Blind Persons PIP Assessment

[Scotty1]

Hi Guys sorry for delay, promised to give details of my assessment with Capita.
I'm am registered blind with a Certificate of Visial Impairment, my condition is Retinitis Pigmentosa. I started my PIP claim on 22nd November 2013 and I had my assessment on 28th April 2014.

I received a letter confiming my home appointment the week before along with a text message reminder.
My assessor arrived on time, and was a registered physiotherapist, with experience of dealing with sight issues due to helping people who have had strokes.

After a brief check on my identification and proof of disablilty, she went onto ask me a series of questions, the first being about my general well-being, do I drink, smoke or participate in drug use. She asked how I was coping mentally with my situation and I explained that I am on antidepressants and finding my life difficult. We then went on to talk about my condition and how it effects my life on a daily basis. We went through a typical day pointing out at every stage when I need assistance and help. (Before the assessor arrived my partner and I had already gone through a typical day just to make sure that we didn't miss out anything, with as much detail as possible, we also gave her printed information about my condition).

The assessor then asked what hobbies I do or did before I lost my sight. She asked what activities I am able to do, or not, such as gardening, housework, cooking, washing etc. I was then asked about my mobility, am I able to go out unaided, can I go on public transport, go shopping etc. I was asked if there was anything that could be done to my property to make things easier for me.

She told me that Capita had received information from my GP and Consultant supporting my claim and if we didn't here from the DWP in 4 weeks to phone them. The assessment took 1 hour 15 minutes, it was quite a short assessment compaired to other peoples, so I don't know whether that is a good or bad sign.

All in all I was dreading this assessment, but the lady was lovely and considerate.

Impatiant as I am I decided to phone the DWP today 2nd May, on the off chance they might have received my assessment and I was told that they had received it yesterday, I have requested a copy of my assessment and was told they aim to make decision within the next 3 weeks.

I hope this might be of help to people especially with sensory impairment problems. I will be updating when I have received my decision, fingers crossed it won't be too long.

Scotty1

[flowerangelx]

This could be very helpful indeed to somebody with sensory impairments.

My assessment took around an hour - I have mental health problems along with mobility problems and a loss of hearing.

I myself have a degree of hearing loss, but not enough to be classed as deaf. I struggle to hear people or cars if there is background noise, and my idea of hell is somewhere busy with a lot of people talking. With my hearing aids, I can hear people talking across a road but can't hear a car coming towards me.

[Flymo]

Obviously, it is impossible to know the outcome before you have a decision, but this sounds hopeful. In particular, I hope that your high opinion of the assessor is reflected in the report being an accurate and complete picture of the problems you face.

I'm not surprised your assessment was a little shorter than most, as your condition doesn't vary and the effects are relatively easy for an outsider to understand once they have an accurate mental picture of your level of sight and your lifestyle. What you describe sounds very much in line with what I would expect, and I hope the warning to prepare full explanations for "typical day" style questioning helped. Indeed, it was your preparation that likely helped keep your assessment a little shorter than many, because you and your partner were able to give full and complete answers with minimal hesitation.


It sounds as if your report has got through the post-assessment quality checks at Capita fairly quickly, again possibly because of the relatively 'concrete' nature of your disability. If DWP have got the full report and find no problems with it, it usually takes somewhere around 2-3 weeks to receive notification of the decision. I look forward to your update and thank you for sharing your experiences so far.

[Scotty1]

Flymo I do feel it was a positive assessment, but a lot of that comes down to you, your sticky pip threads and generally your guidance, so if it is a good outcome you played a part so thank you. I wanted to post my experience because it is very worrying to people having the assessments so the better prepared you are with the questions the easier it should be. Fingers crossed
Thanks again flymo and keep up the good work.
Scotty1

[Flymo]

You're too kind. It was you and your partner that did the hard work of thinking through your situation and preparing your explanations. All I did was give you a little information and a few suggestions.


I am a great believer in knowledge being power. It is stressful enough being faced with benefit assessments - I know what a damaging effect my own PIP experience had on me last year even though, delays aside, I was treated very well by my assessor and the Case Manager who made the decision. It can be very disempowering not to understand the situation you are in, especially when it can be so hard to access good quality information and advice.

I was one of the first few thousand to be awarded PIP and acquired a deep understanding of the regulations through my personal research, was guided by my legal education. I'm just one fallible human being, but my efforts to give back in this forum are my way of trying to make society a little less unjust for ill and disabled people.

[Popeye]

Hi Scotty

I like you have RP, been registered Blind since 1984
worked until 2005

was put in Support Group of ESA migrated from IB with no medical 20013,

I was also put onto HRM of DLA wwithout asking or a change of circumstances when ir was introduced
met the criteria,

I am on Indefenie award of DLA so will wait to be invited to claim PIP until after Oct 2015, when I will then be over 66yo,

so nice to hear you had a possitive Face to face, and wish you all the luck in getting what you need and deserve to cope and make life that bit easier,

will never understand the need for a f2f when a registered Blind person has all the paperwork ( CVI and GP and consultants reports, )

just to say, both my older brother and my 25yo G/son also have RP,

good luck Scotty,

[Scotty1]

Hi Popeye,

I was working up until April 2013 and currently on a sick note. I am now waiting for a decision from my employer M & S, who i've been working for since 1984, as to whether they are going to dismiss me through incapacity to work or ill health pension me off, so at the moment I am having a very stressful time, but hopefully it will all be sorted soon.

At the moment I appear to be the only person in my family with RP and there appears to be no family history of it and I am the youngest of 5 children, so hopefully it will stay that way.


Scotty1

[Flymo]

This could be very helpful indeed to somebody with sensory impairments.

I agree, and have added a link to this thread from the PIP sticky thread.

I myself have a degree of hearing loss, but not enough to be classed as deaf. I struggle to hear people or cars if there is background noise, and my idea of hell is somewhere busy with a lot of people talking. With my hearing aids, I can hear people talking across a road but can't hear a car coming towards me.

I'm sure you mentioned this hearing loss during your assessment, as it has an obvious bearing on your safety out of doors. Your comment is a reminder that PIP looks at the functional issues arising from all your impairments, so it is important to mention relevant symptoms that are not part of your primary diagnoses.

[Flymo]

I am now waiting for a decision from my employer M & S, who i've been working for since 1984, as to whether they are going to dismiss me through incapacity to work or ill health pension me off, so at the moment I am having a very stressful time, but hopefully it will all be sorted soon.

I hope you can get ill health retirement, as that could make a huge difference to your financial well-being in the years to come. It is not your fault that you developed an impairment that was incompatible with continuing employment with the company you have been with for so long.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for a good outcome to both your PIP claim and the decisions relating to your former employment.

[Flymo]

will never understand the need for a f2f when a registered Blind person has all the paperwork ( CVI and GP and consultants reports, )

It's possible for a PIP claim to be decided on the basis of paperwork alone, but a face to face assessment is common.

Even though the impairment and its immediate effects are clear for someone who is registered blind, the functional effects of that impairment will vary from one blind person to the next depending on their lifestyle and the techniques they have in their arsenal.

I remember a man I knew who has now passed on. He lost his sight quite late in life, and had resigned himself to a life dependent on his wife and others. He was persuaded to go on a white stick course, which he was initially very reluctant to take at his advanced age. He took to his white stick very well, and regained his ability to visit certain local places independently.