Assessment

We have a client who needs to change her PIP assessment date, so her brother can be with her.

She spoke to Captia who agreed to change it, but they also cautioned her that she can only do so once, and referred our client to their webpage, which indeed does say: -

‘Change the date or time of your appointment (you can only change your appointment once)’

http://www.capita-pip.co.uk/en/assessment-process/telephone.html

Not sure on what basis this would be other than their own guidance?

We have clients who often need to rearrange appointments and so it would be useful for any comeback to this other than this is not what the law states etc

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

I have always, perhaps erroneously, believed this to be based on their own guidance and nothing more. Makes administrative sense from their business perspective but doesn’t work well in the real world. Having had clients with between 5 and 8 cancellations of assessments by APs in the past I’m afraid I take a fairly vigorous approach to such things and when this has become an issue I have challenged and they have always caved. Sometimes I’ve been able to point out that the change is needed as a reasonable adjustments under EA 10 and others it’s just about the practicalities e,g. claimant currently in hospital becomes claimant then taking a not unreasonable recuperative break.

Has to be borne in mind that they still periodically list people miles from home e.g. GM claimants listed for Liverpool or Sheffield and sorting that uses up one of your lives so to speak. They know damn well the game they’re playing there and will generally back down if put on the spot.

Mike,

Many thanks, had not thought of the EA angle.

Cheers

Completely agree it’s worth a try but this week had IAS absolutely refuse even to consider moving an appointment as an adjustment. I don’t think they actually even understood what we were asking. Just kept repeating that the “regulations” say they can only rearrange an appointment once.

Will be drafting a letter before action. Ironically the HCP was then ill and couldn’t make the assessment so it has been rearranged in any case. Tempted to tell them it had to ahead because that’s our guidance and there is nothing we can do but I doubt they would have got the irony/sarcasm.

Rosie,

I very much doubt that they would, as it is not in the Regs…..!

I simply refuse to deal with them over the phone as you’re almost always confronted with someone working to a script from which they won’t deviate. A formal EA 10 request generally results in either a new assessment date or the sudden realisation they can magic up a paper assessment.

roecab - 29 October 2021 03:16 PM

Rosie,

I very much doubt that they would, as it is not in the Regs…..!

Hence the inverted commas.