Anxious PIP applicant shares 'surprising' experience of 'dreaded' appointment

Scouring the internet, they found many had shared their experiences of the process - but what was said filled them with dread

A 'huge amount' of negativity surrounding the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) telephone assessment left one applicant with 'so much anxiety'. Scouring the internet, they found many had shared their experiences of the process - but what was said filled them with dread.

Ahead of their appointment, they wanted to get an idea of what they could expect, explaining that they found not knowing what to expect "excruciating" due to being autistic. But online they found many people had claimed "assessors treated them as if they were a bother" or "were generally unkind and rude".

The Reddit user said: "This gave me so much anxiety and made me dread the appointment, thinking that this was the only possibly way my assessment could go and that all PIP assessors were somehow out to make this experience as awful as possible for us." However after their own call, they felt it was "important" to share their own observations.

READ MORE: 'The PIP application was like some kind of psychological warfare and the outcome made me weep'

They posted: "My assessor could not have been more lovely, kind and patient. She was sweet, respectful, and so very helpful, by offering to explain things when I said I didn't fully understand something. She would ask me follow up questions and ask me to elaborate on some things, to make sure she got as much information as possible.

"She was very understanding of my Auditory Processing Disorder and would patiently repeat herself multiple times when I didn't hear/understand something she had said." The forum user said they were not posting to "make anyone feel like their negative experience was invalid" but felt it was "so important to also share my positive experience, for the next person that might be nervous about their PIP assessment appointment", adding: "I wish everyone else to have a positive experience just like I did."

They advised people to "go through the Information on PipInfo step by step" ahead of the assessment and "ideally write a list for every single activity and how it relates to you and your health condition, so you have the information ready during your assessment". Offering more insight into their call, they said: "Your assessor will ask you questions about your living conditions, school and education history, last or current employment, hobbies, any and all individual health conditions and how they impact you. And then they'll go through the activities listed on PipInfo."

Although they said they didn't know if they would be awarded PIP, they concluded their post by saying: "I still appreciated how lovely my assessor was and how she made the process a lot more bearable."