To give you hope re PIP appeal tribunals?

[crispandcheesesandwichplease]

Today I attended a PIP appeal with a very dear friend who suffers from mental health problems. She was awarded PIP in the past but following a review last Nov had all of her benefit withdrawn.

We went to the appeal today, From stepping through the door of the building we were treated with kindness and friendliness. The security guard, receptionist and court clerk were all lovely, kind and extremely helpful. They were clearly sensitive to the nature of these hearings and the impact of the appeal process to members of the public.

We went before a panel of 3 people, a judge, disability expert and a doctor. We were expecting to be interrogated and to be met possibly with the contempt and lack of sensitivity clearly evident in the assessor who dealt with my friend last year. This was not the case. The panel were professional but showing warmth and sensitivity. They did not interrogate us. A few questions were asked, my friend was hugely anxious and tearful throughout, they were mindful and sensitive with her.

We were then sent out into the waiting area for 20 mins or so then called back into the hearing room. Already sitting on the table in front of my friend's seat was the written document/order over-ruling the previous decision and awarding her the same PIP allowance as before for a period of 2 years.

Any of you out there who may be fearful of taking their PIP decisions to formal appeal need to take heart from our experience today and fight for your rights. It's not as nasty a process as you might think and there are definitely people working in this process who are kind, competent and respectful .

Thats brilliant news.
Im Very pleased for her. However at the appeal. They're there for you. Not the DWP, so. I wouldn't expect them to be anything other than sensitive.
Thankyou for sharing and give others hope.
You're a . Your friend is lucky to have such strong support.

I've heard they are held on court buildings is that true? Guessing somewhere v official if have a security guard.

It's goood to hear positive stories. Well done

Aw you are quite right and the first thing the panel said was that they were independent of the DWP. However my point I guess is that having suffered the inhumanity of the assessors at the DWP, people might think that the appeal process is as bad, but it clearly isn't.

Akire yes they are held in a court building but in our city that court is separate from the general court building where other criminal and civil court hearings are held. I don't know if it's the same in other cities. Also, having worked in the family and youth courts for years, there are security guards but it is far less formal and intimidating than the courts I'm used to.

That's good news had visions being in the dock! Though not sure how accesable they are.

Akire no there's no dock, just a table the panel is sat behind then a table claimants are sat behind, facing each other. The court we went to had ramps up to the front door, wide corridors and a lift.

I get PIP and ESA however they stopped my ESA last year and I had to appeal. Same sort of way in a room with tables and chairs and one judge who was on my side the whole time.

Appealing is scary no matter what it is for but hopefully these stories of success will help at lest one person.

Afaik the initial assessments are done by the private contractors who have targets to refuse claims. Appeals are done at public expense and conducted in front of appropriately qualified people.
I'm glad your friend was heard.

Ross that's exactly my point. If only one person has the confidence to challenge it and go to appeal then it's worth this post.

The people making the initial decisions really have no authority when it comes to scrutiny. I never got the chance because we were dealt with so swiftly, but I wish I'd had the opportunity to ask the panel whether or not there is any feedback/comeback for the people doing the initial assessments.

Thank you cloud

Thanks for sharing, the appeals process is always a bit of a mysterious, scary prospect so your experience is helpful.
My husband recently had to go for PIP reassessment. We were dreading it after our initial application experience but I have to say I was pleasantly shocked by the whole thing. All of the staff at the centre were friendly, the assessor was warm, sympathetic and knowledgeable. It's always going to be stressful unfortunately but it gave me hope that it's not all horror stories!
I have my review coming up so I'm praying I have a similar experience.