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All Disability Benefits Are Ignoring Me

fairycakes

Hey,
I don't know what I'm looking for with this post, probably some reassurance or similar stories that had positive endings, as I'm certain the only thing I can do now is wait. But it's driving me insane. Basically I have worked part time since I left school (in 2015), every job I've ever had, I had a mental breakdown and got sacked or walked out of. In Aug 2020 I got sacked when I had a psychotic episode at work and this was when I realised I really shouldn't be working. At this point I'd never had an official diagnosis other than EBD on a statement of special needs to get me into a boarding school for learning difficulties when I was 12.
It took me nearly a year to get diagnosis of BPD & OCD, & I also have depression & trichochillomania. In July 2021 I applied for universal credit and sent off my PIP form. PIP actually lost my form in the post and tried to make me do it again, which delayed the process by a month or so.

PIP - I waited and waited and waited for my assessment, it never came. I called them up monthly since August and they said 'wait for your assessment'. Until November, I had a breakdown on the phone to them and said I wanted to kill myself I can't live on the bare minimal anymore why is everyone ignoring me, and they gave me an appointment then for the following week ???? I'd been fobbed off for 5 months, but there had been space for an appointment all along? Anyway, that was NOV 11th, I was told the average wait to hear a decision is 2 months, calculating 11th Jan is when I *should* hear back. Yet I didn't get a letter from PIP confirming they had all the information they needed until December, despite having the assessment in early November. So I'm guessing the *should* period is now calculated from feb....

UC - UC didn't offer me a LCWRA questionnaire, despite sending off 3 months of sick notes. I was wrongly under the impression that I had to be on UC 3 months before I could apply for LCWRA but then it would come quickly. But in September I asked them why nothing had happened and that is only when they sent me the questionnaire, I didn't send it off until mid October. It is now almost January and I have heard nothing. I call them every 2 weeks and they just tell me every time "you need to wait for your assessment", I am loosing the plot, living on the bare minimal money since July under the false impression more would come soon. I have spoken to so many people and they say the same thing over and over. How long is an assessment waiting list? The person I most recently spoke to just told me I'm in a queue with thousands of others. SO WHY WASN'T I GIVEN A QUESTIONAIRE SOONER? I have now provided NINE months of sick notes, running out in Feb.

I don't know what to do anymore. I have no money, for 6 months. How much longer will it be? It was a s*** xmas, s*** summer, s*** everything. Scared to put the heating on. Part of my OCD is compulsive spending, I literally can not go into a shop or have access to internet unsupervised because I compulsively buy (and hoard) everything in sight. My partner sends me £50 a month out of our joint claim, that's literally it, and in this time I have spent £4k in savings, I have nothing left. I can't do this anymore it's absolutely ridiculous.
To top it off the mental health team refused my referral when I moved area 'cos they were too busy' so I have had no support at all in all this time. I recently got a mind advocate to help me get another referral and should be finally getting help from feb.

Any advice or positivity would help.
Struggling to want to be alive anymore.
Thank you,

xxx

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Comments

poppy123456

Hi,

For PIP the current timescales from applying to having a decision is about 10 months, so you haven't really been waiting that long compared to other members that we have here. Some have been waiting several months and still haven't had an assessment yet. Backlogs are huge for very obvious reasons.

Your work capability assessment, yes you should have been referred for this 29 days after you reported your health condition but this doesn't always happen. There's also huge backlogs of people waiting for assessments for this too and some are still waiting a year after sending their forms back.

I realise it's very stressful all this waiting but there's nothing more you can do until you have the decision for PIP and you have an appointment for your work capability assessment. I don't think they're ignoring you at all but backlogs happen because of current conditions, people going off sick, working from home etc etc. Hopefully, not too much longer now.

Adrian_Scope

Hello @fairycakes and welcome to the community. I'm glad you've reached out for help.
I can understand why you feel like you're being ignored, especially when wait times aren't matching what you're being told they should be.
Unfortunately what you're experiencing isn't uncommon. Waiting times are huge in most areas and you may still be waiting some time yet.
You mentioned only receiving £50 from your joint Universal Credit claim as that's all your partner sends you. Is that because of your difficulties with budgeting or is there another reason?

How long has it been since you've moved? I'm sorry that the mental health team refused your referral but I'm glad to read you've had some help from Mind and should be getting more support soon.

It might also be worth speaking to your GP about how you're feeling to see if they have any other suggestions for support. If you do feel like you need to talk to someone more urgently, it's important you get support from someone trained and able to help you. Have you spoken to Samaritans before? You can get in touch with them on 116 123 or by emailing them at jo@samaritans.org It might also be worth checking out Mind's resources on helping yourself now. If you think it might be of use to you, we'd also be willing to seek some support for you in your local area, perhaps by way of a social care referral. I'm going to be emailing you shortly, so if additional support is something that might interest you, please let us know.

Of course if you feel like you might be in immediate danger, please contact emergency services or go to your local hospital.

In the mean time, keep submitting fit notes to Universal Credit, so that if you're awarded LCWRA it can be backdated.

Fingers crossed you won't be kept waiting too much longer.