My brother is being denied PIP when he is literally blind

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JenniferU
JenniferU Online Community Member Posts: 106 Empowering
edited August 2016 in Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
AbbiRuggles on Twitter says:

My brother is being denied PIP when he is literally blind, and has been on DLA for the last couple of years already?
One of the reasons was that 'he could locate his cane easily', but he'd kept it on his lap the whole assessment so of course he could?
And apparently he had good cognitive abilities which is absolutely besides the point, and not why he needs it.
Oh, and he 'kept eye contact'. No. He can look in the direction a voice is coming from, but he literally can't see your face.
The whole process has completely disregarded the things blind people actually need help with. I'm so angry.

Comments

  • htlcy
    htlcy Online Community Member Posts: 127 Empowering
    edited July 2016
    Hi, Abbi . Thanks for your post, and I'm really sorry to read that you're struggling with this. Have you looked into the appeals process at all? It may be useful to get in touch with your local citizens' advice and they might be able to help you with this. Many disabled people are having a really difficult time with PIP at the minute, so they might have some good advice. Of course you can also talk with Scope on their helpline 0808 800 3333, who may be able to further advise. I really hope you manage to get some proper answers about this, and keep us posted!
    Heather :) 
  • tisszy
    tisszy Online Community Member Posts: 6 Connected
    My son is very disabled and was refused PIP when he transferred from DLA. If they've refused you should write to the DWP and ask for a mandatory reconsideration. Ensure you send medical evidence, and get a supporting letter from your doctor and consultant to submit with it. Send it by special delivery (a definite) so if they try saying they didn't get it you can even tell them what time it was delivered. I've found they're more likely to respond well if you close their loopholes. 

    Also, do contact the RNIB helpline as they deal with cases such as yours, and also check online whether there's a local Welfare Rights worker available to help. 

    Please don't give up - that's what they want you to do.
  • Debbie_Alumni
    Debbie_Alumni Online Community Member Posts: 932 Empowering
    Thanks everyone for contributing to this discussion. Some brilliant advice there and not much I can add. Be sure to challenge every single point you don't agree with and get some help if you need it. It can be quite a challenge preparing an appeal so please do get in touch if you would like us to help you find some local support.

    Best wishes
    Debbie

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