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Re: Telephone assessment
- Mandy
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1 year 3 months ago #282351 by Mandy
Re: Telephone assessment was created by Mandy
I don’t know what to do. I have not been advised what type of assessment I will be getting but telephone ones are the most common. I have read they can be 1-2 hours. There is no way I can cope with that. I think I would probably just say anything to get off the phone. Ideally I would like them to email me what they want to know so I can take my time and give the correct answer. I did think about going through the common questions they ask answering them and sending as additional evidence. This way I could reference it on the call and hopefully the remaining questions will be minimal.
I am also concerned about the evidence they will request from my GP re my mental health. Having had it for 30 years I don’t really bother him. I have had every therapy you can think of with various success. But success only lasts while having therapy. There is no cure at least for me. Increasing my meds etc resulted in severe side effect. I am always suicidal but he can’t do much about it. I have just accepted this is me and I have to live with it. Because of this my records will not reflect the reality. Should I write to GP and explain?
I am also concerned about the evidence they will request from my GP re my mental health. Having had it for 30 years I don’t really bother him. I have had every therapy you can think of with various success. But success only lasts while having therapy. There is no cure at least for me. Increasing my meds etc resulted in severe side effect. I am always suicidal but he can’t do much about it. I have just accepted this is me and I have to live with it. Because of this my records will not reflect the reality. Should I write to GP and explain?
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- Gary
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1 year 3 months ago #282360 by Gary
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
Replied by Gary on topic Re: Telephone assessment
Hi Mandy
Welcome to the forum.
You might want to have a look at the following FAQ which explains where everything is; www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/guides-for-claimants/faq/forum
From your post you seem to be panicking, DWP seldom contact doctors for further information. I am not sure if your assessment is for PIP or WCA, so I have added links for both.
If you have a look at our PIP/ESA guides at the links below you will see that there are a number of pages which include advice on telephone assessments. Yes, a lot of the questions are those that would have been asked if you had a face to face assessment.
benefitsandwork.co.uk/guides-for-claimants/pip
help-for-claimants/esa1
- Write yourself a bullet point list of any particular points you want to get over, so you have it by you during the assessment, tick them as you cover them during the assessment.
- have paper and pens to hand to make any notes such as the assessors name, date, time
- make sure you are seated in a comfortable chair, you are going to be there a while and at table to make notes
- if you can't hear or understand what is being asked then ask them to repeat the question
- don’t let the assessor rush you and get you flustered.
- don't forget to have a glass of water if needed so you don't get a dry throat and lose your voice!
If you are having an assessment for PIP, don't forget to contact DWP 48 hours after the assessment and ask for a copy of the assessors report called PA4.
Gary
Welcome to the forum.
You might want to have a look at the following FAQ which explains where everything is; www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/guides-for-claimants/faq/forum
From your post you seem to be panicking, DWP seldom contact doctors for further information. I am not sure if your assessment is for PIP or WCA, so I have added links for both.
If you have a look at our PIP/ESA guides at the links below you will see that there are a number of pages which include advice on telephone assessments. Yes, a lot of the questions are those that would have been asked if you had a face to face assessment.
benefitsandwork.co.uk/guides-for-claimants/pip
help-for-claimants/esa1
- Write yourself a bullet point list of any particular points you want to get over, so you have it by you during the assessment, tick them as you cover them during the assessment.
- have paper and pens to hand to make any notes such as the assessors name, date, time
- make sure you are seated in a comfortable chair, you are going to be there a while and at table to make notes
- if you can't hear or understand what is being asked then ask them to repeat the question
- don’t let the assessor rush you and get you flustered.
- don't forget to have a glass of water if needed so you don't get a dry throat and lose your voice!
If you are having an assessment for PIP, don't forget to contact DWP 48 hours after the assessment and ask for a copy of the assessors report called PA4.
Gary
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
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- Mandy
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1 year 3 months ago #282406 by Mandy
Replied by Mandy on topic Re: Telephone assessment
Thank-you very much for your advice. It all sounds really helpful especially the bullet point idea. My claim was for PIP.
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