My PiP claim got rejected
Options
_Joseph_
Community member Posts: 3 Connected
Hello so I just wanted to come on to a forums and express how upset I am and just want to talk to people about it.
(P.S I decided to re upload this , I initially deleted it as I was worried and I’m not great at replying back)
So to give a bit of life backstory for context:
I have had sever Anxiety, Agoraphobia and Depression for around 4 years or more ish. And It all started when I was at school and was one year from my final exams to move onto collage etc. Because of how I felt and my anxiety and depression started to get worse I had to leave school and because of that I was unable to take my exams (and now I have no qualifications) I use to have a lot of friends and I was somewhat popular at school but anyway because of how I was I lost everything and everyone. I am now 19 with no friends . I have been scared and to anxious to leave my house since , I use to talk to a mental health therapist until I was 18 and after that I got told I would have to move onto my GP because I became an adult but because of how difficult it was for me to do so I didn’t go with it as it took me courage to try to talk to someone just to have to start again and again . Back then I also had tried to go to a therapy group with other people and I got in the room with my mother (who has been Very supportive) but I instantly started to stress out and my anxiety was through the roof in the waiting room to the point I walked out and couldn’t do it. (All this was around 3-4 years ago)
now moving onto a bit soon , for around 2 years now I have not left my home because of how I am.
I had been recommended to try to claim for my condition ( I also take medication from my doctor for my anxiety and depression prescribed by my old mental health doctor)
Anyway back to now .
I started my pip claim in October 2020 so around 7 months ago and I just got my final decision and my pip claim got rejected. I apparently only scored 2 points and we feel like they twisted things i told them for example ; The medical person who was doing my assessment on the phone asked me on average how many days of the week do you have bad days and I told them that roughly 2 out of 7 days can be extremely bad to the point where I will lie in bed all day feeling the lowest I could feel and have horrible thoughts and not even speak to my mother(the closest person in my life) within that time . BUT I also said that apart from them 2 days I still have bad days where I’m anxious and depressed if I had to give a number I would say 6/7 is “bad” days but realistically even on my “better” day I still can’t even leave the house (I don’t even go in my garden)
So like I said the way it was worded was that I only feel bad 2/7 days of the week but in reality every day for me is bad.
Another thing that the person put down in my denied claim was that I didn’t seem anxious or needed prompted (by my mother to speak) to answer questions.
So first of all for the 3-4 days leading up to that call I couldn’t stop thinking about having to take the call and I would worry about it all night long in the days leading up to the call . And on the day of the call I couldn’t concentrate and also my hands shake in them situations as I was extremely anxious and worried. And right before the call I had to go to the bathroom multiple of times as I felt like needed to go but nothing would come out (as I was just anxious and worried) .
anyway getting to the call, my mother spoke for me for , I would say most of it but I anxiously forced myself the best I could to talk and answer some questions as I was really worried that if my mother would only talk they wouldn’t have enough information or that they wouldn’t be able to give me an accurate score etc . And I might have sounded “fine” on the phone but in that time (where the person calling can’t see) my hands are shaking , my heart is racing , I am extremely distraught , feel sick and anxious and just want the call to be over with. But she doesn’t see that she only hears me talking the best I can and she thinks that I was fine.
Another thing the person wrote down was that I have ways to control the way I feel. Yes I have distractions that I try to do for example read books or play games on my computer but that doesn’t control the way I feel , it can only take away some of that anxiety or depression for a small bit of time.
And if I really had something to control my anxiety and depression and Agoraphobia properly then I would be able to leave my home and live a more “normal” life . But that’s not the case as I can’t.
And one of the main final things the person suggested was that I could “navigate or take public transport”
this , I do not understand why they said that as I can barely express or talk to my sisters who are the closest people I know besides my mam but the person on the call suggests I can go to public transport and talk to people I’ve never seen in my life AS well as leaving my home ( which I haven’t left in around 3 years)
I just received the letter today and can’t stop worrying about it. First of all yes I am claiming for benefits but the part that im just about more upset with is that it feels like they are making it out like it’s not that big of deal / issue that I have.
(We are going to try to appeal this as well )
Thank you for any comments talking about your situations or any comments in general and thank you for you time.
(P.S I decided to re upload this , I initially deleted it as I was worried and I’m not great at replying back)
So to give a bit of life backstory for context:
I have had sever Anxiety, Agoraphobia and Depression for around 4 years or more ish. And It all started when I was at school and was one year from my final exams to move onto collage etc. Because of how I felt and my anxiety and depression started to get worse I had to leave school and because of that I was unable to take my exams (and now I have no qualifications) I use to have a lot of friends and I was somewhat popular at school but anyway because of how I was I lost everything and everyone. I am now 19 with no friends . I have been scared and to anxious to leave my house since , I use to talk to a mental health therapist until I was 18 and after that I got told I would have to move onto my GP because I became an adult but because of how difficult it was for me to do so I didn’t go with it as it took me courage to try to talk to someone just to have to start again and again . Back then I also had tried to go to a therapy group with other people and I got in the room with my mother (who has been Very supportive) but I instantly started to stress out and my anxiety was through the roof in the waiting room to the point I walked out and couldn’t do it. (All this was around 3-4 years ago)
now moving onto a bit soon , for around 2 years now I have not left my home because of how I am.
I had been recommended to try to claim for my condition ( I also take medication from my doctor for my anxiety and depression prescribed by my old mental health doctor)
Anyway back to now .
I started my pip claim in October 2020 so around 7 months ago and I just got my final decision and my pip claim got rejected. I apparently only scored 2 points and we feel like they twisted things i told them for example ; The medical person who was doing my assessment on the phone asked me on average how many days of the week do you have bad days and I told them that roughly 2 out of 7 days can be extremely bad to the point where I will lie in bed all day feeling the lowest I could feel and have horrible thoughts and not even speak to my mother(the closest person in my life) within that time . BUT I also said that apart from them 2 days I still have bad days where I’m anxious and depressed if I had to give a number I would say 6/7 is “bad” days but realistically even on my “better” day I still can’t even leave the house (I don’t even go in my garden)
So like I said the way it was worded was that I only feel bad 2/7 days of the week but in reality every day for me is bad.
Another thing that the person put down in my denied claim was that I didn’t seem anxious or needed prompted (by my mother to speak) to answer questions.
So first of all for the 3-4 days leading up to that call I couldn’t stop thinking about having to take the call and I would worry about it all night long in the days leading up to the call . And on the day of the call I couldn’t concentrate and also my hands shake in them situations as I was extremely anxious and worried. And right before the call I had to go to the bathroom multiple of times as I felt like needed to go but nothing would come out (as I was just anxious and worried) .
anyway getting to the call, my mother spoke for me for , I would say most of it but I anxiously forced myself the best I could to talk and answer some questions as I was really worried that if my mother would only talk they wouldn’t have enough information or that they wouldn’t be able to give me an accurate score etc . And I might have sounded “fine” on the phone but in that time (where the person calling can’t see) my hands are shaking , my heart is racing , I am extremely distraught , feel sick and anxious and just want the call to be over with. But she doesn’t see that she only hears me talking the best I can and she thinks that I was fine.
Another thing the person wrote down was that I have ways to control the way I feel. Yes I have distractions that I try to do for example read books or play games on my computer but that doesn’t control the way I feel , it can only take away some of that anxiety or depression for a small bit of time.
And if I really had something to control my anxiety and depression and Agoraphobia properly then I would be able to leave my home and live a more “normal” life . But that’s not the case as I can’t.
And one of the main final things the person suggested was that I could “navigate or take public transport”
this , I do not understand why they said that as I can barely express or talk to my sisters who are the closest people I know besides my mam but the person on the call suggests I can go to public transport and talk to people I’ve never seen in my life AS well as leaving my home ( which I haven’t left in around 3 years)
I just received the letter today and can’t stop worrying about it. First of all yes I am claiming for benefits but the part that im just about more upset with is that it feels like they are making it out like it’s not that big of deal / issue that I have.
(We are going to try to appeal this as well )
Thank you for any comments talking about your situations or any comments in general and thank you for you time.
Comments
-
Hi @_Joseph_ - I'm both pleased you've joined the community, & posted your info again. I know it's not always easy saying how you are, or how you feel, but perhaps we can help, & please don't worry about replying, if that's also difficult. Firstly, I'm sorry you weren't awarded PIP. Secondly, altho I do understand from personal experience, try not to take the comments made in a decision letter (based on the assessor's report) personally. Unfortunately part of the system means that an assessor, sometimes inaccurately, chooses a phrase that they feel best describes your situation; many are 'cut & pasted' phrases that often seem to bear little resemblance to yourself.Now you can ask for your decision to be looked at again, a Mandatory Reconsideration (MR), so another decision maker will look at everything again. You do not need to send any further evidence, but what may be missing is your own anecdotal evidence, so here's an opportunity to include that now. Please have a look at the following link, which altho it's about completing a PIP claim form for those with mental health issues, should still give you some guidance. Please see: https://www.mentalhealthandmoneyadvice.org/en/welfare-benefits/pip-mental-health-guide/help-with-your-pip-claim/how-to-fill-in-the-pip-form/What's important now is to put your MR in writing, putting your name & National Insurance number on each page, & give a couple of detailed examples of how you were at the time of your assessment for each activity/descriptor that applies to you, i.e. how was doing the activity, or attempting to do an activity, difficult, why, who witnessed it, what happened, & how did it leave you feeling afterwards, or what were the consequences, if that applies? Also can you do an activity 'reliably,' i.e. safely, to an acceptable standard, as often as would normally be expected, or in a reasonable amount of time?Keep a copy of your MR, & when posting the other, get a certificate of posting from the Post Office. Hope some of this helps, & please come back with any questions. My best wishes.
-
Thank you for your very nice words, as well as I really appreciate your help. We are going to start writing the appeal on the weekend so we have a full day or 2 to properly sit down to make sure we don’t forget anything.chiarieds said:Hi @_Joseph_ - I'm both pleased you've joined the community, & posted your info again. I know it's not always easy saying how you are, or how you feel, but perhaps we can help, & please don't worry about replying, if that's also difficult. Firstly, I'm sorry you weren't awarded PIP. Secondly, altho I do understand from personal experience, try not to take the comments made in a decision letter (based on the assessor's report) personally. Unfortunately part of the system means that an assessor, sometimes inaccurately, chooses a phrase that they feel best describes your situation; many are 'cut & pasted' phrases that often seem to bear little resemblance to yourself.Now you can ask for your decision to be looked at again, a Mandatory Reconsideration (MR), so another decision maker will look at everything again. You do not need to send any further evidence, but what may be missing is your own anecdotal evidence, so here's an opportunity to include that now. Please have a look at the following link, which altho it's about completing a PIP claim form for those with mental health issues, should still give you some guidance. Please see: https://www.mentalhealthandmoneyadvice.org/en/welfare-benefits/pip-mental-health-guide/help-with-your-pip-claim/how-to-fill-in-the-pip-form/What's important now is to put your MR in writing, putting your name & National Insurance number on each page, & give a couple of detailed examples of how you were at the time of your assessment for each activity/descriptor that applies to you, i.e. how was doing the activity, or attempting to do an activity, difficult, why, who witnessed it, what happened, & how did it leave you feeling afterwards, or what were the consequences, if that applies? Also can you do an activity 'reliably,' i.e. safely, to an acceptable standard, as often as would normally be expected, or in a reasonable amount of time?Keep a copy of your MR, & when posting the other, get a certificate of posting from the Post Office. Hope some of this helps, & please come back with any questions. My best wishes. -
Wishing you all the best with it @_Joseph_
“This is my simple religion. No need for temples. No need for complicated philosophy. Your own mind, your own heart is the temple. Your philosophy is simple kindness.”
― Dalai Lama XIV -
Hi @_Joseph_
We haven't spoken to each other before now, so first of all I just wanted to offer you a warm welcome to the community!
I am sorry to hear to that the process of applying for PIP has been causing you so much worry and upset. But I am really glad that you found your way to us here on the community, and that you've been helped by what our members have already posted.
chiarieds has definitely given you some really sound practical advice there, in terms of potential next steps and how to approach your appeal. Plus, I'm sure that there will be other members of the community who are able to offer you some additional guidance, based on their own experiences of the PIP process and the appeals system. So, do keep an eye out over the weekend for any further updates to your original post. In addition, you might want to have a look at the guidance on the Scope website about Challenging a decision about PIP or other benefits. That might be useful to you when it comes to your next steps.
Of course, it's also completely understandable if you're finding this to be a stressful experience. So, I know that you've mentioned that you've been prescribed medication for your anxiety in the past. Just to check though, are you still getting support from your current doctor? Hopefully, that is the case? But if not, then it might be an idea to make an appointment to speak with your GP, given that the whole process has been causing you some additional stress. That might be something for you to have a think about as well?
Plus, you've got us to talk to now! So, if you do have any questions or you would like some more advice, then please do come back to us and we'll do our best to help.
-
You're most welcome @_Joseph_ taking a couple of days to go through writing up your MR is a very good idea.
-
Hi all just got a update , I decided to appeal back then and just today the decision got overturned !Thank you all for your kinds words back then , it really helped !
-
Well done @_Joseph_
-
I am very pleased to read your update @_Joseph_ - thank you very much for letting us know about your success. Congratulations.
-
That is fabulous news @_Joseph_ ?
-
Online Community CoordinatorConcerned about another member's safety or wellbeing? Flag your concerns with us.
Did you receive a helpful reply to your discussion? Fill out our feedback form and let us know about it.
Brightness
Categories
- All Categories
- 13K Start here and say hello!
- 6.6K Coffee lounge
- 104 Games lounge
- 416 Cost of living
- 4.3K Disability rights and campaigning
- 1.9K Research and opportunities
- 199 Community updates
- 9.3K Talk about your situation
- 2.1K Children, parents, and families
- 1.6K Work and employment
- 776 Education
- 1.7K Housing and independent living
- 1.4K Aids, adaptations, and equipment
- 615 Dating, sex, and relationships
- 363 Exercise and accessible facilities
- 737 Transport and travel
- 31.5K Talk about money
- 4.3K Benefits and financial support
- 5.2K Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- 17.1K PIP, DLA, and AA
- 4.9K Universal Credit (UC)
- 6.3K Talk about your impairment
- 1.8K Cerebral palsy
- 868 Chronic pain and pain management
- 180 Physical and neurological impairments
- 1.1K Autism and neurodiversity
- 1.2K Mental health and wellbeing
- 319 Sensory impairments
- 824 Rare, invisible, and undiagnosed conditions
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.