Contacted MP regarding mandatory reconsideration

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[Deleted User]

Hi everyone I’ve just joined this forum however I’ve been reading posts on here for months while going through my horrific PIP experience.

ill try not to make this too long but I applied for pip via telephone September last year. I have borderline personality disorder, anxiety with depression and bulimia. 

I also suffer with acute asthma and have severe allergies.

I had an assessment in February this year with independent assessment services  (Atos). The assessment lasted 8 minutes was very brief but the horror didn’t start till I requested the report. Firstly the assessor lied about how long we were in there and said we were in there 45 minutes! The whole report was lies it didn’t put any relevant information I stated and it also said the only evidence they’ve taken in to account was the how my disability affects me form. They made no attempt to contact any of my health professionals.

the most disturbing thing in the report is the accessor noted ‘claimant seems of average build so it would suggest she doesn’t suffer from an eating disorder’. Not that it matters but I am 5’8 and 9 stone! But bulimia has nothing to do with weight. I’ve suffered for 10 years been hospitalised and to be told by an occupational therapist that I was essentially not underweight enough to have an eating disorder. It broke me to say the least. 

Gathering from the report I knew I’d score 0 points across the board. Lo and behold 2 weeks later I got the report. 0 points. By this point I’d already complained about my acessor but had no response and then eventually got one just saying I must be lying. I filed a mandatory reconsideration via phone and followed up with as much evidence as I could get. I got a letter from my doctor, hospital admissions, letters when I was sectioned, reports from community care, statement from my Carer even letters from when I was in school. I also sent in my report from my UC assesment placing me in the LCWRA group. My actual letter stating my reasons was 6 pages long & I put in as much detail as I could explaining why I deserved all the points I thought I was entitled to and gave as clear examples as possible. I also noted I was effected by each descriptor on a daily basis. I was told I should hear in around 10-13 weeks. (Currently on week 5).

Back to present day I decided to write a letter to my MP while I’m waiting on my MR. I sent it yesterday & he responded that evening saying he’d speak to his contacts in the dwp & try speed up the process. He forwarded me an email this morning from a customer experience manager at dwp saying she’d look in to the concerns my MP raised and get back to him in 15 working days. I don’t really know how much influence that could have on the decision maker for my PIP.
 

I’m just doing everything I can to try secure it at this stage because I don’t know if I can mentally cope with months maybe years more or this and a tribunal. 

Has anyone else got experiences with their MPs and what they have done to help them and the outcome? 

Chloe_Alumni

Hi @jessica9876 and a warm welcome to the community! Great to have you here.

I'm sorry to hear that you have had a struggle to get PIP and that it has impacted your mental health as a result.

Do you have enough support around you at the moment? I know the lockdown can be isolating.

I hope you hear back soon.