PIP Mandatory Review

[swallowedAfly]

I've been awarded the lower rate of mobility and nothing for daily living. The report has flagrant lies ie X eats every day when it is clearly audible on the recordings I had to chase for weeks that when I asked I hadn't eaten for nearly 3 days. The assessor felt the need to report to safeguarding that my son was a young carer because of the levels of support he had to give in daily living yet she awarded zero points which I find bizarre. She's put zero for toilet stuff despite knowing and repeatedly being told and empathising (again clearly audible) that I had to use incontinence pads and have spare clothing etc.

I feel like it's a mistake like she hasn't listened to the second recording or pressed send without filling in all the fields or something but I know in reality they do just lie and try to award nothing. I had nearly 3 hours on the phone and had to take a break.

I've only given a couple of examples here to give you an idea of how contradictory things are.

I'm currently doing my mandatory review application.

I'm wondering is mandatory review just a tick box exercise that never achieves anything but is meant to discourage you further or do decisions ever/often get changed based on them?

I've made clear on the form that if it is turned down I will be going to appeal and will seek support and collate further evidence etc so they know I'm not going to be bullied out of continuing.

I confess I've been a bit devastated by the whole thing. I was incredibly distressed in the lead up to the call, had put off applying for a long time because of how humiliating the whole process seemed to be and I had to reveal deeply personal things during the process and be reported to doctors and ss because she classified my son as a young carer.

A friend has reassured me that the fact they've awarded anything ie. the lower rate for mobility (which I actually thought I had less chance of getting than the daily living amount which I without doubt even to the meanest interpretation qualify for the lower amount of and I would argue possibly even the higher rate but I would have accepted the lower) means I have a strong claim as they try to get away with awarding nothing. I just can't comprehend how she has awarded zero points of all of that side.

Any advice on whether mandatory review ever achieves anything or I should just start preparing myself for appeal, support and encouragement or anything else is welcome. I have found it hellish so far.

You can't really relax because when it cuts out every ten seconds there's a pause and you aren't sure if it will be the recorded message or someone finally answering. Ridiculous how much anxiety I can generate for a phone call.

Had my occupational health phone appointment with a million very personal questions yesterday and have discovered UC will put me through an assessment too. Fed up of telling random strangers really private information over the phone. You'd really think being disabled was a crime the amount of interrogation it incurs.

Yes it sucks doesn't it, the whole process is very difficult when you already have your health problems to manage. And it is a lot when you have to go through both the PIP assessment and the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), but unfortunately it is necessary to have 2 different assessments, because the criteria are different.

If you feel it's all too much, please do contact your local Citizens Advice because they can help and it might feel less torturous with a kind person doing it with you.

Thanks. 50 minutes on hold now

It's so ridiculous but I'm balling my eyes out. First person I spoke to said there it was no record of it being received then put me through to his manager who was a really patronising man who kept repeating the same thing rather than actually hearing what I was asking and I ended up getting snippy and then crying.

They claim not to have received it. Apparently he will generously log that it's coming and give me an 'extra' 28 days to get it to them. Queried how will I know if they've received it or if it has magically disappeared again and apparently he doesn't know, he doesn't work for the royal mail When pushed he said well if you haven't heard anything just give us a quick call - a quick call? A quick call with an hours hold time?

Sorry. Ranty and fed up and crying which is ridiculous and I'm aware how out of proportion and ridiculous that is but I've now got the challenge of trying to calm down. It's like capita all over again lying and saying they've emailed me links to my assessment recordings when they hadn't and having to chase and chase and be ignored for weeks until I said I wanted to make a formal complaint and would be contacted DWP to do the same. Then they claimed they'd discovered there was a fault with their email system and that's why I hadn't received it. Now it's DWP who don't receive post.

The man kept flippantly using the word 'just' - like just give us a quick call, just send it recorded delivery. Post office is nearly a mile away and I have only managed to leave the house about three times in the last month.

Just had a text to say that I've asked them to reconsider their decision. He told me they don't send texts and there's no way I would have known if they'd received it but clearly I would have known because I'd have received the text I've now got as a result of him logging my MR request on the system. Slightly maddening.

I'm wondering whether to even bother printing everything out again to send or just to let them do it based on the what they've already got from my application and assessment given it's probably a tick box exercise before appeal anyway

Honestly a bit horrified that I've just let myself lose it and cry on the phone to a smug patronising bloke who was talking to me as if I was a very, very stupid child.

That should say I've only managed to leave the house three times in the last few months. Three times in one month actually sounds quite impressive at this point.

Bloody hell.

You need to arrange sending another application in via recorded delivery. Surely your DS is willing and capable of popping to the PO to do this? If you are applying for early retirement on the grounds of ill health, you will be required to provide comprehensive evidence - this evidence should be able to be used to support your PIP MR. As others have said, there will be some things you are declaring that will require confirmation from medical professionals, either physical or mental health issues. Has your Union been supporting your claim for IHER?

I haven't made a claim for iher yet.

I had OH assessment recently and they are writing to my GP and getting a report and then compiling their own report and I will get copies of all of that. I will also have my attendance record and all the evidence of absence management meetings, accommodations and adjustments to work etc from my employer for IHER application when we get there. Yes I have a caseworker.

I am aware I need all of these things and should be able to handle it unfortunately that doesn't make it any easier to deal with this. It took a lot to pull myself together after the PIP assessment and then the report and then to get everything together again for the MR. Gutting for them to then say they haven't received it.

I need to start thinking about what the appeals process looks like.

Sorry I'm not sure what you're asking - yes I will have to have medical evidence and obviously you can't just claim to have illnesses and needs that you don't have and don't have any evidence for - I am aware of that. Is that what you meant?

You poor thing it is an utter shitshow and the system wants you to give up.
I've been in tears on the phone to them too. The whole system is flawed. Please don't give up. You are deserving of the benefits, take it all the way to tribunal if you have to. I totally understand the horrific stress involved it is unbearable and wrong.

Don't give up we are all here rooting for you x

Is IHER ill health early retirement?
OP, please be aware that any pension you receive will be deducted £ for £ from your UC. So if I were you that wouldn't be super high on my priority list, presumably you need to sort it at some point but if you need to give yourself a break after the stress of PIP - and presumably your upcoming WCA too - that would be perfectly fine.

Thanks. With the ill health retirement it has to be done within 2 years of ending work and I believe it is easier to do it whilst in the process of leaving your job with all the recent evidence from that job itms.

A friend has offered for me to just email everything to her and she'll print and send it recorded delivery which is lovely. I pretty much won't have to look at it that way and dredge it all up again can just attach and be done with it. I don't imagine it will make any difference and I'm likely looking to have to appeal. Anyone with recent or any experience know how long that takes these days or in your experience? I need to look and see what it actually involves and start steeling myself.

Ah that's kind of your friend; I'm glad she's sorting it for you.

I understand it can take a few months to get a response to the MR request, then after that an appeal can take absolutely ages. What often happens is that after you've submitted the appeal, the DWP changes their decision and awards in your favour before it gets to tribunal. But I would really urge you to get citizens advice to help with an appeal if it comes to it.

Thank you. I've just been researching and it seems you can do an appeal saying that you will submit a full submission after receipt of the bundle which means you don't have to provide all of your reasoning and evidence until after the DWP response to being informed you're appealing and that, as you say, they often get in touch with a modified decision so that you don't go to appeal if you've got a strong chance of having decision overturned.

Looking into it has reassured me a bit. I've also read lots of peoples experiences and taken heart a bit in knowing that the way they treat you and make you feel is pretty universal so yes it's bloody awful and stressful and feels degrading but it isn't personal and I'm far from alone in the feelings I'm having. Just knowing it's not irrational to feel so upset and violated by every stage of this has made me feel better about having those feelings itms?

Fridays are the worst day to ring, they do tell you on the automated message that mondays and fridays are the longest waits. I waited over an hour today also just for a two minute query to extend a return date for a work client..

Sorry, @Dawn17 , I haven't looked at this thread for a while. An ASC assessment would be useful, and if they haven't made the MR decision yet, send it in and, if you can get through to the on the phone, ring them and tell them it's on it's way.

The DWP seem to have introduced a new element of randomness where reviews and appeals are concerned.

I had two cases recently where clients only missed on PIP by a few points (one got 6 points, one got 4, both for daily living). I thought they might be overturned on MR, but the decisions weren't changed, so I lodged appeals for both.

Within a few days of lodging the first appeal, I got a text from the client saying the DWP wanted to speak to me and that she gave her permission. When they rang, they wanted clarification on a couple of points and then told me that they were minded to make an award of enhanced daily living and standard mobility, and would I allow the appeal to lapse if they did. I explained that it should be client's choice, and if they agreed, it was fine by me, and the client agreed, so that's done and dusted without bothering the tribunal.

Then they did the exact same thing with the other one, the one that got 4 points; and even gave the client the exact same award!

With the second one, I questioned why this process hadn't happened before refusing the MR, and was told that this was a pilot to see if they could reduce the number of appeals. She was very nice, so I didn't have a pop about the utter pointlessness of the MR process...

I'll be submitting another appeal next week, so it'll be interesting to see if it happens again.

LakieLady that's what I was reading from others supporting clients elsewhere. Sounds like this is a 'thing' now. It eased my mind a bit that even if you have to appeal it may not go as far as appeal if they know they've been unreasonable.

@LakieLady thanks for the reply. (I was previously Dawn17). That's really good "inside" information. It definitely makes you realise you shouldn't just give up at the first hurdle. Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

I was awarded 6 points DL and 8 mobility, no change at MR, currently waiting for a tribunal date. They've phoned me twice to "clarify" and then follow up with letters. For each call they have in their notes that while I say I am in chronic pain I don't sound like I am in pain. WTF? What does pain sound like anyway? I can't spend my life saying ouch every time something hurts, I'd never say anything else. It's such a dehumanising process, and as soon as you've got through all the appeals the initial award is up and it's time for a review.

It is dehumanising InMySpareTime. In my report there was something about me sounding intelligent therefore I must be able to manage daily living needs. Who knew intelligence was a magic cure for disabilities.

I'm sorry that you're going through this. I've been through this too. Just remember that you need and are entitled to those benefits so that you can live and keep on going. Good luck.

I've had quite a few cases where they've phoned the client and made them an offer once there's a date for the appeal, the evening before the appeal in one case, but not so soon after the appeal has been lodged. That's the bit that's new.

I think they're trying to save themselves the work of sorting out and copying their bundle of evidence, tbh.

Still, better than waiting 12 months or more for the appeal hearing and having all the stress of attending though.

I have had one case where they phoned the client a week before appeal date and offered standard daily living after client sent in an OT report at last minute, she has previously been awarded zero points. Client chose to take it to appeal and after a hearing lasting two hours was still awarded exactly the same as the dwp had offered her the week before.

Hi,
Ive recently (last Monday) got a text confirming I’ve got awarded PIP. I’m not sure for mobility or daily living. On the 30th Nov I receive a payment for 441.93. I’ve no idea if this a monthly payment or back pay. I can’t see the letter until later in the month as I am away with family and I can’t ring as I am deaf :(- hence my claim. Originally applied for PIP on 13th August this year. Can anyone help work out what the payment is and what probable award I’ve got as the figures don’t stack up. Any help with this is greatly appreciated

Usually you would get PIP paid every 4 weeks and I'm not sure if the backdated payment is paid with it or separately... The amount you've received doesn't quite match any of the rates, so I'm afraid I don't know how you can find out other than waiting until you can read the letter.

Daily living component is £68.10 (standard rate) or £101.75 (higher rate).

Mobility component is £26.90 (standard rate) or £71 (higher rate).

The payment was about 15.5 weeks after you applied, so if you got back pay for SR DL it would be over £1k and if you got back pay for SR mobility it would be about £417. Neither of which are exactly what you got, although mobility is obviously much closer.

Did you have any hopes/expectations as to what you would get?

@Claire77777
there are additional contact options for people with hearing and speech impairments:

PIP enquiry line
Telephone: 121 4433 0800 121 4433
Textphone: 121 4493 0800 121 4493
Relay UK (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 121 4433 0800 121 4433
British Sign Language (BSL) video relay service if you’re on a computer - find out how to
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm