Appealing a PIP decision

Jazz62

Hi everyone I’m new here and this is my first post so be gentle! 

My husband applied for PIP on 23rd March 22. We had our telephone assessment on 17th June 22. This morning we received a letter from DWP saying they cannot award him PIP. They say he scored 4 points for the daily living part and 0 points for the mobility part.
A lot the daily living part is saying he can do tasks and carry out things which we know at the time we said he cannot do ie he can plan and prepare a meal unaided - he can’t as can’t remember to eat plus not safe in kitchen as leaves pans on stove etc, I do all the cooking which we told the assessor. Also his meds, they scored him 0 when it was stated at assessment  that I do all his meds, organise them in his tablet box for the week and give them to him each morning. These are two examples among a lot of other things that contradict what we actually said. He has COPD, problems with his memory due to a stroke in 2003 cannot walk far due to a hip replacement and cannot do things without me prompting him. This is why I spoke on the phone, with his permission, to make the initial claim and sat with him prompting him on speakerphone during the assessment. We cannot understand why he has been given such a low score. I just need advice on whether it’s worth appealing this decision, as you can see I have handled the claim from start to now as my husband cannot retain information or speak on the phone without getting confused and flustered. One of the things he scored 0 on also was managing money and a budget when we told the assessor it is impossible for him to do this and I do it all. I was hoping to be able to apply for carers allowance if we had been successful but that’s out the window now. Sorry for the long winded post but we don’t really know what to do now as never claimed anything before. Thank you 

calcotti

See this
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/benefits-introduction/problems-with-benefits-and-tax-credits/challenging-benefit-decisions/challenging-a-decision-by-the-dwp-or-hmrc/challenging-a-benefit-decision-mandatory-reconsideration/

Jazz62

Thank you I will check that out 😊

L_Volunteer

You are welcome @Jazz62. It is the very least you deserve. Please don't hesitate to let us know if we can do anything else to support you 

Jazz62

Just to let you know I have been in touch with a disability centre in my town who are going to help us through the appeals process. They’ve took all the details and they will arrange an appointment in 2 to 3 weeks with one of their benefits advisors. I am not letting it go without a fight, if it comes to nothing at least I can feel I’ve done the best for my husband! 

Alex_Alumni

I'm pleased to hear that you'll be getting some support locally @Jazz62 it can make a big difference to feel like you have someone "in your corner" so to speak

Let us know how things go, and in the meantime feel free to have a look around and get involved wherever you’d like 😊 I've linked a few good starting places to explore and get to know other members below:

• The virtual coffee lounge which is one of our categories, in which we play games and talk about general subjects such as hobbies and interests
• The recent discussions page, which shows an overview of everything happening across the community
• The categories page, which shows a full list of discussion groups on the community

If you have any questions at all then don’t hesitate to ask, and stay hydrated today!

Alex

Jazz62

Thank you Alex I will venture into some of the other forums later. What a wonderful helpful site this is, don’t feel so alone now xx

Alex_Alumni

You're very welcome @Jazz62 that's lovely to hear, enjoy browsing as and when  

Jazz62

Thank you! You stay hydrated too! x

L_Volunteer

I am glad to hear you don't feel so alone now @Jazz62. That's really positive 

AndrewHall

The level of advice here has so deteriorated since Mike left. Someone like @Jazz62 came here for advice, she was referred to games and hydration. I don't see any point why people should post here anymore. 

calcotti

In so far as the word left suggests that it was his choice, Mike didn't leave. 

janer1967

@AndrewHall

Members here are not professional advisers but give their time freely to try and help people with their queries based on their knowledge and experience 

The op seems quite satisfied with the information given and stated what a wonderful site it is and supportive 

The advice and support has never been down to one single person and never will be 

Your still posting so why are you surprised others are 

poppy123456

AndrewHall said:

The level of advice here has so deteriorated since Mike left. Someone like @Jazz62 came here for advice, she was referred to games and hydration. I don't see any point why people should post here anymore. 

Mike didn't leave, he was banned and there's a huge difference. I find your comment very insulting for those that spend a huge amount of time giving advice freely here and there's only so many hours in a day.

The OP has stated they've got expert advice and they are being helped with the process.

Jazz62

I’m very happy with the level of advice and support I’ve received so far. Feels like a nice friendly and welcoming site. I’ve contacted a local disability association for the relevant advice and help. The games suggestion was welcome, maybe something to take your mind off serious matters for a while, bit of light relief? While I found the hydration comment a friendly little aside, given the current weather situation? Absolutely no complaints here x

Jazz62

Also, when we got the letter yesterday morning saying we’d been unsuccessful with our claim I got in a bit of state, & felt like I had nowhere to turn. Coming on here and writing my essay about it yesterday 😂 was very therapeutic and I felt a lot calmer and clear headed. So joining has already benefitted my state of mind, which I take to be a positive x

Tori_Scope

I'm glad that you've found the community helpful so far, and that our members have been able to make you feel calmer and more clear-headed @jazz62 That's really lovely to hear. 

Yes, the coffee lounge is a great place to take your mind off of things and have some fun!

Sue_Alumni

Thank you for your comments to Alex, Tori and L_Volunteer.   You will see from the link given  that the rules say that the request for the MR must be made within one month of the DWP's decision letter.  Don't  worry that, because  you  need help from your advice centre to complete the MR request, that it  may be late. Late  MRs are not normally a problem  and are normally allowed but you have to show a reason why they're late. It is sufficient to say something along the lines of "This MR is slightly late because I needed help from my local advice centre and an earlier appointment was not available." Your advice centre will be able to help you. Good luck and please let us know how you get on.