Earlier this week I promised that I will write about my recent PIP (Personal Independence Payment) review for those who may be interested. I know that a lot of disabled people in the UK are possibly going through reviews right now and are terrified that they may face another stressful and lengthy appeal process to keep their claim, just like they did to be awarded the benefit the first time around.

The good news is that overall, the likelihood of still getting some award after a review is as high as 81% (Benefits and Work), with more than half of those claims being maintained at the same rate. 19% did fail their appointments, with 8% failing to return their forms on time, rather than being rejected outright. The DWP does seem to be moving away from face-to-face appointments for reviews as well, opting instead for telephone or video call conversations. I was glad for that, given my nearest assessment cenfre is now more than 20 miles away!

To clarify on my situation, I have an array of mild and “hidden” disabilities that are congenital (from birth), including a mild hearing loss, as well as a chronic pain condition that I developed later in life. I am not a wheelchair user and can walk short distances, as long as I take regular stops to ease out my pain. Much of the help that I need is related to cooking and eating that that is where I struggle most.

So, How Did It All Go?

First things first, even though the assessment centre had my mobile number, they rang me three days before on my landline number – a courtesy call to remind me of my appointment. The lady asked if it was the better number to call on, and I said yes because I was more likely to hear the ringer. She made a note of that.

I set an alarm for half hour before my telephone review to give me plenty of time to get ready. When the alarm sounded, I logged off of my laptop, filled my water bottle and used the bathroom. To keep the dog from barking whilst I was on the phone, I drew the curtains and gave him a treat dispensing toy filled with treats. We have a Jack Russell Terrier who likes to bark if he sees a bird flies over the house. Sometimes, an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure!

Dog settled, I went into the bedroom and sat on one end of our bed with my notes spread out in front of me (I blew them up with an extra big font too, so I could spot and grab them easily if i needed them). Matt joined me and sat at his desk.

 

The Review Process & Questions

The first thing that I can tell you is that the assessor was genuinely lovely, almost mumsy. When I read my assessment notes back from my initial assessment with ATOS, I couldn’t believe the terrible English in it – the nurse spoke with an Eastern European accent and wrote things that made me sound like I couldn’t care less if I passed or failed my assessment, possibly because that’s how she felt about me. With the HAAS (Health Assessment Advisory Service) lady, I felt genuinely cared for and heard, even if at times I didn’t feel wholly believed (is she deliberating my answer or her next question?). It’s one of the things you sometimes find with these health assessments : they routinely question your limited abilities, which sometimes makes you question yourself.

The assessor was about 25 minutes late which, obviously, did nothing for my anxiety. She was very apologetic and reassuring and told me that I could take breaks if I needed to, she also said that if I didn’t hear her I could just ask her to repeat the question, or to rephrase it if I didn’t understand it. She also assured me that I wasn’t in trouble and that it’s her job to help the Decision Maker make a decision, but that didn’t necessarily mean that I would be losing any money. Some people do get better or worse with time, she said, and that’s what the reviews are all about – to make sure the people who need more support are getting it!

The first thing that I was asked about was my living arrangements and any gizmos and gadgets that I have in it. I needed to mentally “walk” through the flat and think about what I have and where, and the assessor was patient and understanding while I did that. She joked too about having things in the home, but not always being able to remember where they are when someone asks about them. “We use them everyday and still forget they’re there!” she said. 

There’s some confusion about my pain condition, so I have to tell her how my pain sites came about, where I got diagnosed and the treatments I’ve had for it. She also focuses a lot on my inability to cook because of it, and the ways that I depend on my husband for help these days. I tell her that I was prescribed some aids to help me cook, but it is always faster if Matt cooks for us both. Things like opening a jar by hand, for example: it normally causes me a great deal of discomfort and possibly even injury (because of weakness/hypersensitivity/cramps in my hand), so I don’t try to open jars by hand anymore. I have an automatic jar opener now, which lives on my countertop and works very well, except that asking my husband to open jars typically works at least 5x faster. Hence, I need Matt’s help to do the cooking.

On Making Friends

There was a lot of flow to the telephone review, and at times it even felt quite conversational. We talked about swimming, and the assessor asked me about interacting with people there. I explained that I struggle with meeting new people. She also asked about my neighbours, and how I get along with them.

Mental Health & Trick Questions

One thing I will really commend the assessor for – she was much more understanding about mental health and my struggles with it. She asked if I had any thoughts of self-harm or suicide, and I said sometimes, particularly when my pain is bad or I’m stressed/depressed. She also asked if I’d ever taken medication for my mental health and, when I told her that they only ever made my mental health worse, she fully understood. 

“They work for some people and not for others” she said. Talk about understanding!

That brings me to the last thing that people often talk about when claiming disability benefits: “trick” questions. I was wary of them and ready for them, but I didn’t feel as though she asked me anything to try and “trick” me. She asked me some questions that might seem tricky, like when was the last time I went to the shops alone, do I see any friends without Matt, and whether I can make a sandwich. I can see how these questions can seem tricky, and maybe they are a bit tricky, but they’re also trying to get a more thorough idea of your capabilities. Of course I can make a sandwich – I have the basic know-how to know how to make a damn sandwich – but unfortunately, I can no longer make a sandwich without pain. 

In Conclusion

In all, my assessment was about half an hour, and despite the anxious state that I’d gotten myself into in the days beforehand, I felt really quite good about it. I don’t know yet whether my rates will stay the same or decrease, but to me, it didn’t sound like she expected anything to change, and certainly the way she ended the call made me feel as though things would carry on as they have been. She also assured me that I would continue to receive my payments while my review was carried out, which is handy, because I do need to pick up some warm fleece tops to keep the colder weather out. 

So that’s my PIP phone review in a nutshell. I hope that’s reassuring for those who have their phone reviews or assessments coming up, and for anyone else, I hope it’s at least an informative and entertaining read 🙂 

That’s it from me for this post. Have you had a PIP phone review or assessment? Leave a comment below or read more of my Living With Disabilities posts!

Until next time!

Stay safe & have fun,

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