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We want to hear from you: please tell us about your experience of the online community.

Have you been through the appeal process?

CPwarrior40

Just sent off my Notice of appeal form with evidence. emotional support needed thru virtual cuppa and hand holding. Anyone out there who has been thru it already? & a big thumbs up to my physio

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Comments

Lasian_Alumni

Hi @CPwarrior40, welcome to the community!

Which benefit are you appealing for? I'm sure that many community members will be happy to share their experiences.

It's great to hear that you had support with going through the process

CPwarrior40

PIP was awarded it in 2015 then it got cut by 50% (but was not reviewed by a medical person, lots of confusion from DWP by the time I tried to get up to date info to them it had gone too far and my only choice is a "notice of appeal"
Sent "signed for" delivery today.

markyboy

Go for it but the only downside is that it now could be next year before you get your day in court with backlogs around 9 months now

debbiedo49

@CPwarrior40 ive just been through it to tribunal and its taken 8 months. I had support from a mental health advisor and a welfare rights officer otherwise I would have given up. Its important that you get the support you need to go through this process as I feel its designed to wear you down. I went into it expecting the worst and the medical assessment nearly broke me with the lies on paper. However, I knew it was a case of proving their assessment wrong by getting the evidence. I didnt get the award I wanted but I got something so it was worth it. I looked at lots of posts on here about the process and it has really helped me being on this site. As my award is for two years and almost one has passed it feels like im preparing already for the next round. But it is important to try to switch off from it and enjoy your life without constantly worrying about it like I tended to do. The only thing I would have done differently would be to keep a diary of your day and use this as evidence if you need it. I was a bit flustered when asked about my day. I think I could have done better in that area. Good luck.

Egallon1

Hi
I appealed in April last year and have just received my letter to say my appeal for ESA is allowed.
Stick with it and send in as much evidence as possible, I can’t stress this enough, you can request results or previous correspondence from your Gp surgery. Doctors letter are great especially if you see the same Gp and they know the ins and outs, they do cost money but hopefully it will be coming back to you if your case is succesful. Continual sick notes are great too. I’m sure they cannot say you can work if you have months of consecutive Drs letters. Always send a copy to the Tribunal and to the DWP. Also so do not fret if you cannot be there in person for your appeal, despite what people say it won’t make any difference to your case, especially if you have pages of evidence.
It can be stressful but you shouldn’t be fobbed off by a medical assessor who only saw you for 20 minutes.
Good luck honey xx

halli

i hvve appealed against my dissition too,not been called for yet i see someone got doctors sick note i got one to after appeal he wrote 3 week line for me .on the note it said after the three weeks line was up she still isnt fit to work. it was like a white elephant in the room with council.jobseekers allowance no one wanted to take it off me .changed rhe subject so i kept it. with my papers.everything happens seems all at the same time,the changes with bennifit.council jobseekers .find a job .dealing with the death of my sister on valintines day 2 years she fough the good fight but didnt make it.apart from your own families personal problems on top dont no how ive survived hopefully it will be dealt with my head is wasted with it all

Yadnad

debbiedo49 said:

@CPwarrior40 ive just been through it to tribunal and its taken 8 months. I had support from a mental health advisor and a welfare rights officer otherwise I would have given up. Its important that you get the support you need to go through this process as I feel its designed to wear you down.

Wow!! you had that amount of help?
Many including myself have to go through the whole PIP process alone with no help or advice from anybody due to the cuts in funding.

The major problems I had with my PIP history is down to me not really knowing what to put on the forms, how to word it, how to deal with a difficult assessor and that's just for a start.

Knowing what I know now purely from this website I would have done things differently and more than likely avoided the heartache ,stress and sleepless nights. Unfortunately I am too old to make another claim for PIP and the experience of the past has put me off ever applying for any other disability based benefit.

Yes get the help if you need it and can find it, otherwise suffer the consequences.

debbiedo49

Yes I’ve been through the system via the esa route and eventually failed to get esa. I’ve been on jsa for a couple of years and have had to jump through hoops to stay on it . Luckily through my **** experience with cab who was useless I was advised about WRO at the local council . The first one was rubbish and I asked for someone else. They met me three days before the tribunal but knew their stuff. They still thought it unlikely I would get enough points as I work 6 hours per week. That work is supported through a joint scheme with a mental health charity who were the ones to suggest I apply for pip. Without them I would not have applied having gone through such a negative experience with esa. I should be on esa but I wasn’t represented properly and I’m too scared of being off benefits to try again at the moment. I was in the right place at the right time with the mental health charity. I learned to go out if my way to find resources where I live and forced myself to use them. And, to change them if they were rubbish. I’m lucky we have those resources in my area. If you do not perhaps more people should lobby their mp for better resources where you are? I take nothing for granted and thanks to this great site I’ve made it to this point with pip.

CPwarrior40

debbiedo 49 I just wanted to say It was not me who commented about the amount of help and lack of funding..... best wishes

CPwarrior40

please tell me if ticking the box to say "review the papers" rather than attend makes a difference to the wait time??
my CP is from birth and will not get better
there is plenty of medical evidence
it is difficult to explain to someone how your disability effects you day to day when you have known no different
One of a twin who was born first and is healthy luckily

Yadnad

debbiedo49 said:

I’m lucky we have those resources in my area. If you do not perhaps more people should lobby their mp for better resources where you are? I take nothing for granted and thanks to this great site I’ve made it to this point with pip.

I doubt very much that an MP will fight for the re-introduction of legal aid for those agencies that advise on welfare issues.

Not that many years ago even our District Council had permanent WRO's in place paid for out of Council Tax.
With both the cuts made by central government as well as local authorities if there is no funding to pay for these highly specialised people the alternative is that they will work for themselves for a fee.
In my area there are quite a few of these 'paid for services' but in principle I refuse to pay for something that should be provided free of charge.

Yadnad

Username_removed said

I. Are you aware that there is the option of a telephone hearing?

Hi I didn't know that and can find no reference to that option on either the SSCS1 form or SSCS1A notes.
I do note that you can, provided that the relevant evidence is accepted, have the Tribunal hearing in your own home.