I'm sorry to hear your Tribunal decison didn't go in your favour. As you said though, at least you didn't lose any points.
Unfortunately to be able to appeal this to the upper Tribunal you must now ask for the Statement of Reasons and you have 1 month in which to do this. Then you must find an error in law in making the decison the Tribunal made. This is extremely difficult to do and you will need expert advice for this. There's lawyers out the that will help with this but as i said it's extremely rare and difficult to prove. It's also an even longer process than the first Tribunal. Good luck with whatever you decide.
Steve My hubby was originally on the higher rate of DLA ,when going over to PIP he was awarded middle rate. His assessor was quite nice although a couple of points were in accurate which was i reckon went towards him not getting the higher rate. lack of just 2 points. He decided not to appeal and was pleased to at least to have come out with something, but then Steve i dont know your circumstances in your health and did you losing the higher rate result in you losing mobility car?
Its awful and reading what all this has done to you is appalling, what human beings are capable of doing to another human beings mentally is beyond words.
At least you can say you tried and tried you did. Im still waiting for my brown letter to arrive asking me to apply for PIP and ive more or less decided im nor going to bother to apply due to insufficient back up and lack of medication.
Sue
Hi Susan,
Thank you so much for your message. I'm so sorry that your husband has also lost out on his P.I.P. award. I also missed out by 2 points, and no I didn't have a motability car.
Personally I blame David Cameron, and now Teresa May. They are less than human in my book. Heaven forbid that someone would treat them the way we have been treated. We'd all hear about it then. This is a system that has now been designed to discriminate against disabled people.
My wife is also in the same boat as you. She is disabled and has multiple health problems. She gets DLA at the high rates, but is now waiting for her brown letter also, but she is prepared. She is a strong character and will not take any rubbish from them, as she has suffered greatly over the years. I'm dreading what may happen. Only time will tell.
Thanks again for your concern Susan,
HI Susan,
Please have a re-think about appply for PIP when you get the brown envelope. You don't have to be on medication to be awarded PIP. There's plenty of people who aren't, my daughter included. She doesn't take any medication and has recently been awarded Enhanced rate for both. Evidence will help yes and i know you say you are lacking in this but a letter from someone that knows you well, a diary written by yourself for as long a possible, you can even ask them to take your DLA file into consideration. All of this will help. If you apply, then at least you can say you tried. If you don't apply then you're letting them win and this is what they want.
Yes i know it's very stressful going through all of this but if you're entitled to something then apply and don't just throw it all away and give in. I hope you do decide to change your mind. Good luck.
Thanks Denise but ive got M.E. had it for over 20 yrs now. ive read this is one of the hardest conditions to get it for and i read this years ago and recently.As you say i may be entitled to something but then it may be for 3 years or less, and from what ive been reading you dont get the full 3 years, they send you another assessment a year before so its only 2 years in total. The DWP have the power even after getting to the judge stage that says yes your entitled to take it away from you again. Ive just read about someone going through this on scope forum happening to people.
I suffer from anxiety anyway at the best of times, again no proof or medication.
Hubby is saying the same thing as you, at least you tried! If it was like it used to be on DLA when you at least had it for a few years then maybe worth well.
What i dont understand there is a person in my family who has a £1000 per month to do what she wants with, learning difficulty's diagnoses, but she has no pain, nothing physically wrong with her yet us who are suffering with the most awful painful conditions are having to fight for it and losing our mobilty cars.
I think once youve been awarded the next assessor you see should be the same one you saw last time not someone new who can award you with less or zero points regardless of the fact you may be the same or worse. It should be all based on your last application and a short form to add any info as to if you feel youve got worse. My hubby was lucky enough to have a nice assessor, yes he lost the higher rate and came out with middle but at least the assessment itself wasn't a dreadful experience for him.
Sue
Everyone is different Susan and you can't compare 2 people. It's not about a diagnosis with PIP, it's how those conditions affect you daily. Award lengths vary and reviews are done 1 year before your award is due to end yes. There's no lifetime awards for PIP like there were for DLA. The longest award is 10 years, with review at 9 years.
That person in your family that claims it for a learning difficulty. Yes this person may not have any pain or physical difficulties but this no way means that they don't have their problems everyday of their life. My daughter has a learning difficulty and it's actually quite sad. People that have this have a much less advantage of those that don't have it. I'm sorry but yes i may spend everyday of my life in pain but at least i can count my money and manage my own bills, go into a shop and buy anything i want because i know how much money to give, how much change to recieve etc. At least i can go out when i want because i know which direction to go in. I can tell the time and know how long things take etc. I can read and understand what things mean etc. Those that have learning difficulties find all these things extremely difficult. Things that a lot of people take for granted.
I claim PIP for physical disabilites and my daughter for mental health reasons. My daughter has a higher award than i do but please don't compare others to yourself. It's really not a nice thing to do. What you should do is concentrate on yourself and how you will claim not what others claim and how they managed it. I'm sorry but when people compare theirself to others it make me sad. None of us know what goes on behind closed doors. Just because a person may have an invisiable conditon this doesn't make any less difficult or life changing.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
I'm really sorry to hear you've had such a bad experience. I've not heard anything like this before about humiliating treatment at these proceedings. If it was actually that bad then I would say you need to contact your MP to complain.
However, don't take this the wrong way but when you or anyone get so immersed in a situation like this for so long its hard to keep paranoia from clouding your perceptions.
I hope you get the result you want but the criteria for PIP are very different to DLA. PIP focuses purely on how the health issues I'm p act on the claimants daily life/ability to carry out certain activities. DLA just required proof the illness/disability existed.
Personally I get nothing for mobility even though I get 4 points for inability to walk 200 metres I get no points because I could plan a journey if I needed to, even though I l back the confidence to plan an unfamiliar journey and wouldn't do it. As the law stands sadly they are right. Previously I would have had points for not being able to Hoover, clean or do the ironing, now there are no points.
Sadly in many cases the legislation needs challenging not the decision based on that law.
I'm sure that's not what you want to hear but it is true.
Wishing you a 'll the best.
Wendy x
Hi Wendy i dont understand when you say "Previously I would have had points for not being able to Hoover, clean or do the ironing, now there are no points." if you find it difficult to do these things then surely this is showing how your health problem affects you? Why is it no longer counted as scoring points? I have M.E. and im seriously considering not even bothering to apply for PIP at all when the letters arrives inviting me to do so.Also it think the walking distance has been shortened to 50 meters now hasn't?
Sue x
Hi Denise
I totally understand your views hear and i agree with everything you said, i would by no means compare myselfe with others with learning difficulties that i dont know about and meant no offence to anyone who has so i do apologise if ive offended anyone else reading what i put.
Im talking about this particular person in my family because unlike your daughter yes they can count my money and manage own bills, go into a shop and buy anything they want and know how much money to give, how much change to receive etc. They can go out when they want because they know which direction to go in. they can tell the time and know how long things take etc. I do know what goes on behind closed doors with this person and their shocking cruel behaviour to their dad, my own son! who's on the verge of a nervous breakdown with it all..
Again apologies and no offence meant
Sue
Meant count their money lol not mine!
Hi Sue
Unfortunately the PIP rules mean there are no points available for not being able to do those things but there were under DLA.
It doesn't seem fair to those of us effected but its one of the big changes, it's no longer what is wrong but how it effects your daily life in terms of caring for yourself e.g. showering, bathing, dressing managing medication. You're right it is now only 50 metres walking which I can't do but I can plan a journey hence 4 points only and no mobility award, I'm just happy and surprised I got the standard daily living . Take care Wendy
The walking distance for Enhanced mobility PIP is 20 metres or less. For DLA is was 50 metres or less. The walking distance for standard mobility is netween 20-50 metres. As i said before Susan, PIP isn't about a diagnosis, so try to put yours to one side when thinking about PIP. It's about how your conditions affect you daily.
I will again seriously advice you to do some research for PIP because there seems to be a lot that you don't understand. Start by googling PIP self test, complete that test and see what points you score. This will give you some idea. Then focus your evidence around those descriptors.
Thanks Denise for that info, yes i have used the self diagnose PIP test and not good.I also helped hubby fill in his before his assessment and he came out with standard rate but had a nice assessor which was good. He lost out on the higher mobility by 2 points because the walking distance wasn't put down accurately but never questioned this as we didn't wanted to risk losing it all and standard rate is certainly better than nothing at all.
Is it true if you turn up at your assessment with your makeup on and your hair done your more than likely to score less points and can i ask for a home visit without a drs letter.?
Oh if only it was like applying for the DLA which i got for my hubby in the end after 3 years because our gp let us down, it wasn't until we went to the 2ncd tribunal and got to see the paper work we see what he wrote down! No wonder he got refused! But it was worth it as back then it was awarded indefinitely.
Thanks Denise for all your help your giving hear to us all, much appreciated
Sue
No problem Susan,
No it's not true about the assessments and make up. When you go to these assessments just be yourself. If you wear make up then wear it, if you don't then don't wear it.
For a home assessment a Drs letter will most likely be needed stating the reasons when you can't attend their assessment centre. Sometimes if enough of evidence is given to support your claim then they'll agree to a home assessment without a DRs letter. My daughter didn't need a DRs letter when she had her home assessment but i did send in over 50 A4 pages of evidence relating to all the PIP descriptors that applied to her.
There's really no harm in start the PIP claim off when the time comes. If you don't start it off then you'll never know what could have been and you'll probably always wonder why. Even though the PIP self test wasn't good for you. Did you score any points with the self test? Remember you need at least points for an award.
Hi Denise,
I'm filling in my PIP claim form at the moment, and have been very interested to read all your advice on this forum, thanks for helping others like this!
I am struggling through complete autistic burnout at the moment (ongoing for the last 18 months), and am finding the PIP process a little daunting. I read above about all the evidence you sent in for your daughter's claim, I have written plenty about how my condition affects me on a daily basis, but I am concerned that I don't really have any evidence to send in apart from my letter of diagnosis, which only states that I have been diagnosed as autistic... Do you have any advice about the sort of thing I might be able to use? I have a statement of fitness for work from the doctor saying I'm unfit for work, at the moment each note is dated for one month, at which point I have to get a new one. (I got this primarily for my ESA claim.) Would this be a useful thing to send? I worry slightly about the fact that it's only for one month... I don't really have anything else other than this, and I feel like it's not going to be enough. I want to send as much as possible. I'd really appreciate any advice you (or anyone else) might have on this, as I just don't know what sort of things I should be looking for to send!
Thanks!
Hi Firebird,
Thanks for those kind words!
Yes, it's very daunting. PIP isn't about a diagnosis, it's how those conditions affect you daily. The diagnosis letter isn't the greatest evidence and really won't help but as you have it, then send it. I'm afraid the fitnote won't help you for a PIP claim. PIP isn't about working, as people claim PIP and work. A fitnote is needed for ESA but not PIP.
Types of evidence that are good are as follows. Any medical reports that your GP has from past appointments, letter from GP stating how your condition affects you daily, a diary written by yourself, a letter from someone that knows you well, Consultant or Social Worker reports, print out of all current medication.
Have you done the PIP self test online? If not then google PIP self test and it will come up. This is a guideline only but it will give you some idea what PIP is all about.
PIP is about budgeting your money, washing/dressing/undressing, cooking meals, communicating, managing therapy, following and planning a journey, mobility etc... evidence should be related to those descriptors to prove that you have that difficulty.
Most people have an assessment for this, it's rare to be awarded with a paper based decision. There's no timescales a to how long you'll have to wait, it all depends on the backlog in your area. Are you transfering from DLA?
Good luck.
Thanks for your help Denise! I'm not transferring, this is a new claim, so it's all a bit confusing, especially with my executive dysfunction...
I will try to get something from my GP, do you know if it's likely that I'll have to pay for a letter or past medical reports? Will a letter from my mother be accepted? I haven't kept a diary at all, will anything I write now be considered as evidence? Sorry for all the questions!
I have previously spoken with someone who works for an autism charity about the PIP claim, she did explain it to me and gave me a print out with the descriptors and the points they are worth, and I can certainly score myself over 12 points for the daily living component from that, but it's just finding any evidence other than my own descriptions that I'm struggling with.
Thanks so much for your help!
Hi Firebird
A doctor will use their discretion when charging for a letter so it depends on your GP.
As letter from your mother who knows you well can help do long as it focus on how your condition effects you in relation to your daily life per the descriptors. The same goes for any diary you can start now and chronicle a typical day or week depending how long you have until the meeting.
I would make sure you listen closely to all the questions and take your time answering giving as much information as possible about your difficulties.
Also take a copy of your claim form with you if you kept one for reference.
Take care
Wendy c