Client wants to make an appointment for her PIP assessment

So our client receives a letter stating she needs to contact CAPITA to make an appointment for her assessment. Client calls the phone number given but is put on hold and has to hang up after several minutes as she only has a mobile and limited credit.

So client goes onto the internet to try and book online but her unique access code doesn’t work.

Client calls us and asks for some advice. I call client back today and whilst we are on the phone I go onto the CAPITA site and am able to access the claimant portal. Client gives me her access code and it works - hooray! On the next page we click on “book appointment”. I am feeling hopeful. Page comes up - “No appointments to select”. There are no further links or information given.

So client will have to wait till next week so she can visit the outreach in her area and we can call the booking line on her behalf.

In the meantime I am banging my head on the desk and wishing I hadn’t done this first thing today as I shall be annoyed for the rest of the day. CAPITA website feels like they haven’t finished working on it yet and I’m thinking you have to be some kind of genius to make things this difficult for people…..

How about if you phone Capita now and ask them if they can call client back to arrange an appointment?  I would be interested to hear if that works.

We helped a client complete PIP form a month ago.  Her husband phoned yesterday to say that they had received a letter from CAPITA stating that she would have to undergo a home assessment between the 2nd & 10th December.

The letter was dated the 4th December and wasn’t received until the 9th!!  Obviously CAPITA expect claimants to have crystal balls and know when they are going to call.

A couple of weeks ago I received a letter from CAPITA reminding a client of their scheduled appointment.  The letter was dated 11th November and her appointment was on that day!!  It was received in our office on the 14th.

Appointment letters I have seen from CAPITA include up to five bus and train times for getting to the venue on time.  It also includes walking times from the home address to the bus / train station and from the destination to the venue.

Similar nonsense here. Client with dementia has appointee. Appointee claimed PIP months ago, several weeks ago got appointment for f2f assessment at home for 10 Dec, today. Appointee got a letter yesterday dated 4 Dec from DWP saying the medical assessment had been completed (on papers presumably) and they would shortly make a decision. Appointee called DWP, told to call ATOS who told her HP would not therefore be coming. You are ahead of me - HP turned up today. Appointee showed HP the DWP letter, HP tried to call ATOS, couldn’t get through, went away again without doint f2f assessment.  I’ll wait and see whathappens next!

“I’ll wait and see what happens next”!

Dom Joly shows up accompanied by the Dagenham Girl Pipers Band.

Even more similar nonsense. Client applied himself for PIP, awarded low mob, requested recon re daily living component, then approached us for help. Decision letter lists evidence used as PIP2 and hospital letters sent with it, no mention of f2f assessment. Client however went to ATOS f2f assessment and gave me details of location, date and time. Phone call to ATOS, no record of f2f assessment. Client did move here from another part of the country between assessment and decision, but hardly an excuse methinks.

Just to follow up, a couple of hours after I posted this one of my colleagues came back from his outreach complaining that he had called the CAPITA phone line for a client that morning and tried to book an appointment. No answer and in the end he had had to give up as the client had to go and he had other clients waiting. I called the Disability Benefits Line to see if there was another way of getting in touch with CAPITA but the only number they had to give me was the one the clients already had. Or they suggested booking an appointment via the website….

Attended a local Tribunal Users Group meeting on Monday and the Judges commented on how few PIP appeals they had seen. Several of us advice workers suggested this was because there have been so few decisions and lots of clients can’t even arrange a medical so they can receive a decision.

I’m quite hoping Dom Joly does show up. Couldn’t be any less arbitary…