Confused about pip decision.

johnstirzaker

Hi everyone,
just want to vent my anger a little. 
I am. 50 yr old who suffered a stroke last aug. I was very very lucky that I didn’t lose any mobility for too long. It has left me with memory issues, balance and coordination problems, very severe anxiety issues and the worst post stroke fatigue imaginable. 
About two weeks before my pip assessment one of the stroke team came out to see me to give me a 6 month stroke review. She sent me a copy about a week later. They state that I can’t take my medication on my own as I can’t remember wether I have taken them. Also stated that cooking is a safety issue but my wife has eliminated this for me. They mentioned the anxiety, personality changes and the fatigue. 
I got my pip decision back a few days ago. 
Zero points. I just can’t believe it. If I had scored 6-7 and not got it I would have took it on the chin and thought maybe I’m not that bad. But to score zero. Wow!!!
the
The report stated that I was dressed casual and of smart appearance. Showed no signs of anxiety and answered all the questions without any signs of cognitive damage. 
Is a stroke not a brain injury in itself????
As for no signs of anxiety, she even handed me a box of tissues because I couldn’t control my emotions do to the extra stress it was putting me under. 
I am just so annoyed, reading the report it made me sound like I was at the peak of my health and I’m a fraud. 
Can somebody tell me what you have to do to get the result you deserve and are entitled to???
sorry to go on and thanks for reading. 

loopyt

Hi, please don't  feel like that and do not feel alone. This is not unusual as you will see from the many post on this forum. Someone with much mor knowledge than me will reply soon with advice about what to do next. Please don't give up 

Pipquestions2

johnstirzaker said:

The report stated that I was dressed casual and of smart appearance. Showed no signs of anxiety and answered all the questions without any signs of cognitive damage. 
Is a stroke not a brain injury in itself????

A stroke doesn't necessarily mean it's left permanent effects on you though, that's what they're trying to say (that you are fine despite having the stroke it has left no longterm effects and you're still capable according to the PIP descriptors)

But the assessors write a load of lies I have realised that too, don't worry about it too much or think about the lies told just appeal it stating your problems and how it effects you and hopefully the correct decision will be done at MR or Tribunal

fatherinpain

This sounds like one for @ilovecats because the assessors are all good

fatherinpain

But you are all for these assessors and there fabrications of the truth as I discovered last night, so was wondering what your input would be

poppy123456

Again, please be mindful of your comments. As a community we are here to help each other. If you're unhappy with someones comments then either report them or use the ignore feature, this way you won't see their comments. Thank you.

poppy123456

Hi,

For PIP it's not about a diagnosis, it's how those conditions affect your ability to carry out daily activity based on the PIP descriptors.

You can have a disability but still not be entitled to PIP because if you don't meet the descriptors then you won't score any points for an award.

This link will help you understand the descriptors, what they mean and the criteria. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-assessment-guide-for-assessment-providers/pip-assessment-guide-part-2-the-assessment-criteria

Your next step is to request the Mandatory reconsideration, within 1 month of the date of the decision. You should put this inwriting stating where you think you should have score those points and your reasons why. Adding 2-3 examples of what happened the last time you attempted that activity for each descriptor that applies to you.

Send relevant evidence with the letter to support your claim because they rarely contact anyone.

Only 18% of MR decisions change so expect to have to take it to Tribunal. Appearing in person will give you the best chance of a decision in your favour. It's a very long process and a lot of areas have backlogs in excess of 1 year.

I'd advise you to get some face to face advice, this link will help you know what's in your area. https://advicelocal.uk/

Adrian_Scope

@Fatherinpain, I'd like to echo Poppy's comments here. Please remember to be mindful of how you speak to other members. ILoveCats has always been open and honest about being a former assessor which is a valuable resource, as she has a thorough understanding of the descriptors and regularly helps members with their claims. It's important to remember that it's easy to misinterpret messages on a forum as they don't always convey tone as it was intended.

Adrian_Scope

Hi @johnstirzaker, I'm very sorry to hear about your recent PIP application. As Poppy has said, your next step would be a Mandatory Reconsideration. 

I'm going to close this thread now, but if you have any further questions please don't hesitate to make a new thread as we're more than happy to help. Best of luck with your MR and please let us know how you get on.