My PIP journey for mental illness

anxiousbird · November 2021

Hi all
thought I’d share my PIP journey with you all. I claimed on the basis of mental Illness (GAD, PTSD, agoraphobia). Applied for PIP for the first time in 2019 - got rejected after assessment. I didn’t appeal / asked for MR as I was feeling too dejected at that time.

Applied again for PIP end of June 2020. Sent in my forms end of September 2020. Got the telephone assessment in February 2021. Decision in March 2021 - zero points all over again! I immediately submitted a request for MR and wrote a detailed 4 page document for each activity I thought I should have scored points in, and which descriptor I thought applied in my case. Also quoted some previous case laws. Numbered each page of my evidence booklet and referenced it in my MR document to make points. Received my MR decision end of May 2021, standard rate daily living but nothing for mobility (even though I thought mobility activity 1 was where I had the most chance of scoring points). Anyway, appealed for mobility straight away. Mid july got a letter from DWP offering standard rate mobility in exchange for withdrawing the appeal. My welfare rights worker rejected this offer. Had my tribunal today (telephone). The call lasted in total about 8 minutes. The judge only asked the DWP representative a couple of questions to which the DWP rep said ‘yes I’m sorry I think they should be awarded enhanced rate mobility’. So happy and relieved!

I’m writing this here in the hope that it might give people in similar situations some hope. I know I found these sort of posts really helpful when I was going through the process myself!

Also, I should mention that I did not have any current medications (apart from just one medicine which I take only on an as and when needed basis. (I have tried a few medicines in the past). I have also had a few rounds of talking therapy and CBT in the past. I am currently under the secondary mental health team (undergoing assessment - they’re still trying to formulate a care plan)

hope it helps