PIP refused - Mental Health

SRCD · February 2020

So my husband began a PIP claim mid October, he has had his face to face assessment however we have just received the decision scoring him 2 points so no award. My husband has suffered with his mental health for 3 years. He has PTSD, low mood and anxiety. He has had counselling in the past but we has been referred for more, unfortunately this is a waiting game. He takes anti-depressants and he has a constant daily struggle. He tries to go to work however over the past 3 years he has been off over 1 1/2 years. He was very anxious and tearful throughout the whole f2f, he suffers with nightmares, sickness, nausea, extreme tiredness, headaches, he constantly judges himself and this is all due to the strain his mental health has on his physical self without going into to much detail. After reading many other peoples awards we had already anticipated this decision however when I have read the report and the decision it would appear that they have simply made a decision based on what they can see. It is apparent despite the fact that they are asking people to speak up and reach out in regards to mental health they still stereotyping illness based upon appearance. He forgets to eat throughout the day, he cannot manage his medication and this had resulted in him taking accidental overdoses, he cannot manage money and make decisions as he is off work so much that the added realisation of loss of income and bills adds to his anxiety, he needs constant encouragement to mix with people as his PTSD hugely impacts this (2 points awarded), Has anyone won a mandatory reconsideration or tribunal for mental health as this will be detrimental for my husband to go through all of this so we want to make sure that we are doing the right thing before we put him through it, can anyone offer any advice please?

poppy123456 · February 2020

Hi and welcome,

Lots of people successfully claim PIP for the way mental health affects them but because PIP isn't awarded based on a diagnosis, you can't compare 2 people because we are all affected differently by these conditions. PIP is about how those conditions affect you against the PIP descriptors.

He has 1 month to request the mandatory reconsideration which should put the MR in writing stating where he thinks he should have scored those points and his reasons why. Then add a couple of real life examples of what happened the last time he attempted that activity for each descriptor that applies to you. Send relevant evidence with the letter to support your claim because they rarely contact anyone for this.

You should avoid mentioning any lies/contradictions that may have been told in the report because DWP/Tribunal won't be interested in that. You can't prove what did or didn't happen. What matters now is why you think you qualify and that's what they'll be interested it.

Most MR decisions remain the same so you'll likely have to take it to Tribunal. Waiting times are huge in most areas and lots of people are waiting about a year for a hearing date. Appearing in person will give you the best chance of a decision in your favour.

Have a read of this link and it will give you a better understanding of the PIP descriptors and what they mean.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-assessment-guide-for-assessment-providers/pip-assessment-guide-part-2-the-assessment-criteria

Fetlock · February 2020

Sorry to hear this.

If you do ask for a mandatory reconsideration, is there any medical evidence that you have, not already provided, which you can send in with it?

ie any reports from the counsellor, anything that shows he's on weekly prescriptions (because of the overdoses), a print out from the GP showing his medical history or particularly his most recent history etc etc.

If his GP knows him well and is wiling to provide a letter of support, telling them how his conditions affect him would be very good too. I say, if they know him well, because a GP letter on the lines of Mr SRCD tells me..." unfortunately isn't any help, whereas one which states "in my medical opinion...", though rarely stated, can't be argued against.

SRCD · February 2020

Thank you for your reply I will have a look through the link you sent and see if the descriptors are what happens to him regarding his illness.

janer1967 · February 2020

@SRCD Hello and welcome to the community, I am sorry to hear about your husbands condition and refusal for PIP, please take on board advice given by Poppy, and also if you are going to appeal be prepared for a long process if you do the MR and the decision remains the same the next step is tribunal and this can take in excess of 12 months to get a hearing. I wish you both luck in whatever decision you make and we are always here to give support and advice

Chloe_Scope · February 2020

Hi @SRCD and a warm welcome to the community. Just wanted to check in to see how you were doing.

PIP refused - Mental Health

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