About an Atos PIP Assessment...What not to do.

[IsItRequired]

I had an assessment for the benefit PIP.
Even though this benefit in part was clearly designed for a person like myself who has serious mobility issues ,I was told by Atos and then the DWP that it is not a benefit for me as I do not have any mobility needs.
They came to this conclusion solely from the fact that I managed to park my car in the car park 100m away from there office and then walk to there office...I was not asked how far I can walk or how much it hurts or how many pills I need to do it,or how my balance issues made the walk hazzodous...or even how many weeks after I may suffer for it with increased symptoms.

Also becuse I maintained eye contact during the assesment , this was used against me.

The fact I shower everyday was used against me...even tho I have a skin condition that requires being clean weather I leave the house or not...And the fact it is the only pleasure and break from pain I get in my day...for 5 minutes hot water does releave my symptoms temporeraly and it has become something I enjoy.

Fact is I cannot move 1m without pain and discomfort due to spinal problems ,I have slipped 2 discs with one borderline requiring surgery as it has recently affected my bladder...Activity brings on my symptoms and now I am being investigated for CAN, which is basicly very bad effecting the heart...my internal organs can fail at anytime is how i see it, activity increases the chance...Someone like me needs a blue badge and benefit help in the way of PIP...My GP agrees and once I see my neuroligist again he I am sure once informed of the Atos and DWP decision he will agree, and hopefully in disgust write me a free letter.

Thing is PIP is a benefit for me, I deserve it as it was designed to give people like myself independence...But eye contact, showering and getting to the appointment was all used against me in the decision makers letter.This decision would if I let it stick interfere with my rehabilitation and it most certainly would help destroy me mentaly as I have already been house bound unable to afford the costs of leaving the house for 7 months already.I cannot use Public Transport even if it was available.

So...If you can get someone to lean on as you walk to there office, and of course they drive there not you...and dont maintain eye contact with the assessor, and smell as much as your body allows...you might just get what your rightfully entitled to...Goodluck.

[IsItRequired]

Re: About an Atos PIP Assessment...What not to do.

Also by being smelly you may jump the que,bit unfair on the unsmelly tho...if you can stink the room out and the staff have to endure such a thing then I am sure you wont have to wait the 1 hour 20 minutes I did for smelling good for the ESA appointment I had...then again I got that award, but the assesor was a Doctor that time, for PIP she was just a clueless to my condition nurse.

[enquirer]

Re: About an Atos PIP Assessment...What not to do.

Also becuse I maintained eye contact during the assesment , this was used against me.

What do they say maintaining eye contact is an indicator for?

[IsItRequired]

Re: About an Atos PIP Assessment...What not to do.

What do they say maintaining eye contact is an indicator for?

I really do not know and will ask the decision maker if ever they do ring me like I requested...I guess it shows confidence or mental stability, then again a pshco would stare them out and shine at this , I dont know but my excuse to the decision maker is that I was in love , it for me was love at first site when I saw that asseser women and I just couldnt keep my eyes of her and with the eyeing up of myself by the assessor I thought it was a mutual attraction...then again, I could have a perverted medical condition were I only look women in the eyes and ignore all men...or...I thought the assesor was possessed by demons and I was trying to look into her sole, coz ya can if ya mad lol...I dont know which excuse I will use but at the end of the day maintaining eye contact does not nessaceraly mean all is good and I will let this be known.

[rds60h]

Re: About an Atos PIP Assessment...What not to do.

1) Maintaining eye contact is assessed as being alert and aware and also not suffering from any side affects from medication and therefore able to assess any dangers that your own actions could bring about.
2) Being Clean Shaven and Washed and Clean is assessed as having the motability and balance to have achieved this on
your own and without pain, it is also assessed as not having any symtoms of Depression or Anxiety !
3) Being Well Dressed on in a Tidy fashion is also assessed exactly the same as being Washed, Shaved and Clean.
4) Being able to attend the ATOS appointment at their own location is assessed as having adequate Mobility and Balance
and Self Awareness of Dangers and having not suffered any Pain. And therefore having failed all those criteria of
qualification for PIP.


These items can all be questioned on appeal and/or at Tribunal but that can be quite some time later especially now and with the fact that your payments are stopped when you appeal !!! All of these things are in place to discourage you from claiming and appealing, but you MUST NOT be discouraged and push on regardless because if you have difficulties then you have difficulties and you have the Right to your Entitlement (There are other benefits that you can claim once you have appealed, so you will not be without income).
When you answer the questions about you entitlement to PIP or ESA or DLA whether it be on the printed application forms or during an assessment, you MUST state your condition on your worst days and not mention anything about your condition on good days. Because if you mention anything about how you are on good days it is automatically noted and accepted as your "normal" standard, and it is imperative that you stress the amount of pain that you suffer and the regularity of that pain, because it is also unlikely that any mention of your pain levels will be mentioned on an ATOS assessment report, which you can then state as a complete omission from a report and then question what other omissions have been made to achieve a rejection.
Remember ATOS will take your Best Days as the level of your condition, you must therefore highlight your Worst Days as the level of your condition !!!

[IsItRequired]

Re: About an Atos PIP Assessment...What not to do.

1) Maintaining eye contact is assessed as being alert and aware and also not suffering from any side affects from medication and therefore able to assess any dangers that your own actions could bring about.
2) Being Clean Shaven and Washed and Clean is assessed as having the motability and balance to have achieved this on
your own and without pain, it is also assessed as not having any symtoms of Depression or Anxiety !
3) Being Well Dressed on in a Tidy fashion is also assessed exactly the same as being Washed, Shaved and Clean.
4) Being able to attend the ATOS appointment at their own location is assessed as having adequate Mobility and Balance
and Self Awareness of Dangers and having not suffered any Pain. And therefore having failed all those criteria of
qualification for PIP.

The test is not fit for purpous...I am a danger to myself and others when walking as my balance problem is that of a drunk, let alone the pain involved even on strong opiates.And now I have learnt that I have to avoid all physical activity in order to not cause my self life threatening problems...So the test that Atos does is wrong as I will get PIP because I do qualify for it...Worst thing with my case is an on going medical negligence issue... I just cannot get treatment or a diagnosis quick...every doctor or consultant I see either forgets me or later due to another doctor I find out I was not even tested correctly...the negligence that continues now is unberleivable , its as if I am on a never ending pass the patient from hospital to hospital game, and no hospital shares thier infomation with the other...my neurosergon will not talk to my neuroligist , the A&E I attended 2 weeks ago have still not told my neuroligist of my recent serious symptoms and provided scan results...I am dealing with 3 hospitals, have no GP as he let me down badly and his lack of actions is why I am disabled now so I dont have anyone in charge just 3 different hospitals messing me about , and my health just gets worse.
If someone knows of an NHS telephone number I can ring to demand help that I should be recieving then that would be much appreciated.

[rds60h]

Re: About an Atos PIP Assessment...What not to do.

If you are based in England then this is the complaint procedure :: http://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/complaint/
I believe the complaints procedure is done through the "NHS Choices" scheme; which guess what, is operated by.......ATOS !!
I think the idea might be that the government are employing ATOS to ruin the Benefits System and the NHS so that they can then claim they are not working and are unsustainable and so need to be ended !!!

[Bronte2015]

Re: About an Atos PIP Assessment...What not to do.

Got my assessment coming up and totally petrified. I got my diagnosis 6 years ago and it is a degenerative condition. I haven't attempted to claim anything till now and I know people who've been diagnosed with similar conditions and applied for benefits within weeks of diagnosis and got help

What I don't understand is - they will not do home visits for everyone and people I know who have got awarded full award have been to ATOS for assessments etc.

I will be going with my Support Worker who will have her ID badge on her and she has already rang them and asked for a venue closer to home and stated to them that she KNOWS they have closer venues. They offered me something much closer to home but she could not make that appointment. So we are travelling together by train but I will be in my wheelchair as I cannot manage long distance on public transport. I will try not to be too clean but when somebody else does your washing for you and you have good taste in clothes anywhere then course you are going to look clean!!! How the hell does that affect my mobility?!

How do they know my Support Worker did not help me that day?? There's so many products like wet wipes, deodorant and dry shampoo these days and cheap places to get clothes then how is it fair to judge cos you do not look like a tramp?

[des8]

Re: About an Atos PIP Assessment...What not to do.

Good luck in your assessment.
Did you manage to arrange for your assessment to be recorded?
If not, take full written notes of the assessment ie the questions and answers you give (or arrange for your carer to do so).
The actual assessment isn't frightening (or at least my son's wasn't) but it is the difference between what is said at the assessment and what goes down on the report to DWP, hence the advice to take notes.

[Bronte2015]

Re: About an Atos PIP Assessment...What not to do.

Good luck in your assessment.
Did you manage to arrange for your assessment to be recorded?
If not, take full written notes of the assessment ie the questions and answers you give (or arrange for your carer to do so).
The actual assessment isn't frightening (or at least my son's wasn't) but it is the difference between what is said at the assessment and what goes down on the report to DWP, hence the advice to take notes.

Well I would hope that because my Support Worker works for a big well known organisation and will show her ID that they will not be stupid enough to put different stuff down on my report. I might ask her to take notes. I have thought about recording it but not sure if asking on the day is ok? Part of me just wants to do it discretely but I don't want to risk getting caught either.

I think I might ask at the start if I can record the audio and if she says no make a point of saying to my Support Worker to make sure that goes in her notes and state that my Support Worker will be taking notes.

[Bronte2015]

Re: About an Atos PIP Assessment...What not to do.

This is on adviceguide.org
Will the face-to-face assessment be audio recorded?

The assessment with the health professional isn't recorded, but you can use your own equipment to audio record it if you wish. However, you must be able to provide a full and accurate copy of the recording to the health professional at the end of the session, either on CD or audio cassette. You must tell the assessment provider before the appointment if you want to do this.

[Bronte2015]

Re: About an Atos PIP Assessment...What not to do.

Think i will print that out direct from the website so they can where it has come from, ask my Support Worker on the way there to put it in her handbag and to produce it when prompted by me asking if I can record it.

[des8]

Re: About an Atos PIP Assessment...What not to do.

It's not that easy.
You have to request the recording in advance when the appointment is booked. There is no legal right to have the assessment recorded.
You can use your own equipment, but it has to meet certain standards and advance notice must be given.
You may only use CD or tape recordings and you need to be able to do twin recordings.
A word of warning: if you are found to be recording clandestinely your assessment will be stopped. (There are some very small devices available)
Here's a link to the official website http://www.gov.uk/government/uploads...imants_FAQ.pdf

Certainly ask your carer to take copious notes

[Bronte2015]

Re: About an Atos PIP Assessment...What not to do.

Oh i know that bit. Did not say anything in apt letter about asking to record it so going by CAB website you are legally entitled to ask to record it. It's a month away so will get my support worker to ring and ask. If they say no she will say she will speak to CAB

[ATOS SURVIVOR]

Re: About an Atos PIP Assessment...What not to do.

Hi Ho;e your recoding went well as i asked ATOS to do the recording which was done. I WAS given a copy but when iI played back it was complety blank:tinysmile_cry_t: