I've been dropping in but then I see a thread, type a reply and realise I've gone off on one and typed out a long tirade, so I delete it and go away.
At the moment I'm freaking, because having decided to put together a war pension claim, I suspiciously rummaged around online and realised Maximus does the assessments.
I was going to put in a claim about four years ago then chickened out. I wonder whether it was something similar that put me off or it just got too tangled up with endless renewals of DLA/PIP/ESA or whatever.
I have a major part of my claim based on a physical wear-and-tear injury (front of right shoulder - very short arms, firing long rifle) which would be evident to anyone who felt it, but for which I have no clinical evidence.
I was told by the Veterans Welfare Service that a doctor would examine me. I forget the description used, but it was something like 'military doctor' or 'MoD doctor'. Nope, Maximus. So will that be an occupational therapist? A general nurse?
Yes, it could be a doctor, but I've been reading comments online by doctors who've worked for Maximus who say the caseload is unrealistic and unmanageable and they can't make a fair assessment. When a doctor says the caseload is too heavy, you know it's too heavy!
So I don't know where I stand with this. I'm also not prepared to have a physical and/or mental assessment with anyone without at least two people with me.
So we'll see.
Meanwhile, lots of other things have been happening in my life, some good, some bad. I feel like the mathematical snail at school. Was there one in your maths lessons? It climbs six inches up the wall and slips back five and you have to work out how long it takes to get to the top of the six foot wall. I know - I need to get my mathematical snail a wheelchair!
