I was wondering if anyone has any advice regarding being refused a pip application
I was awarded nothing - despite being reliant on others for travel and going out - had some bad falls as my leg drags and goes numb having difficulty in dressing zips buttons etc
Numbness
Thank you
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Hi @chelsea05
Pip is notoriously famous for the cycle of: apply, wait months, get refused, appeal (they have a mandatory obligation to allow you an appeal), get awarded, get paid backdated to your application date
There is plenty of folklore around the application process.
One component in which is go to citizens advice or similar specialist charitable organisations on your high Street who have experience with filling the form in and using the magic wording that is required to trigger their point scoring model
Another element of advice are that you should describe your worst day, not average or best but CAB will know all about that
Ciao
Simon
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I got some very good advice on the Citizens Advice website. There are good tips on there about the things you must put on your application form.
You have the right of Mandatory Appeal against the decision if you are certain that you meet the criteria for the award.
The DWP are under extreme pressure at the moment to reject claims (this is due to Government budget cuts). However, if you meet the criteria for the award then they must award your claim.
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@chelsea05 it is very common for pip applications to be rejected. You must appeal. First you have to submit a mandatory reconsideration & if this is unsuccessful (and most are) you can then appeal to a tribunal. Itās very stressful but if you believe you meet the criteria for an award then you should follow ir all the way to tribunal.
Get help from Citizens Advice or organisations like Turn2us. Some Trade Unions will help if youāre a member & some local councils have people who can help.
You have to be affected more than 50% of the time e.g. if you can cook today but that means you are so fatigued you canāt for the rest of the week you should get some points.
If you havenāt already ring PIP & ask them for your medical assessment report then go through & highlight anything you believe to be wrong. It is common for there to be errors.
If you are on facebook try joining the group UK M.E. & Chronic Illness Benefits Advice Group
https://m.facebook.com/groups/278260135547189/permalink/7273328052706994/
Good luck
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I found out last week, that my local surgery has a person called a āSocial Prescriberā, who fills out PIP forms and appeals decisions for you (thanks surgery, for never mentioning it!). Sometimes they are found at libraries apparently. Iām sure Iād be on a higher rate if Iād known this. Ask your local Citizens Advice about them.
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@chelsea05 I too was rejected for a PIP try again i was told by the charity Dash that i had to use the wording it affects me everyday, they told me you can be rejected 2-3 times. then take them to small claims court then they pay-out. I never tried that I just gave up, good luck
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Yes the critical thing is get the wording right. It shouldnāt be like that but it is. Find someone in the āknowā to help fill in your application
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Hello @chelsea05. PIP is notoriously hard to navigate through. I was only trying for the mobility and not the daily living component. I was rejected, turned down at MR, almost gave up, but stuck it out and had it approved at tribunal about a year later at which point they had to back date the payments.
I had the help of my husband so I didnāt approach CAB but in doubt, thatās what I would do. We just pointed out the very clear and obvious flaws in why they turned me down, and they didnāt have an argument. The information they had put together was totally biased so I would be turned down. Sorry to say this is how it works.
The DWP seem to be in a mess at the moment- I was advised back in April I am due a review, this is still hanging there, they have informed me they may or may not get round to it before Nov 24, if not they will pay me until then.
Itās an important contribution to the costs of running a car which is independence for me, so it really matters.
Wishing you all the best, Julia
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Hi Julia
I had a phone assessment today for PIP.
The person I spoke to seemed pretty reasonable but will have to wait and see. I had left pip this long as was a bit put off by the horror stories. Who knows, perhaps those stories are deliberate.
Can I ask, what does turned down at MR mean ?
Do you get a detailed reason if you are turned down so you can fight it ?
Cheers
Nige
Hello @Nigelglos. Sorry you are in the middle of this process. Yes, I used the reasoning in the MR to show how flawed their arguments were. It was just wrong and misrepresented what I had initially put forwards. Slow and drawn out but as a tax payer all my working, and now medically retired life at 53, this is what I have contributed/contribute to, I get no other benefits and I am eligible for this by the DWPs own markers. Good luck and if you are turned down donāt give in because that is what they are hoping you will do, Julia x
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Hi @Nigelglos
Hope you applied a while ago because it will be backdated to that date .
You will receive a letter with each of the questions and the number of points you are awarded against each question and Iām not so sure I remember but the statement that they have understood that led to that point award .
Youāll then be shown your point score in aggregate into categories daily living and mobility and how that stands against the threshold for award of basic and again I canāt remember but maximum ? extended ? I donāt recall the terminology (and itās in another room to go and dig it out from the files)
It will also give you the date on which your next review will be due If / when you get an award.
As I said above and others have said subsequently; itās pretty much a fact that you get rejected and you have to appeal
Ciao
Simon
Hi @Nigelglos. Just realised I hadnāt explained MR. If your initial application is turned down you have to go through a mandatory reconsideration, if that is also rejected then you have to choose to go to a tribunal, to have it heard in front of a judge. Sorry, Julia x
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you have to decode the questions and answer them in a certain way , my partner put in for it and she got help filling in forms and it got rejected, well no extra payment at any rate
when i applied i filled it in myself and got highest rate for everything, in Scotland its not PIP but ADP (adult disabilty payment ) same thing different name ,never lie, but you have to answer the questions in a way that is best for you , most people answer best case scenario , i dont ,if there something i cant do i say so ,or had a problem in the past with tell them, .it might come back , alway tell the truth though, , but in a way that favours you
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Absolutely agree with everything @cuddyhung has said here.
The one extra bit Id add is that rejection is very common and there is a mandatory right to have an appeal heard
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Thank you so much for your reply / I have appealed but I scored 0 for everything
I told them about numbness and not being able to manage buttons zips bra hold hair dryer make up etc and left hand side weakness but declined - I will try again many thanks
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Talk to citizens advice bureau.
They are very good at filling the form out with the special magic words - or they can tell you who else does it in your area.
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spot on . use your worse day , as we have said dont lie ,.my partner was on UC is now getting carers allowance which is same as Univeral Credit but also carers element of UC which is an extra Ā£185 a month
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Hi, I was refused PIP and a mandatory reconsideration. Eventually I won PIP at a tribunal some 18 months later in June 2018!
I went to CAB in May 2017 who set the ball rolling and attended the tribunal. I had strokes in 2016 and 2023.
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