My PIP experience: all the way to Tribunal

evelyncourtney

Hello everyone

Long time lurker on here but I finally decided to make an account and share my journey with PIP in case it can give some help to anyone currently going through the process

To clarify I am in Scotland, which is why I think it was a fairly quick process for me

08/05/22: Began my claim by sending off my completed “how your disability affects you” form online 

21/07/22: Had my assessment over the phone 
A few hours later got a text saying that the dwp had received my assessment report and would respond within 8 weeks 

04/08/22: Received my decision letter (dated 28/07/22); zero points across the board. I wasn’t totally surprised as the assessment felt as though it had gone really badly and I’d got very upset during it

Beginning of 09/22: I sent in my MR letter with additional supporting evidence, which I’d prepared with the help of a mental health benefits worker based in my local psych hospital. (They allowed me to send it a few days past the 28-day deadline because the original decision letter had inexplicably taken a week to arrive.) 

16/09/22: Got a text from dwp saying they’d received my MR letter and again I would hear back within 8 weeks

Beginning of 10/22: Received my MR decision letter, decision was unchanged

05/11/22: Lodged my appeal to HMCTS to take the case to the first-tier tribunal 

06/12/22: The DWP responded to the appeal asking for it to be dismissed

26/01/23: Got a letter from HMCTS giving me a date for the tribunal hearing in three weeks’ time. I was really shocked to hear so soon because I expected to be waiting months

16/02/23: Had my tribunal. I chose to have an oral hearing and I brought my carer (we live together) and my CPN. I represented myself as my local CAB are basically impossible to get in touch with. The tribunal was the scariest thing I’ve ever done but it was also the first time throughout the whole process that I was treated like a human being. The staff were amazing and so respectful and kind
I was told the decision would be posted out to me within a couple of days, but I went onto the HMCTS ‘track my appeal’ website half an hour after it had finished and the outcome had been uploaded there already. After taking into account the 100+ pages of testimony and oral evidence from me, my carer, and my CPN, I was awarded standard and care! 

18/02/23: Received a letter from HMCTS with the appeal decision.

07/03/23: Had the call from the dwp asking for my bank details and checking whether I’d been out of the country, in prison, hospitalised etc since I begun my claim. 

08/03/23: Received a text from dwp at 8am saying “we have awarded you PIP”

— so I’m guessing it’ll be paid in 3-5 days time- Monday at the earliest I guess?

The whole process has been the most stressful thing I’ve ever gone through, but I’m so glad I kept persevering and stuck it out

One thing that was invaluable to me over the past year was the help and support I got from online communities, so now I want to give that back in any way I can. So if anyone has any questions about my experience, please feel free to ask me anything!

(Particularly regarding the tribunal stage, as it’s very daunting and I found it quite hard to find anyone talking about their experiences of it)

Sending all my love to the Scope community

evelyncourtney

(Meant to say I’d been awarded *standard care and mobility, sorry!)

L_Volunteer

Hello @evelyncourtney. Lovely to see you are now posting! 

Thank you for sharing your experience. I am sure your experience will be invaluable for anyone experiencing anything similar. 

How are you feeling about everything at the moment? Hopefully, you are well, it sounds like a relief but please don't hesitate to let us know if there's anything we can do to support you 

Alex_Alumni

Thanks so much for sharing @evelyncourtney this is a lovely read I'm so glad the community has been able to support you during your PIP claim, and that everything worked out eventually.

That shows real strength of character during what can be a very draining and difficult process!

melTy

Hello @evelyncourtney thank you for sharing. Can I ask if you have any advice on how you explained why you disagreed the pip decision and also what evidence you provided. 

Breacon

I would be interested in that Information too.....if possible.

Breacon

I am delighted, to hear that you continued your fight to the bitter end....yes the process is very stressful, but the important thing is, you managed to stick it out, this I am sure will offer hope to those, in doubt, to pursue a tribunal....
Well done.

rebel11

Well done on persevering, just one question, how would you describe the Assessor, 'understanding or distant?' 

stay_positive

This is great and you didn't give , hope you enjoyed all that back pay :

jiggerjoe

Hi
Can anyone tell me what questions they ask at tribunal please.. 

poppy123456

jiggerjoe said:

Hi
Can anyone tell me what questions they ask at tribunal please.. 

That will depend on how your conditions affect you. No one can tell you exactly what they will ask you because that will be different for everyone because everyone's case will be different.

Welshlad90

So I have a query

I appealed my pip decision as they kept it the same award on my MR request, now I'm ashamed to admit this but I have debt letters showing that I'm not good at money managing and that I don't deal with any decisions about budgeting etc my wife deals with that.

Will the tribunal accept the debt letters as evidence on my argument that I'm not good at money management decisions.

Amaya_Ringo

Congratulations on standing your ground and being vindicated. I know Scotland is a bit different from England and Wales - was a person there at your tribunal from the DWP? I had a lawyer in mine from them, although she didn't make any comment or ask any questions. I was really worried that she would.

This was back in 2018 though. My claim took pretty much a whole year (I am in England).

I think there was only one nice person in my tribunal - the doctor. The judge was distant but fair. The other person was not particularly nice, let's put it that way. But at least the DWP could not say they showed me favouritism.

I lose track of what I want to say under pressure, and so I compiled a written statement where I referenced all the errors, inconsistencies and such in how the DWP handled my case. They read it in the tribunal, and the DWP lawyer had a copy to take back with her. My renewal was passed more quickly in 2021 based on the tribunal findings…so I think it's a good idea if you can organise all the reasons you disagree into a statement (or if you can't, have someone who supports you do it for you) to take with you to the tribunal.

Welshlad90

I've got my pip I'm just appealing that it should be enhanced and not standard as I believe I was mismarked for budgeting decisions and prompting to speak also

jamieleehill92

H