Won pip appeal

jefro17

Hello all.
It's been quite sometime since I spoke to you last, so wanted to give you all an update, Alot as happened in the last 14 months and to be honest it's been a living nightmare! But I went to court on the 8/1/24 and won my case, I have been awarded enhanced for daily living and enhanced for mobility and I'm now waiting for DWP to sort out what I am owed, it's the first time I've ever gone to a tribunal and the judge and both doctors were very sympathetic to the health problems and mental health issues I have and couldn't understand why I was awarded pip after my assessment with the DWP, There was a lady from the DWP at the tribunal and when the judge addressed her about some of my conditions she turned and said she wasn't made aware of certain things concerning my ill health or mental health, then she said well to tell you the truth I haven't read up on this lady, i found this shocking! 😡 the welfare rights officer who was representing me was very angry about it as well, the lady from the DWP never looked at me once she just sat there stoney faced! I think it's a disgrace that someone can make an assumption on your health over a telephone consultation and I think personally they should be band! Non of the questions I answered were written down she just put what she wanted, I really dont thing they no the impact it as on a person when your turned down for pip, as well as ill health your forced into poverty and they dont seem to care, I waited 14 months for this to go to court and dont get me wrong I'm pleased that I won my case but I really do think they should see people face to face and listen to what they are being told, my heart goes out to anyone who is waiting to go to court and in the meantime living a life of poverty and the DWP dont give a damn, on the back of that though stick to your guns and take it to a court appeal to make sure you get what you are entitled to. 

Beaver79

Hi @jefro17 Thank you for sharing your experience it will help other members to keep going. Well done on winning your appeal. Take care.

Jimm_Scope

Congratulations on getting your award @jefro17. I can understand that anger. I sometimes wonder if you never meet the decision makers because it makes the interaction impersonal. You're just check boxes and numbers, not a person, at least that is what the DWP want the decision makers to think. For the decision makers to meet you in person would make them more likely to treat you as a fellow human and have empathy.

Now, I don't think this is the decision makers fault, it's the way the DWP sets it up. We at least have the tribunals to finally reach that with a neutral party.


If you don't mind, would you be okay giving us a timeline if you remember the dates of what happened and when with your PIP journey? It can be very helpful to others, though I understand if after 14 months you don't remember exact dates! It's silly it takes so long to get it sorted.

karen19862

Congratulations.on your win 
I'm still waiting for mine. But I'm terrified that I will not get anything as I got 0 points on first applications and 0 on mr too.reading what the dwp have put I don't think I've got much of a chance . 
Well done for sticking with it though its been worth it for you to stick to your guns.

poppy123456

karen19862 said:

Congratulations.on your win 
I'm still waiting for mine. But I'm terrified that I will not get anything as I got 0 points on first applications and 0 on mr too.reading what the dwp have put I don't think I've got much of a chance . 
Well done for sticking with it though its been worth it for you to stick to your guns.

The Tribunal are completely impartial and independant to DWP. They will be there to listen to what you have to say and will apply the law correctly. 68% of people go onto be successfully awarded after a Tribunal, providing you either appear in person or have a telephone/video hearing.

karen19862

It will be  telephone hearing as they initially put me down for a paper based. The letter from dwp is like they are talking about someone else x

Albus_Scope

As Poppy has said @karen19862 tribunals are worlds apart from the usual DWP assessments, I've been to two so far and found them to be great listeners and caring, so you'll be fine.  

karen19862

Thank you. Thing the mind works over time when it comes to it

jefro17

Jimm_Scope said:

Congratulations on getting your award @jefro17. I can understand that anger. I sometimes wonder if you never meet the decision makers because it makes the interaction impersonal. You're just check boxes and numbers, not a person, at least that is what the DWP want the decision makers to think. For the decision makers to meet you in person would make them more likely to treat you as a fellow human and have empathy.

Now, I don't think this is the decision makers fault, it's the way the DWP sets it up. We at least have the tribunals to finally reach that with a neutral party.


If you don't mind, would you be okay giving us a timeline if you remember the dates of what happened and when with your PIP journey? It can be very helpful to others, though I understand if after 14 months you don't remember exact dates! It's silly it takes so long to get it sorted.

Thankyou Beaver79 
I hope it does help others as it's a very stressful situation when you are turned down for pip.

jefro17

Jimm_scope.
My telephone assessment took place in October 2022.i received a letter in December 2022 saying that pip had been turned down so I asked them to look at it again and in January 2023 they wrote to say it had been turned down again, I was referred to a welfare rights officer in January of that year and she helped in getting my case to a tribunal, I would advise anyone who as been turned down for pip to get intouch with a welfare organisation who specializes in this sort of thing in your area and not to attempt to go to court on your own, the process as been very slow, I was told to send evidence to the courts concerning my ill health and mental health which I did, in the meantime I received a telephone call by pip in july 2023 offering me standard on both mobility and living allowance but I turned it down not aware that I could accept the money at the time and still go to court... I WASN'T MADE AWARE OF THIS. It as been an horrendous time resulting in losing my job through ill health I'd been there 14yrs this was in july 2023. I was then forced into poverty only receiving £368 a month from universal credits and couldn't claim anything else, long story short I phoned the courts in November of last year and the lady on the phone was most helpful when I explained my circumstances,  she advised me to send an email to the judge explaining my circumstances and how I'm being forced into poverty and it worked I received a letter from the court early December  2023 saying that they have taken my circumstances into consideration and a hearing will take place on 8/1/24 I was in a right state when I got to the tribunal not knowing what was going to happen and my mind doing overtime,But the judge and doctors were really sympathetic and asking me questions of how I felt and what I was going through before I  recieved the pip assessment papers, for anyone who is going through the courts want to no how you were before your assessment although if its ongoing like alot of my health issues and mental health they did ask how things are now...BARE THAT IN MIND WHEN GOING TO COURT.i was given a decision by the judge whilst at the tribunal, I've been told that sometimes they dont always tell you on the day of the tribunal, I think its terrible the way people are treated by the DWP and also the assessors who think they no everything through a telephone consultation, I think they pick and choose who they allow pip to and treat people like a number instead of a human being and I think it's time things changed in that department, all I can say to anyone who is going through  a tribunal is keep going get someone who can go to court with you and help fight your corner there are a organisations out there who have people that can help you and it's free, I hope this as helped anyone who is going through these circumstances that even though we cant see any light at the end of the tunnel there is.🙂

karen19862

What an awful situation for you.
I don't think the dwp realise the struggles some are dealing with .so glad you won and hopefully it won't be long for your back pay

Albus_Scope

Heya @jefro17 thanks for sharing your journey, I also found the tribunal to be a million miles away from the original assessment in terms of friendliness and help, they were really good.  I'm so glad you got your award.  

HealthyUnicorn

jefro17 said:

Hello all.
It's been quite sometime since I spoke to you last, so wanted to give you all an update, Alot as happened in the last 14 months and to be honest it's been a living nightmare! But I went to court on the 8/1/24 and won my case, I have been awarded enhanced for daily living and enhanced for mobility and I'm now waiting for DWP to sort out what I am owed, it's the first time I've ever gone to a tribunal and the judge and both doctors were very sympathetic to the health problems and mental health issues I have and couldn't understand why I was awarded pip after my assessment with the DWP, There was a lady from the DWP at the tribunal and when the judge addressed her about some of my conditions she turned and said she wasn't made aware of certain things concerning my ill health or mental health, then she said well to tell you the truth I haven't read up on this lady, i found this shocking! 😡 the welfare rights officer who was representing me was very angry about it as well, the lady from the DWP never looked at me once she just sat there stoney faced! I think it's a disgrace that someone can make an assumption on your health over a telephone consultation and I think personally they should be band! Non of the questions I answered were written down she just put what she wanted, I really dont thing they no the impact it as on a person when your turned down for pip, as well as ill health your forced into poverty and they dont seem to care, I waited 14 months for this to go to court and dont get me wrong I'm pleased that I won my case but I really do think they should see people face to face and listen to what they are being told, my heart goes out to anyone who is waiting to go to court and in the meantime living a life of poverty and the DWP dont give a damn, on the back of that though stick to your guns and take it to a court appeal to make sure you get what you are entitled to. 

Well done. And, I’m sorry it has been this awful as it shouldn’t be that way. 

14 months to get to the tribunal is a long time to wait. I didn’t realise it could be that long.

Jimm_Scope

Unfortunately, like many processes right now, a backlog built up during covid and so it can take a long time to reach tribunal.