PIP tribunal

[Julie14]

Hi just wanted to share i won my appeal yesterday after a long 14 months battle. I was originally awarded the ild DLA for life however when my condition become worse i informed the DWP & my award was stopped & i failed a medical under the PIP. Please anyone who is going through this do not give up what is rightfully yours to claim.

[Caspiana]

This is very good news Julie14 . And although it is a victory, I cannot imagine the awful stress and strain it has been for you after more than a year of it. 😞

I hope you have a celebratory weekend. Take good care. 😊

Cas xx 🙋🌷

[Julie14 in reply to Caspiana]

Thank you Cas unfortunately im having a flare up with my Bronchiectasis today so not feeling to good but im sure i will celebrate once i have a better day.

[Caspiana in reply to Julie14]

I know you will Julie. Take it easy. Better days will come. xx 😊😁🌞

[Fleurbaby]

Hi, I am not from the UK, could someone please explain what the "pip" is?

[Julie14 in reply to Fleurbaby]

PIP which stands for personal independent payment is a benefit you can apply for if you have a disability. The payment has different levels according to how your disability affects you. There are certain criteria’s you have to meet in order to apply. The award is tax free payment any people who are unemployed or working can claim. Hope this helps you to understand.

[HungryHufflepuff]

Good for you for persevering. I hope you feel well enough to celebrate very soon. It's terrible that your allowance was taken away in the first place though. Thanks for sharing your experience 💐

[Julie14 in reply to HungryHufflepuff]

Thank you x

[Fleurbaby]

Thanks, yes, I suspected that was what it was!

In NZ, l think it's a matter of perseverance, to go on what they call here, the SLP(supplemental living payment).It is chiefly a benefit for carers, like family to look after loved ones whom are disabled, but, I don't think you can get it if you continue to work!

I live alone, so, l can go on it, if my doctor or the specialist says I am disabled.

They have a panel of experts who can interview you & decide finally if you are eligible! But, my welfare office, (because I nagged them) called me in to see them, when I turned up, I could hardly walk, they could see that, when I tried to explain, they stopped me and said, we are sorry, we can see you are disabled, you don't need to say anything! Save your breath.

They said it would take a few days to get set up, but, someone felt sorry for me, by the time I got home, my back pay was in the bank, ($1200) plus, my disability was started immediately.

It also means...I am officially moved off the job seekers allowance, so, l don't have to report to welfare every 2/months like before, just once a year to the doctor to tick boxes, etc.

[HungryHufflepuff in reply to Fleurbaby]

That seems a very civilised way of doing things. In the UK it seems if you can manage to sit yourself up in bed then you don't need any financial support because you could just as easily run to catch a non existent bus.

[monju]

Congratulating you on your win...so proud of you.💛🥂

[Fleurbaby]

Lol. Yes, usually the same here, but, I chose the best time to ring which is a few weeks before xmas, the boys/girls network in Gov. Depts have usually set in concrete, their holiday plans. Meaning the young newbies have to fill in, especially at night when no one else will work.

They have more compassion, the amount of times, they have said to me"my nana, grandad, has/had the same experience " you know you have their sympathy, they immediately look on you as a uncle, or elder relatives, & go the extra mile to help.

I know this to be fact, the young lady I spoke to on the Thursday night, told me to ring every day, they will fix you up immediately, I said, I do that now, I know how the system works, The stress etc, got to be too much, I ended up in the hospital on Friday morning before I could ring!

In NZ, the management, work Saturday morning on the call centre, being salaried staff, this is the only way senior managers can throw their weight around, so management meetings are on Saturday afternoons as well.

I got a phone call from the senior manager on the Saturday morning in hospital, to tell me that I am going to have to go & get my medical records and doctors signature on the records & said to post them into welfare!

I was furious! I knew she was just being horrible, because she would have listened to the tape of the phone call & knew what was happening and she didn't like it.

I had received a phone call a few weeks before & was told to come down & sign an authority to allow welfare, to see my medical records, l did this, at a hell of a lot of pain & discomfort to myself.

This woman, was trying to delay the inevitable, hoping I would give up, or worse!

Look,I have gone downhill really fast, within a year or less, wow! Everybody including my doctor & specialist, friends etc. Have commented on the shock when they see me! That is why I am so angry & scared when I blog to you guys, I really am afraid, I AM dying, it is hitting me on bursts, I honestly can't walk, my carer seems to think I am alright as well until she gives me a shower, then she nervousally giggles, wow, you are really sick, she dries me right off now, instead of partially. I get so upset, because by the time they realise That I am REALLY sick! I have gotten worse, which at the end of the day, will kill me, & they will bemoan, why they didn't make more effort to help me.

Sorry for this big moan! I had to get it off my chest. I have SOOOOOO MANY illnesses, any one of which can kill me ! Please don't censor this!

[Ergendl in reply to Fleurbaby]

((((Hugs)))).

[NuttyNan9 in reply to Fleurbaby]

I'm so sorry to hear that you're having so many health problems Fleurbaby, it must be absolutely awful for you, especially if you live alone. I have my husband, my eldest son and one of my grandsons living with me and I can't imagine how I'd cope if I lived alone. Don't you have any family close by that could pop in and at least keep you company occasionally? Hope your health improves at least a little soon. Hugs Gloria xx

[Fleurbaby in reply to NuttyNan9]

No, I am estranged from my family, since I looked after our parents and grandmother, everyone else went on with their lives except for me!

Ironically, l lose my family and get the Same illnesses my mother had!

Haven't seen or heard anything from my family for about 15 years now.

I wouldn't have anything to do with them now, too many painful things have happened, not enough life left to rebuild those relationships!

[NuttyNan9 in reply to Fleurbaby]

I'm so sorry to hear that, it's terrible that your family can just sort of forget about you like that. Isn't there some sort of carers service out there that you can apply to for some sort of assistance? I wish there was something I could actually do to help you but I'll remember you in my prayers and send you hugs xx

[Fleurbaby in reply to NuttyNan9]

I get a lady into help shower me & clean the house 4hrs a week, mon/wed/fri. It is just about enough!

But, I am totally alone for the rest of the week.

[sassy59]

Well done Julie, wishing you well. Xxxx

[katieoxo60]

Well done Julie14, to persevere at the risk of your own health. Thankfully your patients has been rewarded, no one should have their benefits stopped on the basis of rule changes and be put through the same ordeal to get it back. It seems there is very little change in the DWP system, it never ceases to amaze me me as to the way assessers assess. These benefits are not just about whether we can walk a certain distance ect, and PIP regulations are only slightly different to the old DLA regs. But like the ambulance assessments it seems walking is the relevent criteria used by all assessers and flare ups of illness are not even considered in many cases. Criteria for support is being misinterpretated vastly. Glad to hear you challenged it and won. Best wishes to you.

[Ergendl]

Congratulations, Julie, on finally getting what you deserved all along.

[Jaysha]

Brilliant. Very pleased for you. I got refused, applealed and won.

[SquirrelsHolt]

Excellent news Julie14 ...Congratulations after your long wait,enormous amount of form filling etc!!😃👍You won!!! Well you were awarded what was rightfully yours!👏🌟🌟🌟

[stamford1234]

Well done, it must have been a real slog having to cope with that and your health. Congratulations. Truly inspirational - it can be done,

[ScouseTaffy]

Congrats, life will be a little easier xx

[Georgiab123 in reply to ScouseTaffy]

Congratulations to you for fighting it it’s not a good thing do when you’re not well

[Georgiab123 in reply to Georgiab123]

I’m defo not giving up my daughters right behind me

[Izb1]

Well done you, so pleased for you, hope life will now be a little easier for you x

[Spacecat1]

Well done Julie14 😊

[Burbagegran]

So very glad for you, Julie, that you have won your appeal and got your entitlements. It's good that your stress and worry has been taken away but I'm sorry you had to go through what you had to.

Good luck for the future.

Joan x

[Pippers]

So pleased for you; you should never have had to go through such a stressful time to regain what was clearly rightfully yours.

[Gladwyn]

Very pleased for you. 😀

[fidgetandscooter]

A little story about my grandson who is 22. He was born with failing kidneys, a bladder that was not elastic and the valves didn't work. Aged 8 he had a bladder enlargement and his appendix was used to make a tube to his bladder so that he could catheterise. He has other lifelong conditions and is slightly on the autistic spectrum. He is in and out of hospital and is borderline dialysis.

He was granted PIP but then had to reapply last year. As he is now classed an adult he had to do all this himself even though he lives in supported living and has carers. He answered all the questions and although one of the carers was present, was not allowed to say anything. Apparently the carer wanted to butt in and speak so many times because my grandson was telling them all the things he COULD do rather than the things he couldn't. He lost his PIP but got it back after an appeal.

It just goes to show how careful you have to be to make sure your meaning is clear and the assessor understands how difficult things are.

Sorry, I rambled, but it is something worth knowing.

[Julie14 in reply to fidgetandscooter]

Hi i am pleased he finally got his PIP but annoyed at what your son went through. I have a adult son (27years) who claims PIP however i have been made his appointee so all professionals & none have to go through me as his autism means he finds it difficult. Maybe this is something you could. It is a big help as my son does not have the worry of sorting things he doesn't understand, for example i rang our council & arranged assisted collection of his wheelie bins as he would never put them out, its little things like this that can make a big difference.

[fidgetandscooter in reply to Julie14]

My Grandson lives a long way away from me. His Mother does all she can, but because he is within the care system, there are things she cannot be involved with. My daughter is not one to stay in the shadows. She will come out all guns blazing if she has to. He is visited on a daily basis by his carers who make sure he has everything he needs.