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
