Mandatory Reconsideration

Girl_No1

I applied for PIP and was awarded Standard Daily Rate.  I had no real expectation of receiving anything, having listened to others who had applied and been refused so I was quite happy.  However, the decision paperwork from DWP contained so many inaccuracies e.g. Assessor reported I had stated I could walk for 30mins - there was absolutely no discussion about duration of walking, none at all.  It also contained assumptions e.g. I have insight to my condition therefore, by their reasoning, it cannot impact on me.  (So many days of my life have been spent wishing I did not have this insight, as I imagine life would so much easier not realising how much of an oddball/freak you are!)  Also the fact I was able to engage on the telephone with a female, medical professional apparently allowed them to assess I have no difficulty at all engaging with others face to face.  Bizarre, to say the absolute least.  It enraged me so much I decided to request a Mandatory Reconsideration and sent it off detailing where I think points were missed or factors were not fully taken into account.

Having made that decision and sent off the request, the entire cycle of stress, worry and panic has revved-up again.  I have checked via Royal Mail and they received my request on 30/11/20.  I called today to ensure it has been logged.  Two hours and thirty-seven minutes I was on hold, and then cut off.  The stress of listening to the repeated message and being on edge waiting to speak with someone triggered a migraine - vomiting, pain, dizziness, vertigo, the entire shebang.  My sleep pattern will now be out of sync for days too as a result of the migraine.  

My question is:  can I trust them to process the MR request, or should I spend all day tomorrow in their phone queue?      Any advice/insight would be appreciated.  Thanks.

poppy123456

HI and welcome,

When you send mail to DWP it has to go through a mail sorting process, even when sending mail by recorded delivery. Recorded next day delivery means nothing at all to DWP because it's signed for by someone from Royal mail and not a DWP worker. It means it's somewhere in the Royal mail sorting office, not a DWP building.

Mail isn't classed as arriving until it's been added to the computer and it can take up to 10 working days for this to happen. I would say it's pointless ringing again, spending more time on the phone and getting yourself even more stressed than you already are. If you put a mobile number down they sometimes text once they've received it. If you haven't heard anything in the next week then ring.

Although an MR decision can take up to 10 weeks, sometimes longer.

If the MR decision doesn't change, then it's Tribunal. If it gets this far you need to concentrate on where and why you think you should have scored those points, not on the inaccurancies or "lies" that may have been told in the report because this isn't going to score you anymore points.

Good luck.

Tori_Scope

Welcome to the community @Girl_No1 I can appreciate that this would be a stressful situation, so thanks for reaching out. I hope that the above advice has cleared things up a bit? 

Is there anything that usually eases the effects of your migraines at all? 

chiarieds

Hi @Girl_No1 - & welcome to the community. I hope the advice above will lessen your stress, as no need to phone back at the moment, & I hope you get a text so you don't have to wait ages on the phone (if you gave your mobile number). Your MR will get processed OK.

Girl_No1

@poppy123456 @chiarieds @Tori_Scope Thanks all for replying.  It has helped just having reassurance that I don't need to spend all day trying to speak with someone.  I didn't realise I should receive a text confirming receipt of the request.  I'll give that another week or so before I start stressing again.

@Tori_Scope regarding migraines, I'm on daily prophylactic and as necessary abortive meds.  I do my best avoiding all of my (many!) known triggers, but sometimes they still slip through a substantial net of meds/avoidance of triggers.  Stress being a substantial factor in those that slip through.      

leeCal

Good luck @Girl_No1

Tori_Scope

Well it sounds like you're doing a good job of managing the migraines on the whole @Girl_No1, so that's good. Do you have any stress-busting techniques that have worked for you in the past? 

Girl_No1

@Tori_Scope thanks.  My go-to stress buster is getting to the sea or a loch (I'm Scottish!) - I think it's the salty air that relaxes me.  That's not an option at the moment due to Covid restrictions, but I do use Yankee Sea Air candles, which are good but just not the same as standing on a beach or the banks of a loch!  My partner is my best support in terms of stress - he can usually talk-me down by making me consider things logically/calmly but it just didn't work yesterday.   Anyway, I'm sure others have much more stress than me at the moment due to Covid and/or dealing with the DWP!   

Tori_Scope

Ooh that certainly sounds like an excellent stress reliever @Girl_No1! Hopefully you'll be able to get back out there in the not so distant future. 

Your partner sounds like a really good support for you I hope things are feeling less stressful today,

Your feelings are absolutely valid, so please feel free to ask for advice or vent here any time you need! 

Girl_No1

Just a wee update.  I still hadn't heard anything today, so I called PIP help line - only waited 43 minutes to be answered. 

I'm glad I called because the (young-sounding) man advised my requested had been received on 30/11/20 (which I knew from Signed For records) but had been mis-catergosied and was "in the wrong queue"!  It was in a queue awaiting allocation. 

He corrected the error then and there, and the "We're received your request ...." text arrived while I was chatting with him.  He also confirmed I should know the outcome within ten weeks.

As I say, I'm really glad I called because it wasn't "just" my paranoia telling me something had gone awry!  lol 

Ross_Scope

They do keep people on hold an awfully long time don't they @Girl_No1? 

But I'm glad you eventually got through and were able to have that issue corrected. The young man sounds like he was very helpful.

chiarieds

Pleased your instincts were right @Girl_No1 - & that you rang up despite it being stressful. I hope you're feeling OK now, & good for you!

Girl_No1

@Ross_Scope @chiarieds thanks guys.  Yes, I do feel better for knowing it's definitely in the system now.   

chiarieds

Great. Hope you can relax a little now @Girl_No1 - please keep in touch, & let us know how you get on.

Girl_No1

A further wee update. 
Submitted MR on 30/11/12.
Chased-up 09/12/20 as no text confirming receipt had been received. 
Today I received a telephone call from the DM  responsbile for MR. 
It was a brief call (8mins) and he was very focused on the elements I had queried. 
He said a letter will be issued tomorrow. 
Eeeek!!   
Time to put on the Sea Air candles  ..... 

chiarieds

Everything (gently) crossed for you @Girl_No1 - here's hoping you get a positive result. Thank you again for your update.

Tori_Scope

Fingers crossed @Girl_No1! Thanks for the update. Get those candles burning