u/Public_Building_535

Last week, I recieved my assessment report that had some inconsistencies and opinions in it. Statements such as “Not on anti anxiety medication” (I am) “Has a job so has motivation” (Had to quit my dream job for a purely wfh job that is very reasonable about my illness and that i still struggle with) and that I can cook meals with aids (my partner cooks everything and i can use a microwave for ready meals or order in)

I have since sent in further evidence (doctors notes, appointments, my boyfriend wrote a letter outlining my struggles and how he has to help me, 111 reports from last week and my therapist is writing a letter to my GP to help with pushing along an assessment for a health condition and I’m planning on sending this in too.

I got 6 points for daily living, 4 points for mobility. How likely is it that with this extra evidence and my notes of what I believe are incorrect in my original report that I will get an award? They said last week it will be 2-3 weeks until the DWP look at my claim.

I got a text yesterday to say they’ve recieved my report, I called up today and was told they can send it out but I am not allowed to appeal against anything in the assessment until the formal decision has been made by the DWP in terms of disagreeing with any details and they won’t get round to it for 2-4 weeks.

Is this a standard thing they say when requesting it or is she suspecting something I will dislike in there?

Thank you

Small update because I’m honestly spiralling a bit over this process now.

I called PIP again and they originally told me my assessment was still with Maximus going through “internal verification”. Today the health advisory team called me AGAIN for a third time asking for more information. The woman on the phone was actually really lovely, but I ended up crying because these repeated calls are becoming really distressing and anxiety-inducing for me.

She told me:
> “We just want to get as much information as possible.”

I also asked if they could please note that I can’t keep doing repeated calls because it’s really affecting me mentally.

The part that’s worrying me most is she said the DWP had sent the report back to them, so now I’m panicking that they don’t believe me or think I’m exaggerating because my symptoms fluctuate.

For context, my conditions are mainly:
- PPPD/chronic dizziness
- chronic fatigue
- anxiety/depression

I told them:
- there is ALWAYS a baseline dizziness every day
- but some days are much worse than others
- sometimes I can manage short walks, other days I can barely leave the house
- if I overdo things, I “pay for it” the next day with exhaustion/dizziness

I also explained I had to:
- leave my old job
- move in with my boyfriend
- switch to WFH with flexible breaks because it’s the only work I can manage

The repeated calls are making me terrified that they think I’m lying or that my claim is going badly. Has anyone else had DWP send a report back for more information/clarification and still gone on to get awarded?

I’m really anxious about my PIP claim and just wanted some opinions from people who’ve been through the process because the waiting is making me spiral a bit.

I applied for PIP on 28th January due to PPPD/chronic dizziness, chronic fatigue, anxiety/depression and related issues. I had my telephone assessment on 30/4 and then the assessor called me back the next day (1/5) to clarify a few details.

Since then I hadn’t heard anything, so I called PIP and they told me the assessment report is still with Maximus and hasn’t been sent to DWP yet because it’s going through “internal verification/quality review”. That wording scared me because I immediately thought it meant something bad, but they didn’t say there was a problem, just that it was still with them.

My symptoms fluctuate a lot and I’m worried they’ll think I’m exaggerating because I admitted I do have some better days. I explained that every day is different, but there is ALWAYS a baseline dizziness. Some days I can walk for 2-3 minutes, other days I can barely leave the house. If I do too much one day, I completely pay for it the next day with exhaustion/dizziness and need frequent naps because of fatigue.

Things I told them included:

- I struggle to prepare food and mostly rely on ready meals/takeaways or my boyfriend cooking
- I use a chair in the kitchen and avoid sharp knives because of dizziness
- My boyfriend has to remind me to eat because depression/anorexia affects me
- I mainly have baths because showers make me dizzy
- I need someone in the house when washing because I’m scared of falling
- I need help washing my hair and use aids like a long sponge
- My mum does most of my washing, cleaning, tidying and food shopping
- I struggle socially and usually rely on my mum or boyfriend when going out
- I rarely go out alone because of dizziness/anxiety/disorientation
- I said I have to follow sat navs carefully and unexpected changes/road closures can really throw me off
- I can’t walk my dog anymore because of dizziness/fatigue

I also explained that I had to quit my old job and move in with my boyfriend because of my condition, and the only work I can manage now is work from home with flexible breaks and understanding managers.

I’ve only been dealing with the dizziness for around 8 months which also makes me nervous because I worry it’s “not long enough”, even though it’s completely changed my life.

What’s making me panic most is that I keep seeing people online say:
“I heard back in 2 days”
“My report was sent immediately”
etc, and mine is still in verification over a week later.

Does this sound normal? Has anyone else had their report stay with Maximus for internal verification for a while and still gone on to get awarded?

Has anyone else with PPPD or chronic dizziness had a big flare after increasing sertraline?

I was on 75mg for around 8 weeks and felt like my dizziness had improved by about 40%, but I increased to 100mg on May 7th and since then I’ve been super dizzy again. My boyfriend also got a stomach bug and I feel like I might be getting it too, so I’m struggling to tell what’s causing what.

Did anyone else get worse temporarily after a dose increase and then settle again? Would really appreciate hearing other people’s experiences.

My PIP call was last Thursday. She then called again on Friday to clarify some information. Obviously it was then the weekend and BH but i’ve had no updates. When can I expect an update? I’m in the North East.