£600 gone

[user874326686]

Opened a letter last night that says they've decided I'm not entitled to any PIP.

I've been receiving the enhanced rates for daily and mobility for years.

I've never been able to work.

I've stayed up all night to write a letter and collect evidence only to be told it's taking them longer than the 10 week time line to reconsider despite it taking them 5 days to decide to remove all of my award.

I asked how I'm supposed to manage with £600+ removed.
I was told I can get a job as it isn't means-tested.

Unfuckingbelievable

Sorry this is happening to you.

1. Request a copy of the assessment report, this way you can look at the descriptors that they have marked you down on.

1. Request a Mandatory Reconsideration, on the phone and in writing, get a tracked service at the post office to confirm receipt of delivery. Do this today, you only have I think 28 days to request it. Tell them you will send further evidence once you have collated it.

1. Subscribe to the Benefits and Word website, well worth the money for all the help they give you and they have pdf downloads to help you write your Mandatory Reconsideration. When you do, send in all your evidence again, even the stuff you have sent before. Once you have the assessors report, go though the descriptors one by one and write why you think you should be on a different/higher points band of the particular descriptor. Avoid calling the Assessor a liar even though they are.

1. Anything you send in writing should be sent tracked, this is important.

1. Don't let the bastards get you down, the majority of Mandatory reconsiderations are declined and most go on to win their tribunal appeal.

Fightback4justice helped me get my higher rate pip reinstated. I have progressive ms which has only got worse. I got back pay eventually which was a relief, and I made a donation to fightback4justice from it which I was happy to do, but why don't we get compensation from the dwp for the stress and inconvenience of being stripped of the benefits that they eventually ruled we were entitled to all along?

I have a friend who worked as a PIP assessor for a brief period. She left after a few months, horrified at the system she was meant to work in. This may not be the case in every area, but to her it seemed that a large proportion got turned down on the offchance that they wouldn't appeal, then those that did almost always had their benefit reinstated or awarded. Her supervisor would overturn her decisions if she thought too many claims were going through unchallenged. It's a completely inhuman system that takes no account of the stress it puts on claimants.

Did you have a face to face assessment or a phone assessment if you didn't have either of these I don't think they can stop anything that has been awarded beforehand.

Your first step should be to request a copy of your assessor's report, then you'll know exactly what they've said and which items you need to challenge.

Do notify them that you want to take it to Mandatory Reconsideration and make sure you get that information to them within their time schedule. Always send things Post Office Tracked Next Day Delivery because then you have a record of your paperwork arriving on time. You can access the Timestamp and signature of person receiving it on the Royal Mail website.

Keep a copy of everything you send.

People will advise you to ask for letters from a consultant or GP to describe how your condition affects your daily living. Be aware that many medical professionals won't do this because they do not witness your daily life, therefore they cannot say exactly how your condition(s) affect you throughout your day and night.

Did you submit a diary to show how your symptoms affect your daily living?

Have you checked what you wrote on this claim-form against your previous claim-form to see if there are any discrepancies?

Since your last claim, have you had any other treatment which has affected your condition(s) and did you notify DWP?

I'm so sorry they have stopped your PIP, it could be a long fight to have it reinstated if it goes as far as Tribunal, but please don't give up.
Tribunals are independent and their members are aware of the DWP's tactics, you will get a fair hearing, but you must remember to present as much evidence as you can, factually and clearly.

CAB and Benefits and Work have fabulous guides for you to follow at each stage of the process. It's worth reading them and understanding that each specific task in the descriptors must be able to be done safely, repeatedly, to an acceptable standard and in a timely manner.
If you canot do that, you need to explain precisely why not in every instance.
I randomly googled this, there are many more sites with this info, I've not seen this site before so cannot recommend it.
www.mypipassessment.co.uk/updates/what-are-the-reliability-criteria-that-are-used-during-the-pip-consultation/

Going fromenhanced to zero is absolutely them taking the piss.
They pull this shit all the time and sadly it works a lot because people just don't feel able to challenge it.

They don't deny claims for no reason

Hahahahahahahaha

Yes, they do.

OP, nothing to add to the advice others have given you but hope you get it back quickly.

They don't deny claims for no reason

If this thread has taught me anything it's that they do deny claims for no reason.

My conditions have only gotten worse since my last assessment.

@Innocenta

They don't deny claims for no reason

They absolutely do, for no reason at all. See above comment from someone's friend working for DWP.

There have been thousands and thousands of claims denied for no reason.

@user874326686

I'm not denying whatever is going on with your conditions.

For goodness sake. You haven't submitted adequate evidence, or you've otherwise not made a compelling claim. And thus were denied. Which descriptors do you meet?

Thank you all for your advice and useful information, it's really helpful. I really appreciate you all taking time out of your lives to assist.
I'm sure @EmbarrassingAdmissions is, too, grateful for educating them.

As an aside, if you do have a job embarrassing that I can do I would be very interested.
I would likely take sick leave 95% of the time but still expected to be paid my full wages. I might also vomit on you due to overexertion on the 5% of times I do attend.

Contact your MP. A relative of mine was turned down for PIP (like you, completely unable to work due to her condition) and her MP was able to get it sorted within the week.

Problem is with long term conditions you may only have years old letters. Even if you have been Deaf since birth they still make you have up to date audio certificate to prove your hearing is at whatever level. I know someone who sent 5y old letter and made her get new dated one. Lots of NhS wasted time to prove life long conditions. System stinks.

@Whatamesssss I don't think you understood my point. They are often completely wrong in their decision, yes. And that is likely true in OP's case! But they do generally have a reason by their own standards. People very commonly do not make a strong claim or supply the right evidence - of course that doesn't mean the decision is correct (as the person often is very disabled and should receive an award of PIP), but in the algorithmic context of the process, there is 'a reason'.

They don't what? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Yes they do.

Well no actually you are right.
They do it for a reason.
The reason being they are expected to deny disabled people the financial help they are entitled to.

My advice to anyone applying/renewing is get a fuckton of reports, even if you've sent them before, send them again. Your prescription list. Receipts for anything you've bought related to your disability. Everything.

And - and I can't stress this enough - record your interview.

You have to tell them in advance that you will be doing it and you must provide them with a copy at the end of the interview. I recommend getting 2 dictaphones and setting them both going.

Has it not cost the government more in defending cases where people appeal, than it's saved by refusing to pay PIP in the first place?

My solution to this whole situation would be to change the law so that benefits continue after a refusal & until the case has been settled legally. Then there's no incentive to turn people down & cases might be dealt with faster.

I know that doesn't help right here right now. Good luck, OP.

[quote Innocenta]@user874326686

I'm not denying whatever is going on with your conditions.

For goodness sake. You haven't submitted adequate evidence, or you've otherwise not made a compelling claim. And thus were denied. Which descriptors do you meet?[/quote]
But that is the system. Unchanging, lifelong, deterirorating conditions still need to have reams of 'adequate evidence submitted over and over again.

Thus the system allows such shit and people like OP have to scrabble round to find out what the fuck happened.

Had the letter she received included the details and given her say, 5 working days, to respond then there would be far fewer incidents as this, the system would save money - the reviews aren't cheap. It would be far more efficient, and fair.

Oh, wait, it's a business. My error!

@Innocenta

Leave off, I'm sure OP doesn't want to tell all and sundry on an internet forum the intimate details of her health conditions.

You don't know what evidence they have or have not submitted.

People with missing limbs have been asked when they will grow back ffs. It's all about getting numbers down for the DWP, they do not give a shit what evidence is sent in, I don't think they actually read half of the evidence that is sent.

@user874326686 Why are you focusing on work when PIP is not an out-of-work benefit?

This kind of attitude, in your posts here, may well have contributed to your failed claim. A PIP claim needs to be focused, explicit, not melodramatic or self pitying. If your claim did not specifically address (with evidence) how you met the descriptors, but instead was more along the lines of 'I'm even more poorly now, woe is me' - then that's probably why you were turned down.

Don't whinge and moan. Just review your evidence, be direct, and either go into detail about what you're dealing with (so we can actually help), or don't, but accept that then our ability to help will be very limited. I'm sure you probably do deserve to have a successful claim! But you won't win it by dwelling on how badly off you are.

It does seem as though they randomly stop claims in the hope that if people are faking they wont re-apply or challenge the decision. It's an incredibly lazy and fucked up way for them to say they are tackling benefit cheats.

@IveGotASongThatllGetOnYNerves

They don't what? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Yes they do.

Well no actually you are right.
They do it for a reason.
The reason being they are expected to deny disabled people the financial help they are entitled to.

My advice to anyone applying/renewing is get a fuckton of reports, even if you've sent them before, send them again. Your prescription list. Receipts for anything you've bought related to your disability. Everything.

And - and I can't stress this enough - record your interview.

You have to tell them in advance that you will be doing it and you must provide them with a copy at the end of the interview. I recommend getting 2 dictaphones and setting them both going.

Is it still the case that you're now alloowed to use mobile phones to record the interview? In the past you had to turn up with very specific recording equipment IIRC.

@CuriousaboutSamphire @Whatamesssss You can literally get an indefinite award.

I know because I have one. This is designed to have the lightest possible burden of reassessment.

In no way am I defending the DWP or saying their system is okay. It's crap, and I think OP will - virtually certainly - end up winning on appeal. She also, obviously, isn't obligated to share anything she doesn't want to.

But none of you are helping her, nor do you know half as much about claims as you seem to think you do, frankly.

[quote Innocenta]@user874326686 Why are you focusing on work when PIP is not an out-of-work benefit?

This kind of attitude, in your posts here, may well have contributed to your failed claim. A PIP claim needs to be focused, explicit, not melodramatic or self pitying. If your claim did not specifically address (with evidence) how you met the descriptors, but instead was more along the lines of 'I'm even more poorly now, woe is me' - then that's probably why you were turned down.

Don't whinge and moan. Just review your evidence, be direct, and either go into detail about what you're dealing with (so we can actually help), or don't, but accept that then our ability to help will be very limited. I'm sure you probably do deserve to have a successful claim! But you won't win it by dwelling on how badly off you are. [/quote]
I'm sorry say what now?

Why am I focusing on PIP? Because my
PIP award has just been removed. This is £600+pm and I use this to pay for the effects of my illnesses.

I haven't had an attitude up until now but I can start having one.

Some people. You have no idea who you're communicating with. I'm not just a username.

Oh what it must be like to be you.