Confusion reigns

Hi everyone 
When I first applied for pip in November 2017 I was refused. The reason given was a technical fault on the dwp side. Even after going through all the running around for doc reports etc etc and attending the assessment they turned me down because they said I hadn't been back in the county long enough and advised me to apply again in February 2018.Which I did. They knew this but still put me through the wringer.
Any way I applied again for pip only to go through the exact same charade and be turned down again. I appealed and of course I lost again so on to the tribunal which I won but this is where I'm confused. 
During the tribunal the judge said he can only give a ruling on my 2nd claim and not my 1st because its a "technical issue" but when I received my paper from clerk of the court it says its backdated from Nov 2017 my 1st claim. If that's true I'm certainly not complaining but I'm at a loss to understand what's happening
Can anyone shine a light on this
Regards