Turned down

mrbowyer10

Hi I'm 49 and I have arthritis of the spine and trapped nerve and really struggle with it, I feel really depressed I applied for pip and now after 3 months of waiting I have just been turned down and to be honest I really feel like ending my life I don't know where to turn please help 

wilko

Hello and welcome, PIP is a benefit to help you with your daily living activities and mobility issues, it is not awarded on a diagnosis or illness or the amount of prescription drugs you are taking. PIP is awarded on your ability to preform the PIP descriptiors in a repeatable way safely and in a timely manner. So if or you decide on a MR then you must focus on the descriptiors which you thick you should have received points giving examples of what happens or happened when you tried to or attempted the descriptiors your contesting. 

MobileGames

I'm sorry to hear that you have been turned down. Please don't end your life. Go for a mandatory reconsideration. Get as much evidence as you can,specialist reports,cpn reports,social services reports,e.t.c. The CAB may be able to help with the mandatory reconsideration. Take all evidence with you,including the assessment report and concerntrate on where you should've scored points and why,giving real life examples of what happened when you last tried to do one of the descriptors. If it has to go to tribunal,get as much evidence as possible,medical records may help as well,highlighting any difficulties that arise from your conditions and how they affect you. A letter of representation from another CAB,because the local CAB only deal with the first stage,may help. They are benefits case workers who are trained in cases which go to appeal. Please don't give up. Keep on fighting. You deserve to get what you are entitled to. I've been waiting 10 months at appeal stage and I'm going to see it through. It's really important that you do. I've felt like giving up,but I'm going to fight my case. Get as much help as you can. Send evidence recorded delivery. Good luck.

Adrian_Scope

Hello @mrbowyer10. I can certainly appreciate how the PIP process can be frustrating and at times incredibly disheartening. Have you had a look at the PIP descriptors and how they might apply to your daily life? We have some information on our website about the PIP appeal process too.

Can I ask if you're getting much in the way of support from your GP with your arthritis, or any help with your mental health?

You mention thoughts of suicide in your post. May I ask if you've discussed these feelings with someone qualified and able to help you with them? While Mind have some great resources for tackling suicidal feelings, there's also talking services out there such as Samaritans (116 123) or CALM (0800 58 58 58).
However, I understand that signposting you to these resources might not always be helpful. So if you'd like us to look for some support local to you, we'd be happy to do so. Please email us at community@scope.org.uk if this is something you'd like to pursue.

In the meantime, if these thoughts persist and you feel like you might be in immediate danger, please call 999 or go to your local hospital.