessor so i will be requesting a copy of my report from DWP to check for this , it would also make sense to have someone with you at your assessment .
I have the lady from the Daily Mirror calling this week so yes time to name and shame them i think
If you have any extra evidence i would advise you to send it in before your assessment , another instance of Capita's incompetence i was told i could give any further evidence to the assessor , the assessor says NO has he is home based and works from home he can't take any personal information and i would have to post it to Capita , he said quite a few people had been told they could give evidence to the assessor and he would take it up with Capita about giving the wrong information
Good luck Candy i hope you do not have as long a wait has i have but in the words of the assessor my visit was quite quick 
some people have been waiting since April 2013
Thanks Shelly65,
What a bloody ordeal! I think Atos cover my area, I sent proof of diagnosis with my part 2 form, I sent a copy of the letter I had from the neuro, And I also sent proof of the Parky meds I have been prescibed. I dont have any other evidence to give so I hope this is enough. I am quite glad you are allowed to see a copy of the assessors report, At least seeing a copy means you can dispute any discrepancies with what you have told them.
May I ask what it was like, What did they ask you, Did you have to carry out any physical tasks for example, Did he ask you to walk, Pick things up etc, I hate the idea of being scrutinised by someone. How long did it last.?
Well at least now its been done and hopefully you will get your payments really soon, Why is it that people who are swinging the lead a bit get whatever they want without having to fight for it. Then there are genuine souls like yourself who has to fight tooth and nail to get what you need. just not fair
good luck
candy x
Hi Candy
I have to say the assessor was very understanding and professional it was nothing to worry about i was feeling anxious i did not know what to expect when i am anxious my tremor is more prominent , i had someone with me they offered to make a coffee she bought the coffee in and i was shaking that much i spilt the coffee over the chair this was noted by the assessor
He asked first of all about my medical conditions and asked me to explain about them and what effect they have on my life, then he asked to see all my medication and he noted down what medication i was taking and at what dosage he also asked about side effects from the medication
He asked about social activities and hobbies etc a trick question i think
He then went through the list of all the daily living sections , asking how my condition affected my ability to do these things what i did find that in the preparing food questions i did say i could put food a microwave ok but he decided to change that to not being able to prepare food has he noted how bad my tremor was and said i would find it difficult to safely prepare food ie peeling chopping lifting pans etc he was very helpful after he had gone through all the questions on daily living he moved onto mobility , i have to wear a splint for walking and a splint for resting , i had my resting splint on at the time he noted all the physio i have had and hydro and the 2 walking sticks i have and the pain i have when walking which is caused by the dystonia he asked what dystonia was he said he was going to put that i could walk between 1 and 20 metres only with the aid of splints and sticks
He asked if he was correct in saying Parkinson's was a progressive neuro degenerative condition that will only get worse i said yes he said he would recommend a 2 yearly PIP review given the fact that the condition gets worse not better .
He then said he was supposed to examine my arms and ask me to walk but he was not going to do that as he could see i clearly had problems walking , all he asked me to do was squeeze his hand with my hands to test my strength which he noted was greatly reduced and tap my fingers like the neuro did at my first appointment and at that he said he can clearly see that my condition had a significant impact on my life and his report would reflect that and he left
I would say it was nothing to worry about at all he was very understanding and actually answered some of the questions for me.
It lasted about a hour and a half my appointment was for 11am but he phoned at 10am and asked if he could come early he arrived 5 minutes later left at 11.30 am
you can't get a copy of the report from Atos or Capita you have to wait till dwp are sent the report and you ask dwp for a copy
Thanks Shelly65,
That does not sound too bad, I think that when they see someone with a genuine medical condition they would be sympathetic, They are human after all. They are probably used to seeing people who claim to have this and claim to have that, But while it may be easy to fake a bad back it would be almost impossible to fake PD. I am so glad that you did not find it distressing. I am also starting to find things difficult in the kitchen, I also have a record of my physio so I will make sure that I show that to him.
I really hope now that your claim is sorted quickly, At least it will be backdated which will be a massive help to you I`m sure, Please let us know how you get on.
Thanks for info.
lots of love
Candyxxx
Thanks Candy
If things are difficult in the kitchen then make sure you tell the assessor as he said to me the key factor is your ability to do things safely , in a reasonable amount of time and to a acceptable standard.I would suggest collecting all the evidence you can and send it in so they have everything in front of them , i called Capita today to ask for the address to send my evidence in that the assessor could not take although he noted it they gave me the address to send it to the dwp decision maker for my area it helps for the decision maker to have it in front of them , i took Gus advice and sent photos of all the equipment the OT gave me , bath seats , perching stool , grab rail on bed , kettle tipper , pictures of my splints and all relevant letters from neurologist , orthotics appointments, physio and hydro appointments , medication, you could get a list of your meds from your gp surgery send that in Capita did not give much away but he did say the assessor had sent a detailed report and make sure i send the evidence as quick has possible as my report was with the reviewer , i asked what the review was for he said the reports are legally binding documents and they have to be grammar perfect so there checked before going to dwp don't know how true this is .
They do tend to watch you , if say someone claims to have a bad back and then bends to pick something up they know your swinging the lead , but all in all it was ok very relaxed nothing stressful
Look on the net for the daily living questions they ask , i listed all my problems on a notepad before the assessor came so i could just go from my notes .
Yes will let you know when i finally hear from them
Good luck with Atos Candy xxx
good luck shelly & your given out good advice hope all goes well ! keep us informed,your the first person i know going for pip.
Thanks Gus , well hopefully it won't be to much longer will keep you informed and thanks for the tip about the photos sent them off today it's a waiting game now .