PIP Tribunal

[Kryptonite59]

Hi all. Just about to start on my final journey with the PIP fiasco and wondered if anyone has been to the tribunal after being declined with their initial claim and subsequent mandatory reconsideration notice. Any advice would be appreciated. If you’re suffering, then don’t bother. I’d rather you rested - truly. Just looked up the procedure and am already stressing out about it. What’s become of me??? An endless sleep seems more appealing.

[Kryptonite59]

Didn’t have much joy with Citizens advice first time round. Felt like the guy was trying to dissuade me from applying. I was in a bad place at the time to be honest. Might give them another shot. Thanks

[catherine19611 in reply to Kryptonite59]

citizens advice are totally useless

[Hazel_Angelstar Administrator FMA UK Staff]

Our benefits team can give guidance on appealing your decision

FMA UK benefits advice leaflet

[Dinkie]

There is a man called, I believe, Glenn Brooks. Sorry brain is a bit foggy. He helped a friend of mine get PIP after several refusals. Wales based I think. He does charge although friend paid in instalments. Might be worth a google/enquiry.

[Endolemon]

I really understand how you feel. Just got my decision letter dated 21 April 🤦‍♀️I will use Fightback4justice for MR because I can't do it myself anymore.

It is disgusting how disabled people get stressed from the whole process.

[CM1EDSUK]

Hi - please relax; the sucees rate with tribunals is currently over 70%, & all they want to hear is how your disability affects you; remember they are totally separate from the DWP.

When you get your 'bundle,' which is all that the DWP have themselves received, check through it carefully to make sure all relevant paperwork you've sent is there. Next send a couple of recent, detailed examples as to the difficulty you face for each applicable descriptor, i.e. when did it happen, where, what happened, did anyone see this, & were there any consequences to attempting/doing an activity such as pain/fatigue?

Say if you can't do an activity 'reliably,' i.e. safely, to an acceptable standard, repeat as often as one would reasonably expect, or if it takes you much longer than someone without a disability. This will illustrate your own individual difficulties.

If you can't get help from somewhere local, which you can check here: advicelocal.uk/ choosing 'Welfare benefits' from the drop down menu, don't despair, as you can do this on your own. Please come back with any questions.

[Kryptonite59 in reply to CM1EDSUK]

Thank you CM1EDSUK. Things are getting tough financially. I’m struggling to get appointments with the doctors I want to see. My pain and the consequences of that pain are becoming increasingly difficult. I’ve only been suffering daily for the last eighteen months, where people here have been suffering a lot longer, so shouldn’t complain, but it all gets so tiring. I’m not the person I used to be and can’t believe I speak so openly on here, but it’s become a lifeline. I just wish , as does everyone I am sure, it would all come to an end. I just need to focus on the reality and get my head in the right place, which seems to take longer as time goes on. A sympathetic word and some caring advice can be all that’s needed sometimes, so thank you for yours. I’m a poor excuse for an individual at the moment. Need to give myself a good shake. Thanks again. Maybe today will be a better day.

[angelm54]

They took my sister in laws away , she is 62 but has a rare hereditary heart condition and has had a pacemaker with defib since the age of 36 , she lost two brothers at the age of 9 and 15 with it and her son has it, also with a pacemaker and defib, and now her 9 year old granddaughter has been diagnosed with the gene, you would think with the family history, they would have known , she did the MR but they don’t compensate for the stress of it all, good luck !!!

[Kryptonite59 in reply to angelm54]

This is awful. Can’t begin to imagine what your sister in law is going through. Not in the right place to be giving advice at the moment, so won’t elaborate. I will say however that stress is probably about 80% the cause of people’s health problems and that’s what these PIP people don’t take into consideration.

[22pagets22]

Hello do u live in housing association property if so they have advisors who help I had one and also a charity called harc in my area I don't know where in UK u live hope get through tribunal with the result uwant

[Kryptonite59 in reply to 22pagets22]

Not yet, but could well be on the cards. Thank you for the advice and good wishes. Hope all is going okay for yourself.

[Kalamazoo1]

hi hun I was going to go to tribunal but they rang on the last day they had before going and settled it with what I was asking for . Fingers crossed they do the same for you x

[simonsgirlie]

Hi,

I totally get where you’re coming from as I’ve had to go to a tribunal 3 times over the years CAB were the same for me. I did it on my own and I won each time. Take your time answering as I know it’s easy to panic and blurt out anything. The people that sit at the tribunal show little or no emotion or empathy so don’t take that as an indication they are just there to make the decision. Talk about your worst days and how bad it gets. I know how you feel when you say you want it to be over. You can do this don’t get flustered just go slowly fight through the fog and don’t worry what they think if you take a little longer to answer our brains take longer to compute. You are stronger than you think. I’ve had fibro and arthritis for over 30 years now and I’m still going. Just stick to the facts and they are all the things you can’t do yourself and things that make it worse. Good luck stay strong x

[jimmyshoes in reply to simonsgirlie]

me too , three times and every time I got my award . I just answered and my files was too big that Is filled with hospital notes etc so didn’t take it with me . It is official and hard not to stress but believe me , you will be able to answer as you know how you are affected and if your mind goes blank just ask for a moment . It’s just like seeing a consultant that’s all rather them a familiar GP . All the notes in the world can’t express how you can on the hardest days .

I was allowed my friend to sit with me in the court room too

[Princessfoo]

good morning. I found the tribunal to be the best part of the whole process.

There are three people to hear your claim.

One will be a judge/decision maker

The other two are usally

People with lived experience

Of a disability and a professional ie: OT , etc.

I have always won my appeals process.

They ask relevant questions and you get to speak rather than answer a tickbox question that will never meet criteria.

Good luck.

[catherine19611]

my gp told me that you have to play the game, you have more bad days than good, you can do certain things BUT you struggle to do them, even to the point that you get upset and even end up crying due to the distress it causes. if they ask why you didnt put these on the form, the space they leave for you to fill in is so small you couldnt fit it all in. if they say you could have put it on the page at the end of the form, by the time you got to that page you couldnt remember which of the questions you wanted to add things to and filling the form in was causing you to feel anxious and fatigued so you couldnt face going through it again.

at the tribunal BE CAREFUL, they will try to trip you up, they will ask you a question which will seem really trivial, I have spinal damage and cant bend, they said to me, you have cats, do they have a litter tray? how do you clean it out? and, how do you feed them? I had already been warned about the trivial question so i was ready for it. the litter tray they go outside in the summer, they have a cat flap, and during the winter they only use it if it is wet or snowy outside, and then my son sorts it out for me. and as for the cats being fed, the dish is already on the floor and i have to drop the food from waist height and just hope it lands in the dish. i have a long handled dust pan and brush to get it up if it doesnt, and i ask whoever comes round to pick the dish up for me to wash and put a new one down

you shouldnt have to do this, but my gp who deals with the claims that go through the surgery, said that this is the only way that people who need and deserve this get it.

[Hidden]

During my last review I had to appeal, but DWP changed their decision before I got a tribunal date. I put exactly the same information on the form as I did for my mandatory reconsideration. If you have any extra evidence then put that in. Good luck

[Kryptonite59 in reply to Hidden]

That would be wonderful. Well done.

[LhasaMomma]

Everything was set for me to go to Tribunal. A couple of weeks before, I received a phone call from DWP. It was a very sympathetic but clever senior manager who spoke to me for thirty minutes. At the end, she told me that it was obvious to her that I genuinely needed help and she would advocate for me at the next meeting. About a week later, I received a letter stating that DWP were giving me Enhanced.

[Kryptonite59 in reply to LhasaMomma]

Wow, you must have made a big impression. Never heard anything like that before. Well done.

[PainAlways]

went through this a few months back. I had my husband with me. We went in, they explained who they are (judge, medical doctor, an advocate for disabilities). A rep for DWP was sitting a little off to the side and gave his “this is why we said no” and then the 3 people ask questions, they’ll ask questions based on your answers you gave during the paperwork. They asked if we or the DWP rep had questions. (Next bit may be different for you) the judge then said I was entitled to PIP and the DWP then admitted they were wrong and agreed with the judge. The judge then said we can wait to hear what they’d decided or I could go home and wait for a letter. We stuck around because I wouldn’t be able to deal with the wait with my anxiety.

I went into the tribunal with 0 points for both and came out 1 point away from enhanced care (so I got standard) and with enhanced mobility.

For me the judge etc we’re all really nice and explained everything well (DWP rep made no sense but the judge explained what he meant😂)

Anymore questions just ask and I’ll try and help

[Kryptonite59 in reply to PainAlways]

Thanks PainAlways, very appropriate name 🙂 That’s been helpful.

[bassettsfarm]

hi there,

I really do know how you feel. I have had to go to tribunal with PIP twice now. Once was face to face, with a panel of three ladies, and one was during lockdown and was via telephone, with a lady and gentleman.

Both times they found in my favour.

I know it’s easy to say, but please don’t get too stressed. I worried and worried. I think that not only was it very important to me as it’s my only income, but because I wanted someone to believe that I am as ill as I am, that I’m not lying or pretending.

The face to face one wasn’t at all as bad as I’d built it up to be in my head. The ladies were all very kind, and they asked questions that I felt were fair, not trying to trip me up. It lasted about half an hour, but really didn’t seem that long. At the end, they asked if I could wait for the result in the post, or would I like to stay and wait for their decision. I stayed, and they called me back in after about ten minutes and told me the result. I think they could see my relief, and were very kind and seemed genuinely happy for me.

The telephone tribunal was also fine. I was asked some questions and they put me on hold for a few minutes, then told me the good news. I think they were quite happy that I stressed to them that I was happy with the award I received for Daily Living (standard) and it was only the Mobility I was unhappy with.

Both times, the panel were very polite, very understanding and seemed genuinely pleased that they had been able to help me.

Good luck with it. Please just remember, you are only asking for what you are entitled to, so be positive.

[Kryptonite59 in reply to bassettsfarm]

Thank you so much for your reply bassettsfarm. Your writing ability is second to none. Every word seemed to put me at ease.

[bassettsfarm in reply to Kryptonite59]

thank you for your kind words, that’s made my day! I m so glad to know I might have helped you a bit. All best wishes to you xx