The System is so broke. Why does no one do anything to change it?

rwall93

I’m so sick of waiting for PIP now. I have Epilepsy and have recently been diagnosed with a brain tumour. 

I phoned last week for an update and explained my financial situation. They said they would message the decision maker to let them know but I didn’t really believe them.
its so frustrating seeing people that have had their assessments a week or two after mine and yet they get their decisions straight away and I’m still having to wait.
the sad thing is that i can clearly see this has been going on for years now.
its a joke. They lie, they don’t really care about your situation and they seem to make it up as they go along.
Seriously why has no one actually done anything to fight this. It’s gone on for so long now and everyone (like myself) seems to want to moan about it all the time but not actually do anything to change it.
i know I’m entitled to it. I’ve even seen my assessment report and they have suggested I get higher on both but why are other people getting awarded for things like obesity when they’ve had their assessment two weeks after me.
how does it make any sense and what can I do to just get my rightful entitlement.
Dont just say wait it out or that it’s tough because it shouldn’t be. I generally need this money to make a difference to my life going forward.

Bydand

rwall93 said:

I’m so sick of waiting for PIP now. I have Epilepsy and have recently been diagnosed with a brain tumour. 

I phoned last week for an update and explained my financial situation. They said they would message the decision maker to let them know but I didn’t really believe them.
its so frustrating seeing people that have had their assessments a week or two after mine and yet they get their decisions straight away and I’m still having to wait.
the sad thing is that i can clearly see this has been going on for years now.
its a joke. They lie, they don’t really care about your situation and they seem to make it up as they go along.
Seriously why has no one actually done anything to fight this. It’s gone on for so long now and everyone (like myself) seems to want to moan about it all the time but not actually do anything to change it.
i know I’m entitled to it. I’ve even seen my assessment report and they have suggested I get higher on both but why are other people getting awarded for things like obesity when they’ve had their assessment two weeks after me.
how does it make any sense and what can I do to just get my rightful entitlement.
Dont just say wait it out or that it’s tough because it shouldn’t be. I generally need this money to make a difference to my life going forward.

If you don’t mind me asking, what treatment or prognosis are they advising ref your recent tumour diagnosis.

I also find your comment about obesity unhelpful and plain uninformed .Everyone, including you are entitled to apply and you as an adult ( you are an adult right?) shouldn’t be so obviously biased or critical of others.

rwall93

I do mind you asking when you’re talking to me like that.
What does my treatment or prognosis have to do with what I said?
I have nothing against anyone applying for it but it’s completely wrong that others are getting awarded before myself when they’ve had their assessment a lot longer after myself.
Surely there’s some sort of queuing system?
 I don’t really care about your opinion.
This is my own, if you have nothing constructive to say about my post then don’t say anything at all. 

You find my comment unhelpful? 

I wasn’t trying to help you with anything so I think you should just keep your 10 pence to yourself.
my main point was about the system being so broken and to find out why people get decisions etc quicker when they apply for it a lot longer after others. I wasn’t trying to make it personal. For some reason you’ve taken it personal.
Sorry if I hit a nerve.

poppy123456

Decision timescales vary depending on the area you're in and each individual case. As everyone's case is different then timescales will be different for everyone. 

I remember quite sometime ago that a Welfare Rights officer said, if you want the correct decision to be made then you have to wait, the same as everyone else and they are correct. 

I don't like your comment about obesity either and there was no need for it.

No one is automatically entitled to PIP unless you have a terminal illness with a diagnosis of 12 months or less. For everyone else they have to go through the same procedure. 

The assessment report is a recommendation only, whilst they mostly go with it, they have been known to go against it. In the meantime, I'm afraid there's nothing more you can do but wait and I'm sorry if you don't like that answer but it's true. 

Bydand

rwall93 said:

I do mind you asking when you’re talking to me like that.
What does my treatment or prognosis have to do with what I said?
I have nothing against anyone applying for it but it’s completely wrong that others are getting awarded before myself when they’ve had their assessment a lot longer after myself.
Surely there’s some sort of queuing system?
 I don’t really care about your opinion.
This is my own, if you have nothing constructive to say about my post then don’t say anything at all. 

You find my comment unhelpful? 

I wasn’t trying to help you with anything so I think you should just keep your 10 pence to yourself.
my main point was about the system being so broken and to find out why people get decisions etc quicker when they apply for it a lot longer after others. I wasn’t trying to make it personal. For some reason you’ve taken it personal.
Sorry if I hit a nerve.

I think you need to look again at what and how you have posted and grow a thicker skin knowing that others like myself might take offence at how you come across…You are just having a rant and just come across as an angry individual with issues so I won’t offer advice, other than by referring to your tumour diagnosis.

If god forbid you are given the news that your condition is terminal then you would be automatically fast tracked for PIP as I have been for the Scottish equivelant ADP. I might also be aware of other benefits or help you might be entitled too… That’s why I was asking…you’re welcome.

your comment about obese people is out of place and especially on a disability forum that you yourself are trying to get advice from..Many people are overweight or obese because of a variety of reasons and any day to day difficulties they face are no less important than yours or mine.

your post itself made it personal, not to me, although I’m entitled to my opinion but quite likely to others too

poppy123456

There's no queuing system and it's not first in, first served so to speak. It's not a race.  There's many things that delay decisions, such as each individual case, did they have to contact someone for further evidence, was there something in the report they had to enquire about, backlogs and the list goes on... not forgetting about the recent Easter bank holiday weekend where DWP were closed for 4 days. 

Timescales for decisions is anything up to about 12 weeks after the report was returned. Some wait a week, some wait 2 weeks, others wait several and some wait 10+ weeks. 

Once a decision is made you will be contacted. It's a good thing it's not a review because if it was then decisions are currently taking as long as a year after returning your form. 

honestjon

rwall93 said:

I do mind you asking when you’re talking to me like that.
What does my treatment or prognosis have to do with what I said?
I have nothing against anyone applying for it but it’s completely wrong that others are getting awarded before myself when they’ve had their assessment a lot longer after myself.
Surely there’s some sort of queuing system?
 I don’t really care about your opinion.
This is my own, if you have nothing constructive to say about my post then don’t say anything at all. 

You find my comment unhelpful? 

I wasn’t trying to help you with anything so I think you should just keep your 10 pence to yourself.
my main point was about the system being so broken and to find out why people get decisions etc quicker when they apply for it a lot longer after others. I wasn’t trying to make it personal. For some reason you’ve taken it personal.
Sorry if I hit a nerve.

The system is so broken there are unwell people blaming other unwell people because they can't get benefits and people being so selfish they can't understand that if someone is unwell and needs help then the system and everyone else should show some compassion instead of attacking them.
This is a general comment by the way 

chiarieds

Charities such as Scope do try & help all disabled people, which is what this forum's also about. I see you have previously been advised by poppy, one of our members who also lives with disabilities herself. She gives benefits advice freely & unstintingly despite her own problems.

I also remember the Welfare Rights Officer whom she mentions. He also said that you can't prove an assessor lied, as you can't ever know their intent. 

I don't think PIP is going to change anytime soon, & in what way could it be constructively changed? I know, shorter waiting times, but, I'm thankful that members understand how it is currently, & advise as best they can.

Unfortunately when you ring PIP, you're speaking to call handlers with no benefits knowledge; phone 3 times, & you might get 3 completely different responses. Your financial situation is what several of our members will identify with, but it won't make the slightest difference with your PIP claim, sadly; PIP looks at your functional ability to 'reliably' attempt/do certain activities.

That said, depending on how your epilepsy affects you, & there's an argument in saying that depending on the severity of this, you may get points that you might not have considered, & I hope you receive an award you consider appropriate, as mentioned, everyone is entitled to claim PIP, but there's no 'entitlement' to usually have this awarded unless terminally ill.

I do appreciate your frustration; if we could only all get a decision quickly! However, let's be kind to everyone in the meanwhile, as you can't know the difficulties another may also face for many & varied reasons.

emzzzzz

rwall93 said:

I’m so sick of waiting for PIP now. I have Epilepsy and have recently been diagnosed with a brain tumour. 

I phoned last week for an update and explained my financial situation. They said they would message the decision maker to let them know but I didn’t really believe them.

its so frustrating seeing people that have had their assessments a week or two after mine and yet they get their decisions straight away and I’m still having to wait.

the sad thing is that i can clearly see this has been going on for years now.

its a joke. They lie, they don’t really care about your situation and they seem to make it up as they go along.

Seriously why has no one actually done anything to fight this. It’s gone on for so long now and everyone (like myself) seems to want to moan about it all the time but not actually do anything to change it.

i know I’m entitled to it. I’ve even seen my assessment report and they have suggested I get higher on both but why are other people getting awarded for things like obesity when they’ve had their assessment two weeks after me.

how does it make any sense and what can I do to just get my rightful entitlement.

Dont just say wait it out or that it’s tough because it shouldn’t be. I generally need this money to make a difference to my life going forward.

I hate the fact that you are still struggling with all that info 

Wish u the Best of luck xx