Not sure where to put this, so placing it in familliar stomping ground for traffic...DLA to PIP.

[OrangeIsTheNewPop]

So...The Dreaded Letter came through.

I was awarded indefinite DLA about 1000 years ago. Now it's our postcode's turn for The Big Swap.

That 40 page form is horrendous! Also feeling crappy because I'm so independent, and it was headfucking to document- especially in front of DH (he filled it out for me) exactly how much help I need... we usually take the piss out of it (Oh, Orange could get lost in an alleyway, etc). Mentally draining.

Anyway, that's the "woe is me" shite over. Is anyone else in limbo atm? Can anyone give me positive stories about the process? And a ballpark timeline, please? I have all documentation to send off today- how long before the ball starts rolling? (Need to know so I don't trip up over it 😂😂).

What happens now?

Ps, I'm an absolute SWINE for unintentionally drip-feeding, so feel free to flame. Happy to give details etc.

My typing/spelling is dire today.

No positives. Son is disabled and got Enhanced and Enhanced. But his condition (autism) is lifelong and from being a toddler her had DLA for life. Now we have to go through the whole hellish process again in 3 years or so. Worse still, they said that was because he might go to uni and things might change. We wrote ALL OVER the forms he is at uni and struggles with x, y and z without help. In other words: they don't read a word you write.

If I had challenged it we risked losing Enhanced.

Husband applied and turned down flat. Well he got 6 points and needed 8. The appeal was one of the worst experiences of our lvies and we've had shit lives.

You wait in the waiting area of the local courts. A prisoner in handcuffs was led past us, inches away. You feel like a criminal. They tie you up in knots, then call you a liar (He was so confused he changed his answer to a single question). He has taken months to recover enough to the point we reapplied. I did that bastard form. This time we sent tonnes of medical evidence.

BTW they decided my son's case after contacting his GP (who never met my son - he was diagnosed in 1995 in another county). GP scrawled five words back to them - basically the 5 words that are my son's diagnosis. They wrote they had "plenty of evidence" to base their decision on. So those people who send War And Peace' to back up their claim? They are probably wasting their time.

With husband we made the mistake of thinking when you sign something giving permission for them to contact the GP - they will contact the GP. They didn't bother. Then they claimed they had 'no evidence'. They are very disingenuous.

Check out the FB forums. Even those who have a 'nice' assessor at the Face to Face end up being stitched up royally. It's an exercise in taking people off the benefit. Not an exercise in getting help to those who need it.

At one point, Motability were dealing with more people handing in car keys than getting Motability cars.

Just go into it with open eyes.

ETA: We did the latest form maybe 6 weeks ago, and still no reply. Send EVERYTHING registered. They will claim they never received it, otherwise.

Joffrey you poor thing!

Where have I read your story before? Did you post it in a thread at thr time?

Just been through it with ASD Ds20. He has had middle care and low mobility DLA for the last 10 years. We have no supporting evidence as he refuses to engage with 'strangers' so nobody, even a GP, has seen him for years. The process took 4 months in all, from PIP letter to decision, including an assessment appointment.

He got 8 points for care but only 4 for mobility - despite that being the issue I thought was the greatest. He won't and hasn't travelled anywhere independently and will only travel on rehearsed routes. I asked for the mandatory reconsideration but it came back the same. He doesn't want to go in front of a tribunal. On the plus side, we thought he would lose his C+ free bus travel pass when he lost the mobility award but he hasn't and it's just renewed fine. His PIP award is for the next 4 years so I guess they believe his ASD will have cured itself by then. That would be nice.

Orange I will have posted it here in response to a recent rather happy clappy thread, but I know I posted it on a Disability Awareness forum, as well. I think people who have not been through this have no idea how 'crimialised' disabled people can be by this process. I've seen many say online that at least, if you get as far as tribunal, the people there will be unbiased and knowledgeable but that wasn't the case. Or it isn't the case in a certain North Yorkshire local court, anyway.

dot I do wonder where we can shame the government by shouting from the rooftops that people are losing 'For Life' DLA awards and those are being replaced with laughable several year ones. It costs the public more to keep putting disabled people through this hell. I guess it's to make the tories' mates at CAPITA, ATOS etc some money and keep their shareholders happy?

If you are an assessor reading this - can you share with us your cure for autism/various other lifelong conditions? Seriously? What planet are you on? And members of the public with no interest in this issue - be aware the government is wasting your money constantly reassessing people who already had settled awards.

I feel my son has been cheated.

Well the assessment wasn't as nerve wracking as expected.
The assessor seemed nice but I think it was an act, I got some
thing wrong (not a question) and the look on his face was like
thunder as he glared at me so I expect that was more his usual demeanour.
God, I hate these bloody ordeals and the shysters who invent them.
Why haven't these people been challenged in the courts about these
'evidence' demands? In France the patient is in charge of their medical
results and X-rays etc as a matter of course so they can put their hands
on their lifetimes medical papers as a matter of course.
That's not the case here - we're not given our medical paperwork
so it's disingenuous of them to ask the sick to produce it.
I expect when ATOS et al got their hands on the government contract
they did't let these little tings stand in their way and the gov dept involved was very happy to go along with it.

Thanks for the handhold, Orangels.

You have my sympathies, Joffrey, no wonder people throw in the
towel - having to go to a court is a bloody disgrace.

Sorry, meant Dot not Joffrey - bloody brain is mush through lack of sleep.

Sorry, meant Dot not Joffrey - bloody brain is mush through lack of sleep.

Thanks for the sentiment. The last thing a young man with ASD wants is to sit in front of a panel of strangers so he doesn't want to try, quite understandably. I wrote reams and reams of examples about his 'ways' and the consequences of him feeling anxious but it fell on deaf ears. I'm glad we've some of his allowance, I had a feeling he would lose it all, but in reality it's 'only' £90pm. The free bus pass was important and at least he has that. He was given a lifetime award when he turned 16, but his lifetime appears to only last until he's 24. I very much hope there's a new government in place by then and the system improves.

@nackle glad you cqme out of it unscathed!

Will check back in later- nursing a hangover a headache 😂

There are people who will help you fill out the forms - like CAB. Have a Google.

It didn't take very long to hear back from mine- and it was a positive outcome. i've only ever had PIP, not DLA.

PS to pp who mentioned not having any 'evidence' in the form of letters etc, I didn't either, I just put all of my medication and a copy of my prescription on the table. I should have kept my letters but just didn't.

We've just been through this DD2 has always been in receipt of higher level DLA for care and mobility.
I was dreading the form but actually found it better than the DLA form , less repetitious and therefore depressing. DD2 has severe disabilities but given all I've read, I was still expecting to be called for assessment. However last week we got the letter saying she has the enhanced PIP equivalent to what she received on DLA.
I did send her whole ECHP from last year.
So a good experience here. I was surprised to receive basic feedback on each criteria and the name of the assessor, I think that is quite progressive.

They were discussing this again on The Last Leg tonight. Hayley Squires from I Daniel Blake was one of the guests.

They have started a hashtag on twitter.............#legup to help put ppl who are going through this in touch with ppl willing to help them. Its still trending as i type.

I applied for pip for the first time in July 2016 and had a face to face in and was then awarded higher rate daily living and standard rate mobility.
I filled in the form as thoroughly as I could and got my support worker to look over it. The face to face i actually enjoyed (I had it at home). I was also having a 'good day' which I thought would go against me, but it didn't. I didn't find the process as difficult as I had been reading on the Internet.
My advice is to fill in the form as throughly as you can, remember it's about 'how' your conditions affect you rather than 'what' your conditions are.

For example 'personal hygiene'- i wrote things like-
"I need someone to support me in the shower as I get ligh headed and can pass out. Therefore someone is always there outside the door in case I need support. But I've also had an OT assessment undertaken and the local authority have installed grab rails and a bath board to help me stay more independent. These I am finding really useful. However if my mental health deteriorates I can go a week without showering and need a lot of prompting to take care of my personal hygiene, whereas when I am well I will shower in the morning and the evening"

Good luck but if you do get stuck please feel free to PM me if you need any help

I ticked "yes" on the bathing and showering question, simply because I wouldn't be able to see puddles on the floor etc.

So still no assessors coming on to share with us their cure for autism and other conditions previously deemed lifelong? No-one?

Government ministers? Tory voters? Daily Mail readers? No? None of you want to share how you know autism (insert other conditions here) will be cured in five years or less?

Why the silence?

I'm still here, though! (OP- with a PLL namechange 😂)

OP here.

Not much of an update, I know- but I sent off my form on Friday last week- recorded delivery- and got a text the day before yesterday to tell me that they'd received it.

So now we wait...

My mum has had MS for 10 years her biggest problem is the fatigue which is an invisible symptom. I attended her f2f assessment and the report after was blatant lies and she got zero points in every category we went for mandatory reconsideration and got a big fat zero again. It's really unbelievable some days my mum cannot get out of bed let alone do anything or walk anywhere. We have now gone for appeal and just have to wait and see

Went through this with son's claim - autism so DLA for life but now his PIP is only for 5 years so we have this hell to go through again in several years.

DWP/tory government have cured autism! Yay! But not for five years, apparently.

There are no crumbs of comfort. The whole thing was huiliatng, exhausting, farcical.

We got a local charity to help us with the form and had it gone to MR or tribunal they would have come with us. But their waiting list for an appointment was over a month and you only have about that IIRC to fill in the form. Which may have taken two weeks to get to you. (Our's did - xmas post). So if you haven't booked in with CAB, or a local charity that's relevant and has experience - spend today doing that.

Also applied for PIP for husband he never had DLA. Turned down and went to the furthest extreme. At the tribunal he had to wait in a court waiting area whilst a criminal in handcuffs was marched inches away from him.

So you will be treated like a crim, as well.

Get help. Get it now. Get on the FB forums if you want to see what really happens.

Ack, I didn't notice this was an old thread!

But anyway I guess nothing has changed.

Husband got letter about F 2 F for his new application, yesterday. Last time he sumbitted no evidence with the applciation and yet there was no F 2 F. This time, he submitted tonnes of evidence with his original application and they are demanding a F 2 F.

Total arseholes.

Just found this thread! I had the text on March 24th to say "thank you for sending us your form" but total radio silence ever since. I've just got a letter from a private consultant that I've seen since I completed the form so I'll send them that but I'd have expected them to have invited me to an assessment by now. Thank God they leave your DLA in place while you wait.