Hi, my name is pixiedust! Can I still challenge my PIP decision?

pixiedust

Hi everyone! I’ve been on low rate for both components for around 4 years (asthma and severe dermatitis) I put in my original form about my crippling anxiety and depression, and these were dismissed. I then went to a tribunal to get these points (8 on both - awarded none originally). I then had a phone assessment last September 2023 and again my anxiety and depression were dismissed “no mental health input” was written. In October, the following month I got diagnosed with ADHD. I’m now in the process of adding my ADHD to my claim. My question is, can I challenge the original decision now? I’m 52 and feel very wronged. Any advice welcome!

poppy123456

If the decision on the original claim was more than 13 months ago then you are out of time to challenge it now.

Also, if that decision was made by a Tribunal, you can't just challenge it because you disagree. At the time that decision was made, you should have requested the statement of Reasons and Record of Proceedings within 1 month of the decision of the decision.

Please also be aware that PIP isn't awarded based on any diagnosis.

Rosie_Scope

Hi @pixiedust, welcome to the community. Sorry to hear that you're not happy with the decisions on your PIP. Looks like Poppy has already offered some advice about whether you can challenge them, but I just wanted to say hello and welcome quickly anyway.

As Poppy mentioned, PIP is more about how your symptoms affect you day to day rather than specific diagnoses. So it's often more helpful to write examples on your forms about how different symptoms affect your ability to undertake the activities in the PIP descriptors. There's a guide to the descriptors here if you'd like to read them:

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) points system (benefitsandwork.co.uk)

I'm sorry you felt your mental health was dismissed in the assessments, that can't have been easy to go through.

Hope you'll enjoy being a member of the community 😊