Hi Everyone,
This is my first post 
Should i opt for the Paper Tribunal / Appeal for PIP. I'm struggling to find any info on it at all, i wasn't even aware it was a thing.
Also on my MR letter the CM agreed that i need to sit down to prep food and get dressed but hasn't awarded me any points for it is this normal or has she made a mistake
TIA x
It's completely up to you, but hearings in person have much better success rates (69%). Paper hearings are much harder.
It's better to go for an oral hearing rather than a paper hearing, which are much harder to win. xx
Unfortunately, people seem to have a lower success rate of they have a paper based tribunal hearing as you don't get the opportunity of putting turning if assumptions have been made. Your paper based evidence will have been read by them already and they can ask you questions on anything that is unclear to them. Good luck with whatever you chose.x
Do what you can. DWP rely on most people being unable to cope with appealing. More expensive (and effective) if you attend. They have to pay your expenses and give you time to present your case. The DM has a target to fail at least 80% at reconsideration. Oftentimes they are doing better than this. Many people give up after that because they can't physically mentally or emotionally cope with taking it further. This is very cynical of the DWP. They don't care about supporting vulnerable people, their focus is on meeting targets and saving money on benefits (whatever the cost!!). If we give in, we let them win and they can claim they are right in what they are doing. Never give up, never give in.
An appeal based on papers is an option for you with no need to appear at Tribunal, if you think your case is good and you have lots of medical evidence stating what you can and can't do. If you don't have that, it is better to appear in person so you can explain to the panel how your conditions affect you.
Re your points, a chair is not an aid. But there may be inconsistency here. If you need to sit down to cook, how can you move a pan full of vegetables in (boiling) water from the cooker, drain them over the sink and serve the vegetables on to a plate without standing up and moving around? Can you do that safely? If not, what are the risks? Have you fallen over? Did you say you sit down to cook or did the assessor assume that without asking you?
For dressing, having to sit down is not enough to score points. Do you use any aids or do you need to use any aids even if you do not actually have them? For example if you could put socks, tights or stockings on with an aid, the fact you have help from another person to do so would not count, only the aid would count e.g a bra fastener. How do you cope with buttons, zips, laces, etc? Do you avoid certain clothing?
I recommend the Benefits and Work guides. They take you through all of this step by step and are worth the money they cost. See benefitsandwork.co.uk
Also the FMA Benefits Advisor can give you lots of advice.
Appeal to upper tribunal for pip
tribunal for pip
Tribunal Appeal Decision
PIP Tribunal 
