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.

Ps and exactly what @XenoBitch said, often it's the case where the decision is made before the tribunal and you will be awarded and won't need to go through it.

You are disgusting @DaisyDays123

Omg, if you have no clue what you’re talking about, don’t dish out advice!!
The op has several options here, what a dismissive and ill informed post!

You can ask for a paper appeal.

you can have someone with you.

you can use one of the organisations that specialise in these tribunals. Or if you can’t afford that there may be local services who can help.

But you absolutely do not have to appear at this tribunal and that is ok.

Decisions are sometimes made before the hearing. The tribunal is not there to catch you out and usually the DWP don’t send a representative. They will just ask about your needs, nothing bad. They’re usually understanding and know how stressful it can be.

Just wanted to add that when I arrived at the tribunal, they had already decided I was to get both mobility and care components; they only questioned me to see if care should be standard or enhanced.
I didn't know about paper appeals but that sounds like a good idea.
Also CAB wrote a great letter, pointing out all the places where the original DWP report contradicted itself.

I agree with the posts above. I wrote previously about doing a paper appeal. I won but did have quite a bit of 'paper' evidence including a written submission family helped me with.

Please don't give up OP.

I think what happens is that the DWP assessors / process can be so disheartening that you can start not to trust them and to think of it all as being sort of 'against you' and to 'catch you out'

But the appeals are different, they really are and I not regard them as they real 'decision makers' looking at both you and DWP's response.

It can actually be quite cathartic if you do go through with it because you can put right DWPs 'mistakes' and feel validated as well of course as getting as back payment from the date you started the claim. This can make a real difference to your life.

Oh another thing, watch out for DWP 'losing' a successful appeal notice. They did this with me, I had to send a copy of the one they sent me.

Thinking of you,

now regard them

Yes you can appoint a representative I did when I had to go to tribunal although I was physically there as well as my rep..

Op do you have any support that could do this for you?

Keep going Op. just a little bit further. As people say the majority of decisions are overturned at tribunal. I know someone who is a judge on these panels and they are very fair and usually roll their eyes at the original decisions. Be yourself, you know you need this support, they have the paperwork so you won’t be grilled so just be on the end of that call. Wishing you peace.

Why do the goadiest posters always have cutesy, vomit inducing names.

Clearly they don't know anyone close to them with a disability if they don't know what PIP means. I remember my mum having to fight for her disability benefits despite not being to walk at all, the alternative is not having enough money to live on.

Get in touch with fightback for justice (think it’s called that or similar). Then have a Facebook page. They may be able to be your advocate. There’s help out there so do reach out. All the best

Thing is places like Fightback charge for their services and / or take a cut in your money.

There is advice online about preparing a written submission, if that helps, just google.

Soakitup37

That is appalling for you both. I am so sorry that happened where is the compassion. I wonder if it was processed by a person or a machine. If a person they had no empathy.
Someone came over and made my MIL walk. She could just get from chair to the toilet in a Sheltered bungalow( small) and the GP said it was only determination that got her there. She had carers every day and I went as often as I could ( 4 kids) and DH went almost every day when he was home. He worked away. She was such a lovely woman and rarely complained. Had MS since 23 and died at 63.

Awful to hear of others having to fight for this!

Thank you for all your lovely comments. I’m so sorry to hear the stories of hell with PIP. The system is a joke it’s disgusting.

I have everything in place for the tribunal, it’s the waiting. I can’t deal with it, the unknown, when it’s gonna happen, how much longer I’ll have to wait for it. I just want it over with. They did send it over to the listing team as I’ve been waiting almost 8 months now and over this time my mental health has nosedived. I might give CAB a call later on and just see if I can get some advice from them

Hopefully Cab will help you and your wait isn't too long .

@Stressedafff wishing you luck the system is absolutely brutal.

Can I ask those in the know?

Is it true the pip assessors get a bonus if they strip you of points and/or knock you back.

With a pip mandatory appeal is it the pip people who do the review or independent people.

Are pip telephone reviews recorded? Asking as I have just been stripped of my twelve points despite my condition worsening. The letter bears no resemblance to the conversation and info I gave.

Much love and solidarity to all involved in this brutal,heartless process it is just wrong to treat I'll people this way. X

Oh another thing, watch out for DWP 'losing' a successful appeal notice. They did this with me, I had to send a copy of the one they sent me.

A client of mine had something similar happen recently. They kept saying they didn't have the decision notice, but refused to accept a copy from her. I rang on her behalf, as her appointed representative, and they wouldn't accept a copy from me, either, even if I sent it in with a covering letter on headed paper, from the office address that they already had in the appeal paperwork, it had to come to them directly from the tribunal service.

I rang the tribunal service and asked them to send another copy, which I suspect they did, because she got her money about 3 weeks later - 10 weeks after the hearing.

I've been doing appeals for over 10 years, and I've never had that happen before.

I've never known the DWP to send someone to a PIP appeal, and only once at a work capability appeal.

Something that is happening more and more, is claimants getting a call from DWP to say they've reviewed it and are now going to make an award. They only ever offer standard rate, ime, so people have to decide there and then if they want to accept it or proceed to the tribunal in the hope of getting the enhanced rate.

The first time it happened, it was on a case I was covering for a colleague. The DWP rang the client late on a Friday, he accepted their offer, and my colleague hadn't thought to give him my number. The first I knew of it was on the Monday morning when I rang the client from the tribunal centre to see where he was!

Thankfully, it was the centre 10 miles away, not the one that's a 100+ mile round trip.

Nobody from DWP came to my appeal I've been to a few in my adult life they don't come .ime

Is it true the pip assessors get a bonus if they strip you of points and/or knock you back.

They do get a performance bonus, but I have no idea what targets they have to meet to get it. And they don't actually make the decisions, just write the report the decisions are based on.

A friend who used to be a nurse trained to be a disability assessor. She only lasted a few weeks, once she started writing reports, they were all vetted by her manager and he kept sending them back and asking her to change things to the point where they were utterly untrue.

She blew her stack and walked out.

I've no idea about the recording, @Coconut80 but I'll see if I can find out. With the mandatory reconsideration, the DWP's decision makers look at it again, but with the same assessment report. That's why they rarely change a decision (I've only known them change a decision at MR if someone's only missed out by a couple of points).

I hope you're going to appeal, and that you can get help from CAB or similar. I've never known someone lose PIP on a review, but then unless someone has got significantly worse, our practice is just to answer "no change" to every question.

Thankyou everyone,I've contacted cab and will start my appeal. Gruelling process and not quite sure what I am meant to live on in the coming months. Xx

I have heard it is a common tactic. terrible, as could affect the vulnerable more.

They did take a copy of mine. And of course they can also appeal the decision which can happen sometimes.

Remember you will get a backpayment if you are successful for these months / weeks which might help.

Good luck stick with it.

The waiting nearly killed me too, OP.
It was worth it though.
Please bear in mind that the DWP never seem to send their own representative. The panel who assess your claim are ON YOUR SIDE.
It took 11 months before my appeal was heard but I won it and got loads of backdated money.
You'll be so glad you did it once it's over.
80% of appeals are successful.
That just proves what everyone says about the assessors. They get it wrong most of the time.
Not only do they get it wrong but they generally write a load of made-up bollocks about claimants.