Denied pip. What are the next steps? Would I receive backpay?

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plutojimin

Hello

I was wondering if you could help me. I've just been denied pip after a telephone assessment and waiting since I applied in May. 

I have severe brittle asthma and early stages of copd. I'm on a tonne of medicine for it and struggle to walk to places without getting really out of breath and I'm going through a blue Salbutamol inhaler weekly. 

I am a single mum who works 2 days a week in an office with minimum work just because benefits don't cover life so I need to work. 

I've just received my letter which has said I've scored 0 points on everything and they've said that I'm able to go drop my child at a child minders (take a bus there and back) I care for my child unaided (because what help can I get I'm a single mum) and because I work 2 days a week in mcdonalds (I sit in an office all day) 

I struggle on a day to day basis and I don't think they even care about it. 

If I fight it what steps are taken now and would I still be back paid if the claim was to be successful 

chiarieds

hi @plutojimin - & welcome to the community. I'm sorry your decision letter wasn't as you'd hoped.

As far as PIP goes, it's not about any diagnosis, nor the medication you take, but rather how your disability affects certain activities of daily living &/mobility. Have a look at the activities/descriptors that are looked at with PIP if you haven't previously seen them: 

https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/asset-library/Personal-Independence-Payment-Descriptors-and-Scores-April-2021.pdf

You can do a Mandatory Reconsideration, where another decision maker will look at everything again, within one month of the date on your decision letter. For each applicable activity/descriptor give a couple of recent, detailed examples as to the difficulty you faced, i.e. what exactly happened, when did it happen, did anyone witness this, & were there any consequences, i.e. how did it leave you feeling after attempting/doing an activity, breathless, fatigued/exhausted for example?

Can you do an activity 'reliably,' i.e. safely, to an acceptable standard, repeat it as often as one would reasonably expect, or does it take you much longer than someone without a disability? See this mentioned at the end of the link above. If you can't do an activity 'reliably' then say so.

You can put this Mandatory Reconsideration in writing, putting your name & National Insurance number on each page, or use this form: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/683380/if-you-disagree-with-a-decision-made-by-dwp.PDF

Obtain a free 'Certificate of Posting' from a Post Office for your Mandatory Reconsideration.

Yes, if successful, if this is your first PIP claim, then any arrears would be payable from when you first claimed. Many people also work & claim PIP, so long as the work you do doesn't contradict the reasons for which you've claimed.

Above all, put the decision letter behind you, & concentrate on giving those detailed examples mentioned above. Please come back if you have any questions.