Hi, my name is Janmartin! I see the struggles so many have with the benefits system

Janmartin

Hi, I see the struggles so many have with the benefit system, the inconsistencies, having to fight to prove you have conditions that affect daily functioning, the lack of knowledge on disorders such ASD, ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, and the rest. I have been turned down yet again for PIP, applied in 2018, 0 points, I was to unwell to fight and appeal. Again scored 0 points, the repot from the decision maker is very poor, and inaccurate, I have both ADHD and Bipolar, and take medication, under secondary care, my condition fluctuates, I did send letters to confirm my diagnosis, my partner had to do the form as I struggle to understand and complete such forms, I am terrible at budgeting, cooking and preparing food, going the supermarket, misunderstanding what others say,  interupt others, I'm impulsive, have poor working memory, executive functions,emotional disregulatiation, get anxious about going out, and will avoid, can't cope with traffic noise, the lights and noise of to many people in supermarkets and hate shopping, have meltdowns in these situations. According to the Decision maker there is no evidence of the above from the form, assessment, or from letters and medications I take, I apparently have no cognitive impairment, can use public transport unaided, and no psychological distress, I can eat a snack, take medication regularly, so i therefore don't require help in monitoring medication, which is completely untrue. Everything that was said on the pip form and the telephone assessment is completely different to the report I have read, also they mention I went to mainstream school and University, mentioned no intellectual impairment, my conditions have nothing to do with intellect, I don't understand why that's relevant to my daily functioning, so going to send more evidence, that they didn't receive, (they have enough medical evidence) and my partner rang them going through why he thought it was wrong at each point, the lady said to send a letter also and the letters they didn't receive, I'm not convinced even with explaining each discriptor what it should be, is going to make any difference, based on statistics I think it's arbitrary, set up fail people, and make it as difficult as possible to be successful, and they think that many will give up in such a stressful process, it's counterproductive, and just makes my mental health worse, I am made to feel like a liar, despite medical evidence that I take medication for both, clearly diagnosed, I'm on the Serious Mental Illness Register, have mental health reviews, my conditions are lifelong. I am going to write my MP, and complain to the DWP as well as the MR. 

poppy123456

They don't need to have any understanding of any conditions because PIP isn't awarded based on any diagnosis. It's how those conditions affect you against the 12 PIP activities that matters.

Letters that just state a diagnosis, are always helpful.

What you need to do is state exactly where and why you think you should have scored those points. You need to put the MR request in writing. Include a couple of real world incidents of exactly what happened the last time you attempted each descriptor that applies to you. Adding detailed information such as where you were, did anyone see it, what exactly happened and what the consequences were. You should aim for at least half an A4 side of paper per descriptor that applies to you.

The most likely outcome of the MR will be the decision will remain the same because only 27% of decisions change at this stage.

If the decision doesn't change then it's Tribunal. More than 70% of those that take it to Tribunal and appear in person have a decision in their favour.

What you should do also is get some expert advice from an agency near you. https://advicelocal.uk/

Above all else, remember with evidence, less is often more.

Janmartin

Thankyou, that advice really does help, and makes sense, I appreciate your feedback, and I'm going to do as you have said for each descriptor, and like you say the MR success of decisions being overturned is not great, and will just have to be prepared for this going to Tribunal. Kind regards to you. ☺️

calcotti

poppy123456 said:

Letters that just state a diagnosis, are always helpful. 

Typo I think: "Letters that just state a diagnosis, are not always helpful."

poppy123456

calcotti said:

poppy123456 said:

Letters that just state a diagnosis, are always helpful. 

Typo I think: "Letters that just state a diagnosis, are not always helpful."

Thanks calcotti, yes a typo. Too late now to edit my comment, unfortunately. I've never understood why scope put a time limit on when you can edit your own comments.

Jo_2022

Hi @Janmartin! 😊 Thanks for the post. I am sorry to hear you are struggling with the benefits system. Yes, I think sometimes there is some ignorance from the person doing the PIP assessment. Do not give up hope, it is quite likely that after MR or Appeal the decision will be changed in your favour. 

poppy123456

Jo_2022 said:

it is quite likely that after MR or Appeal the decision will be changed in your favour. 

The most likely outcome of the MR is the decision will remain the same. Only 27% of MR decisions change. There's more change of the decision changing at Tribunal stage.