Happy New Year! A big thank you to so many of you who have helped me in lots of ways. Things I couldn't ask anyone else I could ask you.
Just curious to know if anyone who asked for a mandatory reconsideration of their PIP ever got a positive result? I have got it in my mind that this never happens. I don't mean the appeal but just the initial request for a second look at the first decision. This would obviously be carried out by someone who would probably be biased right? I am just amazed and angry at this unfair system. I feel I would like to start some sort of protest! Grrr! But I may be wrong and one of you did get a good result without the stress of going to appeal process. Thanks. X
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Cathy777
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Some but not everyone has the decision overturned, but some do, if you don't agree that your award, you then need to ask them to look at your case again and if your not happy with thier new award, you can then tell then you want to appeal, they will arrange that but (you might have your dla stopped until your appeal, I'm not 100% sure about that) you need to look at that yourself.
I hope this little reply helps if not, oh well no problem lol
I'm not sure where either of you are but on reading posts on this site, I do wonder if things are more difficult in England ? I know that the system is shit at worst and unjust at best but it just seems , even though the process is the same, that people maybe have more consistently positive results up here ( Scotland). Could be totally wrong but I know my assessment etc was over in about 20 mins and I was awarded higher rate of mobility and care? Aware that maybe I was just fortunate and maybe just had a good enough assessor?
I hope it all gets sorted for those waiting as it is a very helpful award to receive.
I live in Canada about 1 mile from the boarder to the USA. Yes the US has a strange health care system. I'm thankful that Canada's healthcare covers me when I visit the States.
That's fortunate indeed. I feel very lucky to like in Scotland (UK) as out health service is free at the point of entry. We don't pay for Treatment in the way other countries do - we pay for NHS through out taxes and insurance so it is always there for us, no matter how much we need to use it on an individual basis?
Yes until it comes to Health & Education...& soon Income Tax is to be devolved.(I think!)
In Scotland prescriptions are free & some drugs that England won't offer are available . Elderly care is also free or at least much less than in England.
Uni education is free too.
Does anybody know how Scotland would manage without the Barnett Formula if it does succeed in leaving the UK & re-joining the EU as an independent country?
I don't think Nichola Sturgeon has ever explained how it would work.
Uni education is free in Scotland? Wow, it's an arm & a leg in Canada. My relatives migrated to Canada in the 1750's from Scotland....makes me wonder if I can catch the boat back and give my daughter her free Uni education....lol
Fraid not...if English kids go up to a Scottish university they still pay...but it's a lot cheaper than in US!
But here ( in Englsnd) we don't have such an organised system when you can work your way thru uni......technically you could do a year to gain your credits then work a,while & go back...but not many do. I know people in US who took 5 or 6 years to get their degree, but I don't know anyone in England who did that
Darn, I wont pack my bags yet......lol..My daughter is going to UBC and it is costing me $6000.00 for her second year not including books. We had to put this expense on our line of credit...Expensive!! She is working part time and is paying us back. Thank God....
Thank your lucky stars you are in Canada - in England I year at Uni is $15,000 Canadian.....& the more prestigious universities are trying to increase that. From this year the maintenance grant has to be repaid, so youngsters here are leaving uni after three years with debts of C$80K plus!
Even worse ...sat the moment there are no jobs except fro the really top students....so the local supermarket has graduates stocking shelves!
I'm glad I'm old......she I left uni you could change your job whenever you felt like It!
Totally disgusted at the price of Uni. My daughter is only taking 3 courses at the moment. A full course load would be about $9000 . We would never be able to afford for her to live on Campus. C$80 000.00 debt load is a shame to start kids out on adulthood.
Leaves uni without incurring significant debt through student loans that need to be accessed in order to manage being there. I know I left uni with 20,000 worth of debt - it's not really "free"
I think some things are worse here because England is full of money grabbing wotsits, lol, the politicians are bad people (I need to use nice words) the people who assessed me were here about an hour, with me having Dementia she asked a few extras lol, she said about pieces of food and the only one I recalled lol was pear and I couldn't remember any others but the daft thing was, my wife told me later that pear wasn't even mentioned lol. In the end I was given enhanced awards for both, so it was good for me, fortunately, I wouldn't be here now if I'd been knocked back. Ll
God they don't make it easy for People, do they ?! I think I must've been lucky as I travelled by bus to the assessment and even though it was so painful to walk, I managed ( slowly!) to climb the ten or so stairs. The assessor in all honesty didn't ask me much and as I say , I was out so quickly . They had not saught any medical reports either so god knows what criteria they used to
Come to their conclusion, but I am thankful they did!
Well this is what angers me because there is no set criteria really it just depends on who and where you are assessed. I was assessed at home and because I said I go to my local park sometimes they said I only qualified for lowest level of PIP. I can't travel on transport. Its a crazy system in my eyes. You were lucky but good on you! You felt pain but still made that effort. Luck seems to play a big part.
I absolutely agree with you Cathy and your anger is certainly justified. I have to say, I went along fully expecting not to get anything at all.
Having said this, I was in significant pain and it was clear there was minimal movement in terms of my body and my ability to use hands et . They did say they were going to put me through some exercises, which I refused to do but that was pretty much it.
I've said all along, I think I must've been very lucky
In relation to the assessor but this is definitely not how it should be. There is no consistency in the system as it stands at the moment and it absolutely is very flawed and unfair.
Happy new year Cathy and I wish you good things for 2017.
I am happy you did not have to endure too much with your pain and pleased it went well..the way it was meant to. You were only lucky in that you were treated well and got what you deserved. Its the ones who get treated abysmally I get annoyed about as I hear such bad things. I am not so bad off as some. You sound a lovely person and I wish you a great new year! Xx
OK so its good to know it can be overturned pre appeal. They don't arrange the appeal I had to get the form online and send it to Appeal Court but they are still paying my money thankfully. Many thanks!
I sent in a mandatory reconsideration a few weeks ago and got turned down so I'm preparing for tribunal. I think you are right and they make things as difficult as possible. I had an assessment from DWP which was much more thorough and professional and was declared with severe disability so makes you think .
Yes I am in same position. On form it asks if I want a tribunal in court or on paper. I put on paper but wonder if that looks bad. I just can't bear going to a tribunal in person.
I feel the same but my disability advisor said he thinks it's best to go on person if you can so I'm going to give it a try. I've nothing to lose now. I wish you luck.
Trish
I got my mandatory reconsideration turned down and was going to appeal got a court date I had resent my medical evidence to pip and told them they were legally obligated to read them 10 days before my tribunal they over turned my mandatory reconsideration
Yes that's correct sorry it's the old brain fog playing up , someone must not have looked at all the medical evidence ,that was in 2013 they said at that time there was only a hand full of people that asked for mandatory reconsideration hope things go well for you and have a great new year
My first award was 3years but was reassessed a years earlier as they can do this any time my new award is till 2018 but says reassessment from December 2017 even though they stated my condition is on going
Yes and that is just not right! They can't be that busy in your area to check people who they have already given a time span. Its also unfair and stressful to be given a time decision and then hit you suddenly with that. Where are you? Its all very random.
Hi Cathy on the back of your award form it will also tell from what date the can reassess you from I think short award is given to prevent you getting a car the ladie that did my assessment said they would be doing assessment at regular intervals and have set more assessor's on I contacted DWP and they said I would be given a paper assessment asking if my condition is better the same or worse if same no face to face would be needed I am in south Yorkshire atos do the assessment
Well I can't drive so no problem there! I have just changed my appeal form to say I want to go in person to the tribunal. Its scary but some say its better than having it done on paper. I hate the thought of sitting in front of 3 people and having to discuss my personal stuff! Especially men. Still I can back out later if needs be.
It's better to go it's not that bad if you get your paperwork in order make them feel that you are interviewing them after all it's your life they are making judgement on and you need to know that they understand your condition I went with someone years ago and they are there to see you get the correct award
Do i have to take all the paperwork i already gave to DWP ? There was such a lot of it. I hope DWP forward it to the Tribunal. Thanks for your encouragement! It can take up to 6 months to get a hearing apparently.
They should have copy's but they sometimes only read the front page summary so if you make a list of the point you need to address and any updated medical evidence if you are waiting months for your hearing they have good advisors at dial or cab they could go with you
As Hidden says,they should have copies of your paperwork,but should and do are always two very separate things where DWP are concerned!! I made sure I had all of my paperwork from over the 18months it had been at that stage,just so I could point out things that I felt they had missed,incl a couple of GP's letters?!? They are so disorganised it's embarrassing - they didn't even send anyone for my tribunal,as apparently it was a 'run of the mill' case,but the tribunal judge took one look and said that very obviously wasn't right. It may seem daunting to have to go and bare all in front of 3 more strangers,but they're really nowhere as bad as you imagine - there's usually the judge,a disabilities expert,and then also a medical professional,all of whom I found to be so nice and polite that I felt at ease as soon as I went in. They spoke to me as if I were a person,instead of something they'd trodden in,and also listened when my partner gave his answers/opinions at the end too - I was advised to take someone who knew my conditions inside out,and apart from my mum,this was the best choice for me. I didn't get the answer on the day,as they advise normally happens,so that made me worry things hadn't gone my way,but I got a letter about a week later saying my appeal had been upheld,and could be backdated, althoughthe DWP still fought to the bitter end over those dates.... they just want to make it as hard as possible for anyone, regardless of wether a judge has stepped in or not!! I'd definitely go for it,and if you have someone to go with you,make sure they do,as it helps so much,and makes it feel less intimidating when there's two facing a panel of three,as oppose to just you.
Fingers crossed you get the outcome you need,and deserve. I've been outraged by some of the stories I've heard from people in my area who are nowhere near as bad as me,and that's by their own words,but because they can play the game/system as it were,they get exactly what they want first attempt... that's enough to make my blood boil - the worst scenario I have is a young cousin of mine based in Hastings gets pip(I think it's at lower level) just for being dyslexic,yet I had to go through an Assesment,appeal and then tribunal to get that even though I was in a wheelchair,had already had three back ops in 3 yrs,and could no longer drive or work.... it must purely boil down to who you see on that first Assesment,and that just proves what's wrong with the whole system!! Luckily he's the only person I know who gets the award for that reason,but just talking about it makes my blood boil,as I'd imagine it does with everyone else on here?!!
Anyway,my response would be to go for it,and just ensure that you're prepared,as they rarely are. As long as you're truthful,and let them have access to your medical records to back you up,you shouldn't have any reason to worry that I can see.
Oh you have cheered me up so much! You echo everything I feel about the unfairness of this system! It makes my blood boil too. I know of someone who got higher award and in her own words said she knows she was very lucky as nowhere near my level of disability. But there are many who just get treated like dirt and the ones who deserve most help are usually the ones who don't have strength to fight it. I have always been on the side of underdogs so that is also why I am fighting...to make a stand. I do suffer with nerves and depression so this is tough but...watch this space!
Good on you - it's the underdogs like us that this system needs,to fight for those that can't always fight for theirselves - I used to be so much more mentally strong,but after fighting my bosses at work,and trying to ignore my illness and carry on as normal(even when the meds were forcing me to pass out on the motorway on the way to work😖) that once I eventually decided to accept redundancy (along with the rest of my team.... after more than a year of fighting it was the best they could come up with to get rid of me😂) That when my body stopped,and it hit me the hardest - or as my specialist nurse says,it hit me with a vengeance for not giving in sooner! I've since managed to regain some of my independence now that my drug regime has finally started to work,but all in it's been almost three years since the start of my symptoms to the point of getting the right drugs,and then having enough time to be in my body for them to work.... it's been a very draining time,but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel now - I know I'll prob have to go through it all again soon,as I'm not sure they ever just hand out the awards even for lifetime conditions,but I'm keeping everything crossed that next time they give me another home assesment,as I do believe that this was the main reason I got both higher rates without having to go through all of the previous rigmorale again. She could actually see that even in the 'comfort' of my own home,to which I'd obv made many adj just to see me through,that I still wasn't very comfortable,and she made allowances for that,instead of the previous assessor who marked me down just because I'd managed to have a quick wash,brush my teeth and not turn up looking like a tramp - that was basically written on my original report,but obv not in those words - so it prooves that if you happen to take the slightest bit of pride in your appearance,thenthey mark you down for it😤
I'm now encouraging my dad to go through the process,althoughhe's reluctant(think it's a generational thing) because even though he needs both knees replaced,and most days can barely move from his chair,he refuses to admit to strangers that there's something wrong,esp because he never uses a wheelchair,so in his eyes he thinks he's not as bad as me?! 😩 I've tried explaining that not everyone has the same symptoms,and that he should be entitled to help,but that they knock everyone back at first go,or in my experience they do,but he just says he hasn't got the fight - as much as it frustrates me,I have to honour his wishes,but it just annoys me that yet again someone that should be entitled to help won't get it purely because he sees it as such a stressful experience(he remembers me at my worse,and because he knows how strong willed I am,it terrifies him) they get away with it again!! Like I said,makes my blood boil doesn't even come close to how I feel on the days when he can't get out of his chair,or off the floor if he's been in the cupboards looking for something. So for everyone that does have enough fight to go through it,I'll always be on hand to support if I can,and cheer them on too xx
Yes you must urge your dad to apply. I bet there are more people out there who should get help with this but are terrified of pursuing it. I wish all of us who have seen the unfairness of this system should send a letter to the health minister. It must be costing a fortune to run it and some of the assessors really don't have a clue.
I still can't believe my first assessor was a qualified Physio - it was only when I was told that I'd had an MSK exam,and I had to get them to explain what had been done because after years of seeing physios and other people for my back issues,not once had I had an exam that I needed reminded about - apparently me standing up and not being able to bend because my left hip had gone into spasm qualified as an msk exam,even though her hands didn't touch me once - it really was that bad!!
But the fact they've made it so terrifying for people apply means in their eyes it's a success,as less people claiming means there's less people ill,in their world anyway!! They wouldn't dream of having to go through the process theirselves or the system would have had huge improvements long ago!!
The more I dwell on it I wonder if I should tell the tribunal what an unfair system it is and I have seen examples of the unfairness where those with less disability get more than some with worse. It will probably ruin my chance of getting a good result but I would get such satisfaction from it! I want to do something!
It is very tempting,but as I found out when at my tribunal,as kind and polite as they all were,if I went off on a tangent to something that wasn't relevant they soon brought me back with a curt'pls just answer the question asked' you may get a different panel type,but I don't think it'd change/ruin your chances,as they see so many of these cases that should never have been brought to tribunal,they're more than aware of how the system is constantly failing,mine were only interested in my symptoms at the time of my original assesment - remember they can't take into account how that answer has made your condition worse,which was very frustrating for me as the stress of it all had literally left me bed bound for so long I thought that should've been accounted for,but that's why you need to get reassessed after if you don't get the maximum result.... it's just another bugbear of the system - I think if you have the relevant paperwork to support your claim,then the tribunal should have the power to reassess you there and then,instead of just correcting the original assessment, which in my case was 9 months previous!! Very frustrating,but at least it gave me the ammo I needed to get the reassessment, and at home too,just a shame that that took another 4 months of stress from the tribunal date!! All in,yet another learning curve about the wonderful system we all have to bow down to😤!!
Well I was awarded lowest level in 2011 when I got breast cancer and it was only this year when I was asked to apply for the new PIP that anything changed for me. I had been getting the benefit with no contact up til then. But now it seems you only get about two years before you have to apply all over again. Fun heh?
Yeah- as if we are not dud advantaged enough! I ask as I thought it varies. I was awarded highest rAte for both components and for four years where I'll then be reassessed but my friend who has severe crohns was awarded the low rate and just for the care element but for only the two years?
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