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PIP Appeal & so worried
elbest
Member Posts: 38 Connected
Hi I'm new here, I am just in the process of appealing for PIP, I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, PoTS, Osteoarthritis,IBS, Meniers disease,low thyroid, 2 neuromas in my foot, anxiety & depression plus many more little things going on. I cannot believe the response I got from my mandatory reconsideration. No success in either section when I have had DLA for 5 years. You feel as though you are nothing and don't matter how can they be so cruel? I am petrified of going to a tribuneral can anyone give me any advice to help me prepare for it. Thankyou in advance.
Replies
It's informal - you're not on trial - but definitely be respectful. There are 3 tribunal members: a judge, a doctor, and a disability expert. The DWP may send a representative, to argue their side of it. When you get the big bundle of papers from the DWP, you can look at their letter to the tribunal to see what they're going to argue.
The tribunal members have to see multiple claimants in a day, so they'll probably be asking you questions fairly quickly. If you need notes to make sure you answer correctly, bring some! It's a good idea to bring someone with you - a welfare rights person, or a CPN, etc., are great, but if not bring a family member or friend. They probably won't be able to talk, but they can support you.
If you have time, it can be very helpful to write up a submission and send it in (to the court you'll be having the tribunal at). Basically, you want to write down which activities you're contesting, which descriptor you think you should have gotten, and why. Remember that they need to know how your conditions affect your ability to do each of the activities, not just your diagnoses.
A useful guide: http://www.cpag.org.uk/content/ask-cpag-online-how-should-you-prepare-written-submission
A very useful document: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-assessment-guide-for-assessment-providers (Part 2).
Good luck!
PIP is awarded not for your conditions themselves but for how they affect your daily living and mobility.
Disability Rights UK site (DR) has a good guide to all stages and aspects of PIP. They also publish their own Disability Rights Handbook which has a thorough guide to tribunal hearings. £18.50 from their website, or probably available in your local public library's reference section.
Tribunals are a different thing completely. The people who oversee them are unfortunately aware of how professional the DWP are at handling claims. While it’s not formal still act politely and answer questions. Usually a disability expert is there. If you require notes bring some. Prepare a written or typed up submission explaining how you are day to day due to your disability for them to see. You might have a unprofessional person there but usually they are sympathetic with you. And make a list of challenging activities and take that with you to the meeting as well so they can fully understand how your condition impacts your daily life. Essentially what they need to know is exactly how your disability makes life harder for you.
Good luck!! I’m sure you will be fine. Let us know what happens.