Currently on Esa, Pip scored me zero?

CT1
CT1 Online Community Member Posts: 28 Listener
edited December 2019 in PIP, DLA, ADP and AA
Don't know if anyone can help but my question is this. I am currently on Esa and included in my Esa is disability income guarantee. I put in a claim for Pip last year and got refused. They scored me nothing for my disability/illness. So I took it further and am awaiting a tribunal hearing. How can a medical professional state that I have a disability illness and yet the Dwp score me zero??????. 

Comments

  • thespiceman
    thespiceman Online Community Member Posts: 6,283 Championing
    edited December 2019
    Hello @CT1    Pleased to meet you.  Thank you for joining and sharing.
    Sorry to hear what has happened.
    I am one of the team of community champions. We guide, advise and help members of our community .
    Please can say ESA and PIP are two different benefits. You may have the same illness or disability but they are different.
    I know this myself. Having scored less in PIP than in ESA.
    I do know this happens a lot sorry but it does.
    Please can I ask do you need any help with tribunal or anything else. Please ask happy to be supportive.

    Please take care.

    @thespiceman

  • CT1
    CT1 Online Community Member Posts: 28 Listener
    Hi @the spice man. I understand they are 2 different benefits but numerous people I have spoken to about my issues have stated that I should claim PIP. Have been waiting a year since my original claim and finally got a date for my tribunal hearing but I just can't understand how the Esa health professional can score me what she did for my issues and yet the PIP health professional can score me zero for the same issues. 
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    HI and welcome,

    I'm a community champion here on scope and i advise people with the complex benefit system.

    My friend @thespiceman is correct, ESA and PIP are 1 completely different benefits, with different criteria and claiming the one doesn't mean you're automatically entitled to the other. They have completely different descriptors to start with.

    When you say medical professional do you mean your GP? if so then a GP will very rarely understand the PIP descriptors and what they mean. You can have a disability but not qualify for PIP because if you don't meet the descriptors you won't score the points for an award. I'm not saying the Tribunal decision won't go in your favour though.

    Are you appearing in person? If so and you have representation then you have more than a 70% chance of a decision in your favour. Without representation you have a 50% chance of a decision in your favour. Paper based decision success drops to between 5-8%.

    Having some understanding of the PIP descriptors always helps because it's very easy to look at the descriptors and score yourself highly, when it may not be possible to score as high as you think. Have a read of this link.

    Good luck.

  • CT1
    CT1 Online Community Member Posts: 28 Listener
    Hi @poppy123456. No I don't mean my GP I mean the person I went to see to continue my claim for Esa and the person that came to my house to discuss my PIP claim. I can understand I may not score the points needed to claim PIP but to score zero points I cannot. I don't currently have any representation how can I go about getting represented??. 
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    You're not understanding it. ESA and PIP are different benefits with different criteria. Claiming one doesn't mean you're entitled to the other. Please have a read of the link i posted above, it will give you more of an understanding of the PIP descriptors and what they mean.

    For representation start here. https://advicelocal.uk/ welfare rights or a law centre are good places to start.

    Do be aware that even with representation you will still need to speak for yourself during your hearing because the only person that knows how your conditions affect you is yourself.

  • Adrian_Scope
    Adrian_Scope Posts: 11,750 Online Community Programme Lead
    Hello @CT1. I can certainly understand your frustration. Hopefully the tribunal will better understand your conditions. You said you finally had a date for your tribunal, is it much longer you need to wait? 
  • CT1
    CT1 Online Community Member Posts: 28 Listener
    Hi @Adrian scope. Got my date just before Xmas but the whole situation has taken just over a year. It's annoying more than anything else.
  • VOB
    VOB Online Community Member Posts: 45 Empowering
    Hi, join the club. I too got zero points for my PIP assessment but it's just what I expected.
     I have  over 25 years of suffering anxiety and depression which is well documented by the professionals I also have feet problems which is what made me try to claim got PIP. Although it is upsetting that someone can form a decision on your health based on an hour's assessment it is what it is. I didn't fight my case as I didn't have the energy and as I have never had help in the past I thought so be it. I'm probably the weaker one for not fighting it. However I have had a UC assessment over a week ago so I am not sure if that will be taken on board. I work 20 hours as had to drop from full time to part time due to my feet problems. Financially it kills but again it is what it is. If the UC comes back as negative then I may try to fight my case. I know my limitations so if I'm not in a good place mentally  I will not put myself through it, life's bad enough.
    Don't be despondent your not the only one who's been given zero points in the PIP and at least you allready have the ESA benefit.
    Keep your chin up and good luck.?

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