Does anyone know the ins and outs of DLA/PIP etc? — Scope | Disability forum
Please read our updated community house rules and community guidelines.

Does anyone know the ins and outs of DLA/PIP etc?

moonflower
moonflower Community member Posts: 3 Listener
edited June 2018 in PIP, DLA, and AA
Good afternoon.  Lovely to meet you. Does anyone know the ins and outs of DLA/PIP etc?  I'm totally confused.com

Comments

  • Alex
    Alex Posts: 1,305 Pioneering
    Good afternoon @Moonflower!

    Welcome to the community. You've certainly come to the right place. We have many users who have been through the process of going from DLA to PIP.

    Is there anything particular you'd like to know about? Are you due to be assessed for PIP soon?
  • lisabrazil80
    lisabrazil80 Community member Posts: 94 Courageous
    Can enyone tell me how long to wait tribunal and will that over turn the dission
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 53,319 Disability Gamechanger
    It depends on backlog in your area. It could be several months and more as there's huge backlogs in most areas. You can ring the Tribunal with your reference number and ask how long they think it will be.

    Attending in person will give you a 70% chance of a decision in your favour. It's much less for those who have a paper based decision. Good luck.
    I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.
    If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help.
  • BenefitsTrainingCo
    BenefitsTrainingCo Community member Posts: 2,621 Pioneering
    moonflower,

    There's lots of info we could give you but as regards tribunal waiting times, maybe 6 months, could be shorter, could be longer -  to find out what is expected at the moment, ring the office number on the letter confirming that they've received your appeal.

    Your chances of success are high, given the statistics about PIP appeals. However, to give yourself the best shot make sure you explain to the tribunal, in writing if you can, what points you should have got and why. You can use the PIP self-test to help identify those points.

    Give evidence if you can, and where you're asking for something different from the assessor's report, explain any major contradictions. However, you don't need to point out everything which is incorrect in the report - there's usually too many errors, and the tribunal are only really interested in the award you think you should have got, and why.

    Good luck!

    Will


    The Benefits Training Co:

  • moonflower
    moonflower Community member Posts: 3 Listener
    Thank you for your assistance.  I was on DLA at the highest rate for both mobility and care 'indefinitely' according to the DWP at the time.  I then had to go for a PIP assessment a couple of years ago, when they decided I was only entitled to daily living at the standard rate. In September last year I had a face to face assessment as my condition has worsened. I waited a very painful four months for their decision, and again was only awarded the standard daily living rate of care.  By this time I was physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted. My blood pressure was sky high (202/100) with the worry of it all, and so when the decision letter arrived I tore it up and vowed never to put myself in that position again. However, now I have had some time to recover from the shock of that, I wish I had appealed, but I don't know what to do now.  I am practically housebound, can't get out because I can't afford a car, and buses in this village are old and infrequent, so I couldn't get on one if I wanted to.  I just need to know what I do now. If I apply again, I don't think I could cope with the stress and worry of it all, but at the same time I can't cope on the money I am receiving at the moment.  I also wish I had asked for a copy of the assessor's report, because he wasn't very nice, and was only interested in telling me he was a paramedic.  I am 69 years old. If anyone can point me in the right direction would be grateful.  Thank you in anticipation.
  • littleruthie123
    littleruthie123 Community member Posts: 511 Pioneering
    Ah bless you good luck. It's not an easy road is it .I say fight ☺
  • littleruthie123
    littleruthie123 Community member Posts: 511 Pioneering
    I'm on my 40s the thought of having too go through all this for another 20 years jesus!
  • Yadnad
    Yadnad Posts: 2,856 Disability Gamechanger
    moonflower said: 
     I was on DLA at the highest rate for both mobility and care 'indefinitely' according to the DWP at the time.  I then had to go for a PIP assessment a couple of years ago, when they decided I was only entitled to daily living at the standard rate. In September last year I had a face to face assessment as my condition has worsened. I waited a very painful four months for their decision, and again was only awarded the standard daily living rate of care.  By this time I was physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted. My blood pressure was sky high (202/100) with the worry of it all, and so when the decision letter arrived I tore it up and vowed never to put myself in that position again. However, now I have had some time to recover from the shock of that, I wish I had appealed, but I don't know what to do now.  I am practically housebound, can't get out because I can't afford a car, and buses in this village are old and infrequent, so I couldn't get on one if I wanted to.  I just need to know what I do now. If I apply again, I don't think I could cope with the stress and worry of it all, but at the same time I can't cope on the money I am receiving at the moment.  I also wish I had asked for a copy of the assessor's report, because he wasn't very nice, and was only interested in telling me he was a paramedic.  I am 69 years old. If anyone can point me in the right direction would be grateful.  Thank you in anticipation.
    At 69 and being on Standard Rate for Care PIP, you cannot ever be awarded the Mobility element.
    At best you could get Enhanced Care or at worse nothing at all if you put in for a late Mandatory Reconsideration of the September award. You could also ask the DWP to be re-assessed for Care as your difficulties have increased. Again you could go to Enhanced Care, stay on Standard Care or even lose it all.

    So in a way there is not that much that you can do other than those two. 

    The time when you should have appealed was after the first PIP award when you lost the Mobility element.

    I fully understand how you are feeling - I too gave up claiming PIP as it was getting me down with all of the face to face assessments and fighting to get what I was entitled to.
  • moonflower
    moonflower Community member Posts: 3 Listener
    Can I sue the DWP for breach of contract as they awarded me DLA at the higher rate indefinitely?

  • dean1370
    dean1370 Community member Posts: 4 Listener
    Hi a lot of people where awarded DLA INDEFINITELY , unfortunately claimants presumed this meant dla was for life , the DWP had a get out clause and indefinitely meant for as long as dla excisted , hence why they changed it to pip , dla no longer available hence why most people where reassessed and given shorter periods and lower payments , In some cases it was justified as some people claimed dla and was awarded indefinite and never had to attend a medical , s lot of cases the DWP found the people claiming dla for ten years , and where fully recovered from the illness they once had . But no random checks where made, hence why they changed it to pip . 

Brightness

Do you need advice on your energy costs?


Scope’s Disability Energy Support service is open to any disabled household in England or Wales in which one or more disabled people live. You can get free advice from an expert adviser on managing energy debt, switching tariffs, contacting your supplier and more. Find out more information by visiting our
Disability Energy Support webpage.