I can’t cope with PIP Tribunal.

[Stressedafff]

I applied for PIP on December 24th 2021. Was declined and did a mandatory reconsideration which also was declined. I appealed to the tribunal on 1st July last year, was told 25 week wait. I’m appearing via phone due to agoraphobia and mental health conditions and I am dreading it. I’m still waiting on a date for tribunal, I phoned to enquire and was told they’d put it through to the listing team but nothings come of it. The thought of going through this is making me more unwell. I’m waking up in the night with panic attacks, vomiting and my hair is starting to fall out. I feel like withdrawing this appeal because it’s making me poorly. I don’t know what to do.

You can do this, I promise.

Please check out Mind for help and advocacy services in your area.

Please have a read of this advice on what to expect, from CAB

Get help with it from here on. I know how hard that is in itself but it will be worth having that extra help and not having to do it alone.

I was two points off getting it first time and couldn't even face MR so you've done well to get this far and you're so close now - the rate of success at tribunal is very high.

I recently reapplied and have been awarded it now but only because my support worker spoke to them for me and I had advice from two other sources on how to get through it. I'm not sure if we're allowed to say sources of support that are not completely free on here, so won't mention them here but there are non-profit organisations that will take it on for you in a more specific way than citizen's advice can (e.g. by completely doing the tribunal submission and communication for you) or just by giving you lots of advice on how to do it yourself., and you can usually contact them via email or a chat box first to control some of the anxiety about sharing information with a stranger.
Good luck. It's such a harsh process.

Welfare rights can help you, some mental health charities are amazing when it comes to pip so it's worth contacting a few. I've found that if they can't help, they do put you in touch with somewhere that can. It is scary but the difference pip can make really is life changing

Does your local council have a welfare rights office? I used to work in a related service and welfare rights workers used to help people going to tribunal. Go on your local council website and look them up.
Don't give up, try and get some help.

In my experience, people often do win on appeal. Are there any health professionals who can write a brief supportive letter for you? I've often had patients ask me for such a letter, and I'm always happy to oblige. Good luck, OP. It's a horrible system.

Thank you all.

My mum is my appointee and it was welfare rights who did my application for me. I was denied because the assessor didn’t write half of what I told them.

eg, I informed them I cannot make budgeting decisions due to my mental health and I’m up to my eyeballs in debt and am awaiting a DRO, they didn’t write that down and instead informed me I can make budgeting decisions because I have my own bank account.

Its the waiting I can’t cope with. Like when is this ordeal gonna end, I feel physically sick at the thought of waiting all these months, getting progressively worse for nothing

The tribunals are very different from the assessment interviews. They listen, they are fair, and they are very likely to overturn the decision - they are not looking for ways to turn you down like the original assessment.

If you go to the tribunal in person you are allowed to take at least one support person/advocate with you - I went along with someone in addition to an advocate from a law centre, so he had two people to advise and support, and in some cases answer questions for him or add to or clarify his answers.

Even if you are doing it by phone, you should be able to have someone with you for support. Have you had any help in your appeal from Citizens Advice or any other organisation related to your disabilities? It is not too late to try to get some extra help.

Be cautiously optimistic then because it sounds like you have all the evidence and can demonstrate assessor error here. Definitely ask for reasonable adjustments to attend the hearing too.

Good luck.

Keep going OP! The DWP “want” you to give up. Don’t let the fuckers win.

I have two men in my family, one went through to the end and got what they needed, the other gave up and is struggling in work with no way of going back to the claim, and they’re no better off financially.

Fightback4justice are an advocacy service for people like yourself. They will come to court with you, they will advocate for you. They are on Facebook and you can join as a member on their website. They have a very high success rate.

Don't give up!

If you are in contact with mental health services or an MH charity, ask them for a volunteer MH advocate to speak for and support you.

<www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/advocacy/finding-an-advocate/>

@Stressedafff It sounds like you didn't explain your budgeting issues exactly the way they needed it to be. That's not your fault, it's a shitty system.

I had a support worker come to my assessment with me, she did most of the talking because I couldn't. My claim was rejected, I appealed won because my support worker was able to go through each point and give a detailed explanation of why it wasn't accurate. Getting the right support for the tribunal will make all the difference. Please don't give up

I recommend a website called ‘ Benefits and Work’ or similar. Lots of very good advice on there. I won at tribunal years ago. The day was not that bad, very formal, but fair and those running not unpleasant.
you need to spend a lot of time learning the criteria for getting points and clarify how you qualify. I made notes on this for the tribunal, but all the paper work should be submitted ahead of time when you will have made your points.
I found it all very matter of fact and black and white. In my case dwp sent a young man, but he conceded my case early on. Basically if you qualify and can make your case you will win and many do. My case is physical and I was well able to make my case, but I understand that is not always the case, try to access support. If the dwp are not following their own rules, then contact your mp. I did on another occasion and he made people jump. Good luck

Part 9 budgeting decisions: Do you open your mail? If not, why not? Do you know what you have coming in and out of your account? When you make a purchase using cash do you know what change you will receive? If you say someone assists you with budgeting, what aspects are they helping with? What can you do yourself?

who set up the DRO? These are all questions which an assessor may ask.

Can your mum or a friend be with you during this appointment, even if just sitting out of sight to support you?

Anxiety is terrible, I feel for you, I do think maybe you'll regret it if you drop it now, no doubt the money is needed by you, wishing you good luck on the day.

Court attendance can be via virtual systems such as teams or zoom. It's classed as a reasonable adjustment and covered under the DDA

Applying for pip is a nightmare but from what I remember, you don't have to attend the tribunal if you don't want to. You just have to make sure that they have all the necessary documents to make a judgement. Wishing you luck x

Ignore the poster who told you to just get your anxiety under control! What an absolute fool 🤯

Get supporting evidence from your medical team have it updated if you can. They are likely to say you could work from home is there a reason why this wouldn't work if so get that documented.

Can you enlist some moral support?

I had to help my mother with her PIP claim, she was exceptionally poorly and needed help getting to the toilet etc suffering from a number of issues including copd.

the issue was that she found it difficult to fill out the forms etc they are designed to be difficult and intimidating, so I helped. We had to take her to 3 appeals - where I had to physically get her to and from the building. They eventually awarded her the pip, however she died about 4 weeks later. It was horrific the fact that they put her through so much - claiming she was exaggerating her levels of fitness and inability to work.

it still makes me mad 2 years on, so I completely sympathise- you must stay strong and keep pressing forward, support will make things much less daunting, can anyone sit with when you have the call?

The system is just dreadful and you have my complete sympathy. Get CAB or charity to help you.

Unfortunately the assessment and MR are, mostly turned down. They seem like they're things you have to go through in the hope that you'll give up applying. It really shouldn't be this hard to get money that you need and are entitled to.
Can you request a paper tribunal?? It means that you wouldn't have to speak to anyone.
I have severe anxiety and agoraphobia for almost 20years. I've had loads of therapy but it doesn't work for me. But every time I have to renew my PIP, I have to go through tribunal.
Please don't give up, I know the stress is awful, but you are nearly there. A high percentage of decisions are overturned at tribunal, so you have a very good chance of winning.
Good luck.

There used to be people who could befriend you and help advocate for you.I am not sure if there still is.I wrote a letter for a mum years ago and it worked. I was working with her son who was Autistic and I went to a Tribunal for another child a few years later. You could try CAB they would be able to find out or someone there might help support your application.My DD's young friend worked there voluntarily and she pushed through lots of applications while she was there. It is a few years ago now but she had a very ill father and had been on the receiving end of the lack of support to the family so she was determined to help as many people as she could in her year there so it is worth trying if you haven't already. Otherwise as others have said supporting letter from Gp / medical people. Sorry if you have already done this. I know my MIL who had MS was refused at first. She could barely walk across the room but they thought she wasn't trying hard enough.
Unfortunately there are a few people who cause this by putting false claims in. I knew a child's granny younger than me always walked with a stick sometimes two then I saw her somewhere else.She hadn't seen me as I was behind. Waking perfectly normally, reaching up getting stuff off shelves later she saw me then later again and she had the walking stick out and bent over. She also made one of her daughter's children stay with her so she got more benefits...out of the mouths of babes... the child told me she didn't want to stay there but why she had to.
I know some people have better days than others as I am struggling to walk some days but it was the fact that once she saw me the stick and the walk changed. One or two others suspected too.

Good luck with it OP I hope you can get some help in life as it is so unfair.

What a goady unhelpful shitty comment. Reported. Maybe step away from giving advice in the future