hi i claimed pip a coulple of months ago and was duly given a face to face assesment date 50 miles away in newcastle.i couldnt drive there myself ,there is no bus service where i live (its very ruraL) i tried gettting a lift but eveyone works so i rang atos and told them i couldnt attend
atos said i can get a taxi but i would have to pay for it and claim the cash back which could take 14 days
the taxi would b £114 which i dont have especially for two weeks
atos told me to ring the dwp and explain this to them which i did they said they would try and arrrange a home visit or do a paperwork only assesment and they would be in touch
i received a letter today rejecting my claim as i didnt attend the interview
(ialso sent a letter to them explaining the circumstances a ringing them)i
t seeems they have completely ignored what i have told therm
Its always worrying but I expect the rejection letter was just automatically issued by the computer system.
\have you a PD UK area support officer who can help you through this computer dominated bureacracy?
Helpline is very good but try the Support for You button at the top of the page to find a local support worker as they are helping with t his sort of thing all the time.
thats what im hoping eileen find out monday,,cant be bothered with all this again but thats what they want so sod that monday morning ..THEY SHALL FEELL MY WRATH, :)
When I first applied, I told them two dates that would be impossible for me to attend an interview. Needless to say, they sent me an appointment for the first of these. When I phoned to say I could not attend, they said that would count as a no show as dates could not be changed. I therefore cancelled my plans for the day (with no refund therefore costing me over £50 in unused tickets). Two days prior to the date, they cancelled the appointment with no explanation and re-set it for the other date I could not do. No apology and no way of getting compensation.
Again, I told them that the second date was inconvenient and again I was told that changing it "again" was not an option, even though they had cancelled and not me. I therefore cancelled the hospital appointment I had planned and attended the interview.
When I arrived I was told that I had missed my interview as they still had me registered for the initial date. Are you all still with me?................................................
After several months of arguing the toss with them, I was finally awarded PIP, but what an incredibly and unnecessarily stressful process. I felt as though I was begging for money to which I was not entitled, but vowed to keep fighting them till the end. It was a costly procedure for me as compensation for my lost tickets, etc. was never an option.
No wonder it takes so long to process the applications - they really just dont know what they are doing.
I thought pduk was in talks and tell us all that it's getting easier to cliam benefits that were entitled to this seems not to be the case .Any comments pduk
oh my, I'm getting in a right mess with this PIP. I have been on DLA for 10 years as I had to give up work at 57, I missed having to go from PIP to DLA by 3 months, so my letter arrived just before Christmas, \i had to return the 54 page form by 28th December, my daughter in law did all the filling in as my writing is so small no one can read it, also I could hold a pen that long. I'm now waiting to hear what they say. To say it is making me very anxious is an understatement, I must be dreadful to live with. Without my vehicle, my husband is my allocated driver, I cannot get about as I have a hoist for my electric wheelchair and an extra large vehicle to accommodate it. I am so worried about them taking it from me. also removing my benefit as i wouldn't be able to pay for my help etc. How are others coping with this terrifying problem.
Hi all, it is without doubt appalling that both dazzambro and oxfordgills have had such bad customer experience ( and that is what most companies like to refer to us as ' customers' ) how on earth can they be taken as professional with such poor communication and attitude I wonder if there is a complaints department ?
It is without question a very stressful process and yes you do feel like you are begging by the end of it all, my claim changing from DLA to PiP was not successful nor was my reconsideration and I will admit I was so angry, upset and bolshy I suppose I though f*** o**.....apologies for such language.
This resulted in the loss of my car which I need to work; so I had to find the money from some where to buy a second hand car (while I waited for the donation from mobility towards another vehicle) and I now have extra outlay with car insurance, tax and up keep of not a new vehicle.
I am struggling to maintain my work role having over the past 10 years dropped from a 36 hr week to just 16hrs. even this now is becoming difficult to maintain but I need to work for financial reasons and also even though for 3 days it is very hard work being ready for a working day in the morning and going to bed for an hour or more at 3pm when I get home because I am so exhausted....but all this said I love my job and the social aspect of it.
I do not receive or believe I am entitled to any other benefit and will admit I did rely on my previous DLA payment each month and the car component was very much appreciated and needed.
I have the past few days retrieved my letters and read them through very thoroughly which I didnt before, my own fault, but the whole process just made me feel so low and worthless that I admit I gave up.
I wish everyone the very best with their applications and I will re apply soon because life is not at its best and my condition is proving quite taxing to say the least at the minute.
I find the whole process so difficult because I will not play the sick role I try the best I can in all that I do even if it is the detriment of my well being, stupid? possibly but I that is who I am, should I not try so hard???I am begining to wonder
turns out the letter wasnt a mistake and theyve refused me pip and stopped my carers allowance and told me i have to return the tax disk for the car .what the hell do they think im going to live on .
turns out i dont get pip because i couldnt attend an imnterview
i thought it was supposed to be easy claiming pip with parkinsons
I would of thought Parkinsons Uk Would be making some sort of response Here there are Several People Clearly are being left behind and need Help It is a situation they should not be facing.
Have you been in touch with anyone here at Parkinson's UK? Or a local adviser? I think it would be best for you to discuss this with someone here. We do have benefits advisers working on our helpline and in local areas across the UK. Please give us a call on 0808 800 0303 or email us at [email protected].
I'm horrified to read this thread. I feel so sorry for those having problems you just don't need the stress on top if being ill as well.
I am putting our claim experience across so others know that it's not always a bad experience if you get the help of the right people and you have your health specialists to back you up.
My OH was diagnosed with parkinsonism with lewy body dementia on 23/12/2015.
He was already on receipt of DLA for mobility and care issues at top mobility and medium attendance. I get carers for him.......I had been badgering the GP and consultant for 3 years as I "knew" his issues were also neurological.
As his condition has greatly deteriorated quite rapidly since diagnosis we were advised to claim PIP instead as the consultant 'supposed' he should be higher rate of both.
I did this via telephone in July 2016. Forms were sent out and I contacted PDUK for our area.
I cannot praise the two ladies who helped us enough. Without them I have no doubt.I would have filled the forms out incorrectly and my OH may well have had his entitlement lowered or lost it altogether.
They organised a home visit assessment for us and we were obviously lucky with our assessor as she was a very understanding person.
My OH was awarded top rate for both components thankfully which he really does need and I couldn't cope without this financial help. Although they did only award it to him from 16/11/2016 so the extra award was not backdated whereas had he not been previously on receipt of DLA it would apparently have been backdated to the date of my first call.
Having said all this I now know we have been very lucky to have had help from the PDUK ladies.
I would advise anyone to gain their help with the PIP forms as they are very difficult to understand.
The tales of woe relating to PIP just keep coming. When will these assessors realise that PD is not a disease which follows the rules and needs to be assessed by a professional doctor, not some administrator who hasnt a scooby about the challenges we face every day.
I, like everyone else, was made to feel as though I was claiming for something that I was not entitled to and that it was being given grudgingly. It is highly undignified to have to prove that you are disabled and insulting when met with refusal. PIP should be authorised by your main consultant or GP, they are the only ones who have any idea of how you are affected.
PD causes all sorts of additional expenses - chiropodist to deal with the callouses, corns and cracks caused by toes curling - expensive shoes as cheap ones just dont fit - physio which is never available on the NHS - more frequent dental visits, etc. etc. Whilst the costs go up, my incomings have gone down as I have had to take early retirement. Double hit.
I am just asking for help to live at a time when we are struggling to make ends meet through no fault of our own.
I will now put my soap box away (until the next time something starts me up).
Hi everyone; for some time now I have most certainly not been on top of my game its like some one switched some light or something off because I just was not coping and generally my symptoms were really getting worse....my tremor, stiffness poor co ordination etc etc and I was thinking I have to sort my life out what was going on.....yes I know i will dip and decline but not to the extent and rapidness I have been feeling. To be honest I just wanted to go to bed and hide.....then the light came on from my other half's comment. I had been in this state since I re submitted my PiP application!!! and giving it some thought or shall we say conscious thought, he is right....I am so stressed out by the whole thing, the impact it has had going from DLA to PiP with loss of mobility car and loss of any care component to trying to cope and then finding the motivation to reapply with the very much appreciated support of my local PD UK support officer and a wonderful gentleman from the DWP ( yes you read correctly ) who visited me at home to assist in completing the form again. This was duly posted with lots of medical and professional supporting letters and just heard that it has gone to Capita again.....I know what it is its the thought of having endure the face to face again....I just cannot believe the detrimental effect this process is having on me, I thought am I being a bit melodramatic?? but no I don't believe I am but I am surprised at just what a state I am in......if only it didnt matter quite so much....but my god it does. Best of luck to all those in the same situation
You may not need a face to face assessment as long as the forms are filled in correctly and you've included supporting letters, fingers crossed it will be ok.
