Hi All.Ever since my SAH, I have had difficulty retaining and processing written word,such as newspapers,books etc.in fact I lost my job in the aerospace industry because I couldn't follow technical drawings engine manuals.
But have never had any points for it on PIP.
what do I have to do,to convince them I cannot follow basic or complex written paperwork.
I am writing this with help of my daughter, but any information that is helpful would be appreciated
I was told to think of yourself on your worst possible day and use that as your baseline for PIP.
When in hospital in a medically induced coma, some assessor made a remote assessment that I was ok to do everything!
By the time I was out of hospital I had exceeded their self imposed time limits and was advised to involve my MP.
Never got anywhere so six years later a fresh application and assessment was made and this rime I got it.
A ridiculous beaurocratic farce sadly.
No DWP assessment takes neurological issues into account. They assess psychological and physiological issues, but neurological issues are missing.
What you need to do is appeal any decision that does not award you PIP or any other benefit and say that your issues are neurological but they have not been assessed. You will need to prove you have neurological problems, a supporting letter from your GP and brain injury unit should do it.
If that fails opt to appeal further and go to see your MP to help you out. If that fails keep appealing and go to court because the DWP lose 70% of their decisions.
They can't send you to jail or fine you, so you have nothing to lose and everything to win.
REMEMBER PIP is for mobility and for living expenses to help you get out and about. It's not for paying bills under their rules. So you want it to get out to go for walks, go to the shops and meet people to improve your wellbeing etc.
PIP does contain a mobility element, but it also has a living component that is nothing to do with mobility
What does the living component entail?
Daily living, preparing food, managing meds, washing, toileting, dressing, finances, socialising, communication. Mobility, moving around, going out.
I had to be reassessed for both PIP and Universal Credit and that was incredibly stressful and frustrating. All of my issues are to do with information processing, concentration etc and have a real impact upon daily life but it still took me about 7 months of appeals and challenges until we got to the independent tribunal stage and they had no problem in approving my claims for both. You really have to try to write about your issues with as much detail as possible and keep appealing their decisions, the system isn’t fit for purpose when it comes to brain function problems. If there are local charity’s that offer support/guidance with PIP claims that can be helpful too.
Hello, I contracted TB meningitis in 2008 and I too experienced a major impact to my cognition, my short term memory and my concentration. I was referred to a great neuro-psychologist who tested me extensively which enabled him to produce a report the mad clear my problems.
I also got other professionals such as GP, other medical staff that I saw and even my wife to write letters detailing how they observed the effects that the brain injury had had on me.
I was successful without being asked to come to an assessment which I feel is likely due to the amount of medical letters I included in my application. I had also been given ill health retirement from my job in management for a global bank that I’d worked for since finishing college. Best of luck.
Try asking Headway for support & advice. I've tried, unsuccessfully, to provide a link to their factsheet on appealing PIP decisions, so copied & pasted much of it here :- **************************************************
Appealing a welfare benefits decision
If you disagree with a decision made about your benefits application, there are a number of steps you can take to challenge this. To start with, you should contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for an explanation of their decision. You can choose to have this provided in writing or over the phone. To do this, contact the benefit office using the contact details on your decision letter. Remember that there are strict limits for requesting an explanation. Details of this will be included in your decision letter.
If you are not satisfied with the explanation provided by DWP, you can apply for a mandatory reconsideration - this is another consideration of your application by the DWP.
In most cases, you will need to follow these steps before you appeal. However, in some cases you can go straight to appealing. Your decision letter will tell you whether or not you can go straight to appealing.
To start the process of appealing, you need to complete a form called the SSC1. This is available from your local Jobcentre or the UK government website. You can also write to HM Courts and Tribunal Service.
Tips for appealing :-
Keep dated copies of any application forms or decision letters relevant to your claim, as this can be useful evidence.
Medical evidence can be very useful at any stage of your application or appeal. This can be in the form of medical reports or letters from your GP.
Be aware of any time limits within which you need to appeal. Make a note of important dates.
If you need help with your appeal, you can contact the benefit appeals helpline on 0808 800 2244.
After submitting your appeal :-
After submitting your appeal, you will get a letter by post with details of a tribunal hearing. The hearing is where your appeal will be discussed and decided by a judge and experts. They will be independent of DWP.
You may receive your decision straight after the hearing, although in most cases this will take a number of weeks and arrive as a letter through the post.
If your appeal is successful, you will start to receive your new payments and any backdated payments owed to you by the DWP.
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Hope this helps, maybe with assistance from your daughter...
Best wishes Bowler,
Cat x
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