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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Disability benefits  →  Thread

Failed to attend or be available for assessment

Bonnie
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BABL. Bridgend Citizens Advice

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Total Posts: 26

Joined: 4 April 2016

Hi all,

I have a client who had a home visit arranged for their PIP assessment. Client had her cousin with her at home for support. Assessment was arranged for 12pm.
At 12:30pm, client phoned Capita as no one had turned up at her property. After 6 phone calls by the client to Capita, client was finally told that the assessor had turned up to her property, knocked twice and left at 12:20pm and her claim was disallowed.
Client has appealed this decision and we have the bundle.
DWP state that client failed to notify them that she was not available for the assessment. Failed to contact the Health care provider to re-arrange the appointment and has not shown good cause for failing to attend or be available for the assessment.
I am lost to what evidence I can supply to prove that client was home. A letter from the cousin has already been sent in. Can I ask for proof that the disability assessor turned up?

Any help/ suggestions would be appreciated!

Dan_Manville
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Mental health & welfare rights service - Wolverhampton City Council

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Joined: 15 October 2012

Google location services might assist if they’ve got an android phone.

Other than that evidence that she phoned at 12.30; request their call log maybe? Or can you export their call history with an app and print it for the Tribunal?

edit… and complain to the AP

Mike Hughes
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Senior welfare rights officer - Salford City Council Welfare Rights Service

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Joined: 17 June 2010

Had this happen with a client and the issue was that the assessor went to the wrong address. As a matter of course I advise claimants to be at the window looking for them even if it then causes a problem getting to the door, for example if they’re mobility impaired.

Phone log on a mobile should prove the point and shouldn’t need to be exported. A simple print screen sent to email and then printed or printed from the photos app/camera roll and accompanied by a picture of the phone with the log screen open (to show which phone it came from and that it hasn’t been faked) should suffice. iPhones and iPad log location and is turned on by default so if it’s not Android there’s still plenty of scope for showing where you were.

On one occasion it was asserted that the assessor had attempted to ring the client from outside the house. I asked them to check the phone (via a complaint) for location and it was then they conceded that there was no record of a call and that location services showed that the closest the assessor got was about 300 yards away.