DWP/PIP. Fucking joke.

[octoberstorms]

Failed assessment back in April (claimed for 2 years successfully for mental health- I'm 20). Assessor lied on feedback and the assessment questions are not related/geared towards people with MH problems at all.

It was the only money I had each month (can't work due to issues). Have been relying on my parents and boyfriend since which I feel awful about and hate.

Put in mandatory recon, which of course was declined (after they 'lost' my first MR despite me doing recorded delivery).

Now waiting for tribunal date. Says it could take 12-18months minimum.

WTF? NHS has been awful, can't get appointments to see a psychiatrist or mental health nurse or do certain therapies as 'I don't qualify for them/meet criteria' or they simply have none available for months on end.

I have literally no support, no money and am severely depressed and anxious. I suffer from ocd & an eating disorder as well so that's gotten so much worse too.

I don't know what the fuck to do, as it gets closer to Christmas I hit get angrier and angrier as I have no money and no life anymore. The £430pm I was claiming gave me so much independence back. I used it for private therapy costs, food costs and part rent to my boyfriend as well as having a little left over for clothes when needed/rare day out.

@Babyroobs the problem is it isn't consistent. As he's SE his clients will randomly drop off and leave him so his earning is never guaranteed (hence the debt- he's had to live off of credit cards before for a few months before he's got new clients). Some months he earns nothing.

@BarrenFieldofFucks He can't, that's the point. He does as much as he can for me and would never take money from me but he doesn't have enough to support both of us for everything I need.

Would you be eligible for UC or similar if you lived at home?

Would it be worth HIM speaking to a debt charity to get a handle on his finances or even a joint appointment to go through your joint households circumstances.

Is his business really viable if it's too unpredictable on income?

On your boyfriends salary you won't get any benefits apart from PIP. He earns enough to support you both. His debts are irrelevant to the benefits department.

Can you look at some work from home opportunities? Or like a PP, something temporary with no pressure. Even if it is for a few hours a week.

Your boyfriend is on a good salary. If you were married with dcs you probably wouldn't be able to claim anything either. And he must have an awful lot of debt if the 2 of you can't manage on that income with only 500pcm rent, which is a lot less than many. My husband earns a similar amount, we pay similar rent, run 2 cars, pay £300/£400 per month out on debts and have 2 dcs. We live pretty well tbh. Maybe he needs to see someone about his debts?

@BarrenFieldofFucks Yes but only UC, £250pm max. Living at home makes my MH so much worse so not an option.

Has your partner spoken to a debt management charity? He should be able to negotiate lower payments and possibly reduced interest if he is struggling to pay alongside normal living expenses.

It's no help now but under previous governments you would have been entitled to ESA under special youth rules, where people had not paid sufficient NI Contributions due to being too young were entitled to contributions based ESA. The Tories did away with that.

I've been through it so know how tough this is for you, but please do persevere to tribunal, you'll get a fair hearing there. Get help from CAB or a disability rights charity if you can.

@Graphista It's been relatively stable over the past year but there have been rough patches. He won't stop it though as it's his dream, we've spoken about it before.

I dont see that youd be entitled to anything if you're living with a boyfriend earning that much.

What is it about your health that means you struggle to work I like tippers idea of maybe applying for a short term very low hour christmas temp job to maybe improve your mental health.

Your partner earns up to 40K, pays £500 rent and doesn't have much money ? What is he doing with it all? Does he have debts ?

@WheresTheEvidence Severe MH problems. That's why I can't work. I have panic attacks even leaving the house for regular day to day things. I have an eating disorder and am underweight so feel dizzy and weak standing for long times. I have previously tried working part time but never lasted more than a week.

I also have ocd which means it can take up most of my day doing compulsions.

Sorry crossed post.

@Babyroobs have you read any of my replies? I've already answered that. He pays £2k in debt each month.

@Babyroobs no worries

Do you have any skills that might enable you to generate some income in a way that doesn't exacerbate your MH? E.g. craft things that might be therapeutic to produce which could be sold online. Do you speak a second language well enough to do some translation work etc?

you have to claim ESA or another disability type benefit to be able to claim PIP.

@mamandematribu No, you don't.

maman - That's not true, many people work full time and claim PIP !

Contact Fightback. They're really good. Tribunal can be done based on the paperwork, and is often a quicker process. Keep on with the NHS, any copies of letters/paperwork from your private therapist share with your GP and get them copied on to your medical records. I've been there before and it sucks (MH issues also + epilepsy)

You've already had great advice above as regards you having an excellent chance of winning at tribunal & it will all be backdated. Think positively, the odds are very much in your favour.

If it hasn't already been suggested, ring Mencap & go & see them for help, they have advocates there who will help you with the tribunal. I'm sure they can also push them to stick to any time restrictions to process it all too. I'm nit sure CAB are as reliable anymore, there was some articles doing the rounds some time back that suggested they were in the governments pocket due to funding & weren't as reliable fir benefit advice. They did badly let my brother down, but an advocate from his local advocacy service sorted it out. You could also try them

Can you work from home?

@mamandematribu No you don’t it’s an I work benefit. Has no baring on your earnings.

I'm nit sure CAB are as reliable anymore, there was some articles doing the rounds some time back that suggested they were in the governments pocket due to funding & weren't as reliable fir benefit advice.

That's rubbish. One of CAB's main areas of expertise is benefits appeals and they're very effective at it. I'm sorry your brother had a bad experience but that is not representative of CAB in general.

OP ... have you worked in the two years from April 2016? If you have enough NI contributions from those two years you should be eligible for new style ESA for 12 months.

To the poster who said that you have to claim ESA it other benefit to claim PIP; You are absolutely wrong about that. Please don’t spread such misinformation.