Not been awarded PIP. Mandatory Reconsideration, is it worth it? Please help

andwhatisnow

After one week from the telephone interview for PIP, I called the DWP to request the report of the interview. Even though the person on the line couldn't tell me how I scored he told me that I wasn't awarded anything. I read about so many people being rejected and the same with mandatory reconsideration (which I will do, although I wish I could skip this part and go straight to the tribunal stage).
What do you suggest me to do? Ask help to Citizen Advice for my MR?
Is it better to do a MR through the phone or in writing?
If MR gets rejected also, how long does it take to reach the next stage, the tribunal.
It already took me many months of wait for the interview to happen. How long will I wait for MR and then tribunal? Another 6 months? How can they do this.

janer1967

Hi and welcome to the community 

I would take what they said with a pinch if salt as ot is unusual for a decision to have been made that quick 

You are talling to an outsourced call centre when you ring and often they give poor advice 

Until you get the decision letter then I'd the time to think about next stage 

Ic you called again You would prob be told something different 

poppy123456

HI,

The majority of people claim PIP successfully, with no problems at all.

It's your decision whether to request the MR and no one here can tell you whether you qualify for PIP because we don't know exactly how your conditions affect you.

If you do request it then you should put it in writing stating where and why you think you should have scored those points. Include a couple of real world incidents that happened the last time you attempted that activity for each descriptor that applies to you. You should include information such as where you were, what exactly happened, did anyone see it and what the consequences were.

Timescales for MR decisions are between 2-12 weeks, sometimes longer. The most likely outcome of the MR is the decision will stay the same but we have had members here that have had the decision changed at this stage.

For Tribunbal it's about 11-16 weeks.

I would advise you to get some expert advice before going any further to check that you can score enough points needed for an award. Start here. https://advicelocal.uk/

andwhatisnow

janer1967 said:

Hi and welcome to the community 

I would take what they said with a pinch if salt as ot is unusual for a decision to have been made that quick 

You are talling to an outsourced call centre when you ring and often they give poor advice 

Until you get the decision letter then I'd the time to think about next stage 

Ic you called again You would prob be told something different 

Thank you for the answer. 
I hope I was really given an incorrect information. But why would he say that I've not been awarded anything if it wasn't true?
By the way I read of many people (on facebook) being awarded PIP after one week or two from the phone interview.

calcotti

andwhatisnow said: why would he say that I've not been awarded anything if it wasn't true?

The meaning of 'not been awarded anything' could be one of two thing
1) A decision has been made and the decision is that you are not entitled (that would be a remarkably quick turnaround following your assessment), or
2) No decision has yet been made (from which it would follow that you haven't yet been awarded anything).

andwhatisnow

poppy123456 said:

HI,

The majority of people claim PIP successfully, with no problems at all.

It's your decision whether to request the MR and no one here can tell you whether you qualify for PIP because we don't know exactly how your conditions affect you.

If you do request it then you should put it in writing stating where and why you think you should have scored those points. Include a couple of real world incidents that happened the last time you attempted that activity for each descriptor that applies to you. You should include information such as where you were, what exactly happened, did anyone see it and what the consequences were.

Timescales for MR decisions are between 2-12 weeks, sometimes longer. The most likely outcome of the MR is the decision will stay the same but we have had members here that have had the decision changed at this stage.

For Tribunbal it's about 11-16 weeks.

I would advise you to get some expert advice before going any further to check that you can score enough points needed for an award. Start here. https://advicelocal.uk/

I thought that a lot of people get rejected. I read a lot of experiences on facebook groups, and it sounds like it can go in both ways, even with the strongest case. Getting rejected after the interview and MR, and then getting enhanced rates from the tribunal. As if it's a long fight before you get what you deserve.

woodbine

You haven't had a decision until you get it in writing from a DM, if then you don't get an award then the next step is an MR around 50% of those are successful.
Its not true that "a lot of people get rejected" in fact a lot of people get an award, the problem being that we only usually read about those who don't get an award.

poppy123456

No one "deserves" to be awarded PIP. I claim PIP but not because i deserve it, it's because i scored enough of points for an award.

If you have a condition that affects your ability to preform the PIP activies regularly and reliably and you score at least 8 points in either daily living and /or mobility then you'll be awarded standard rate. For 12 points or more in either of those then it's Enhanced rate.

andwhatisnow

calcotti said:

andwhatisnow said: why would he say that I've not been awarded anything if it wasn't true?

The meaning of 'not been awarded anything' could be one of two thing
1) A decision has been made and the decision is that you are not entitled (that would be a remarkably quick turnaround following your assessment), or
2) No decision has yet been made (from which it would follow that you haven't yet been awarded anything).

I called again and the operator said that there is a decision letter dated the day after the interview, saying that I'm not entitled, and that I got 0 on everything.
The operator also said (reading) that I can cook, make a sandwich or do all sorts of activities when I clearly told the interviewer that I go days without eating, I'm not able to change my clothes and sometimes even not able to reach the bathroom.
How can they lie like this?

Alex_Alumni

Hello @andwhatisnow I'm sorry to read about what's been happening with your PIP application. As our members advise, please make use of AdviceLocal to see if it's worth pursuing Mandatory Reconsideration.

Scope has a clear overview of the steps to take if you are advised to challenge your PIP decision. Please don't hesitate to let us know if you feel you need any more support, or if you're unsure of anything.

poppy123456

When you told them you can't do those activities did you tell them why? Did you give a couple of real world examples of what happened the last time you attempted that activity, with detailed descriptions of exactly what happened? As mentioned in my previous comment? 

Just telling them you can do that activity doesn’t help. 

andwhatisnow

poppy123456 said:

When you told them you can do those activities did you tell them why? Did you give a couple of real world examples of what happened the last time you attempted that activity, with detailed descriptions of exactly what happened? As mentioned in my previous comment? 

Just telling them you can do that activity doesn’t help. 

I didn't tell the interviewer that I can do those activities. I said that I can't do them. I said that it's so hard for me to leave the bed that I go days without eating. And when I do, I eat ready meals from supermarket. 

poppy123456

"can" was a typo, i actually meant to say "can't" i've now edited my comment above and corrected the typo. The advice still remains the same, just telling them you can't do the activity isn't enough.

andwhatisnow

poppy123456 said:

"can" was a typo, i actually meant to say "can't" i've now edited my comment above and corrected the typo. The advice still remains the same, just telling them you can't do the activity isn't enough.

Yes I know, I have to explain why I can't do each and everyone of them, which I already did on the phone. I have to do it again, but I feel hopeless. After a long application, after the telephone conversation, how can I have trust in this mandatory reconsideration? Would you suggest me to show it to the citizen advice bureau before submission? Do you definitely believe that the writing is better than doing it on the phone (which would be quicker)?
I've been told that I can do a mandatory reconsideration four times, and then the tribunal. Can you go straight to the tribunal after one?

poppy123456

Although you said you explained why you can't do that activity the key here is those real world incidents and i think this is what you're not understanding.

An MR request is always better in writing.

andwhatisnow said:

poppy123456 said:

"can" was a typo, i actually meant to say "can't" i've now edited my comment above and corrected the typo. The advice still remains the same, just telling them you can't do the activity isn't enough.

I've been told that I can do a mandatory reconsideration four times, and then the tribunal. Can you go straight to the tribunal after one?

No, you've been incorrectly advised. You can only request the MR once per claim, if the MR decision fails then it's Tribunal.

andwhatisnow

poppy123456 said:

Although you said you explained why you can't do that activity the key here is those real world incidents and i think this is what you're not understanding.

An MR request is always better in writing.

andwhatisnow said:

poppy123456 said:

"can" was a typo, i actually meant to say "can't" i've now edited my comment above and corrected the typo. The advice still remains the same, just telling them you can't do the activity isn't enough.

I've been told that I can do a mandatory reconsideration four times, and then the tribunal. Can you go straight to the tribunal after one?

No, you've been incorrectly advised. You can only request the MR once per claim, if the MR decision fails then it's Tribunal.

I also mentioned embarrassing incidents. Actually the interviewer asked me the question about accidents going to the bathroom. The fact that I don't go out to buy food, for various difficulties (that I explained) and leave myself starving for days, isn't that an 'accident' too in a way? 

poppy123456

Can you give an example of one of those real world incidents? A lot of people confuse these with an assertion and an assertion is not evidence.

andwhatisnow

poppy123456 said:

Can you give an example of one of those real world incidents? A lot of people confuse these with an assertion and an assertion is not evidence.

Could you please give me some examples so I can understand better?

andwhatisnow

Today I received the letter with the outcome and the pages with the details of my phone interview. And yes, 0 for everything.
I tried to call various organisations through advicelocal, but nobody answered. I left voicemails and hopefully someone will call back.
Any other suggestion on where I can get some help? 

poppy123456

I'd advise you to have a read of this thread here. https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/87932/pip-tribunal-representation/p1

There's some very good advice in that thread and some examples of real world incidents as apposed to assertions.

When you request the Tribunal all you need to do is give a brief reason why for now and the rest can be sent at a later date. IN the meantime you will hopefuly receive a call back from one of the advice agencies you rang.

andwhatisnow

poppy123456 said:

I'd advise you to have a read of this thread here. https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/87932/pip-tribunal-representation/p1

There's some very good advice in that thread and some examples of real world incidents as apposed to assertions.

When you request the Tribunal all you need to do is give a brief reason why for now and the rest can be sent at a later date. IN the meantime you will hopefuly receive a call back from one of the advice agencies you rang.

But I'm still on my Mandatory reconsideration for now...
Yes I had a look and I'm still looking at the link you shared.