Published on 12, July, 2020
Ive just been turned down for PIP while transitioning from DLA, which I had a Lifetime award for. I was awarded 2 points and I did not have a very good time of it with the assessor who I felt was bullying me from the moment I went into the room. I was so anxious about it. That I forgot my coat and the security guard on duty had to bring it into me.
My circumstances have changed since I got the life award, but not for the better. My late mother died who did everything for me and protected me quite a bit from the DWP and so forth.
I attend a regular support group for people with autism. I am fairly high functioning but still struggle with day to day tasks. For example, I can not cook a meal from scratch because of lapses in concentration so need an element of prompted to achieve that task. Because I do not have anything in place for that. My diet is made up of ready meals, which get burned a lot of the time because I put them in and get into doing something else and forget they are there. Even with an alarm to tell me when it is done. I can become so absorbed in what I am doing that I will not hear it or pay it mind. I also only really go out and about when in supported environments. Because I find the mainstream world to be to much of a hassle to navigate. And I still struggle with relationships.
I think the decision is WRONG and the report is made up of generalizations and it's very obvious I wasn't listened too.
The report notes that because I work and have a little bit of an education that I should be able to cope without the PIP. Its very dismissive of the anxiety, the executive functioning and the depression that I deal with and I feel very dismissive of me as an individual with autism. Even though when I mentioned the work I do I was sure to let them know it was supported employment through UNITED RESPONSE. The lady that set up and runs the support group that I attended was with me during the assessment and it we even had letters of support from a mental health social worker that knows me as well as the Autism Co-Ordinator in my area.
What advice can you give me about appealing this? I am presently very anxious and uncertain on how I am going to cope on a diminished income, much of which covers the general costs of living. Should I go straight to Welfare rights and get their help with Mandatary Appeal. The person that went with me to the appointment is still helping me. She had a feeling that it might not go my way because she felt the assessor did not have enough experience of people with autism in order to make a fair and informed decision. I just generally felt intimidated and bullied by him from the very start.
I have GCSE's and A BTEC and these things have been used against me by the assessor. I had a mother taking care of me when I did those and a lot of support. I would not be able to do them now in my current situation. Now I struggle to manage day to day and find it really exhausting doing the things that I do. Volunteering at a community centre, which has others like me. And working within the system itself via UR as a consultant, which is paid but its not work that comes up every week. Truth be told I'd struggle to do 16 hours in most jobs. Especially supermarkets and the like because I have auditry sensativity to a point where prolonged exposure to noisy work places leads to meltdown.
You need first and foremost get professional advice, someone who can review and advise on the specifics of your case. 70%+ of PIP cases are overturned in favour of the claimant on review so don't take an initial refusal as a major issue.
It would also help if you reviewed the criteria, without the pressure of the assessment go through each point and where you think you should score points give your reasoning. Include things like your points above on food preparation that way you can review these properly with professional advisor when you get one. Any medical notes and professional assessments will also be helpful for that meeting.
What MattBucks said!
Thanks, everyone.
Yesterday. I had a meeting with the person that helped me fill out the application. The same person that attended the assessment with me. She read the letter that DWP sent and agreed with me that it completely brushed over everything that we wrote in the application as well as everything that was said during the assessment.
So we have called DWP to get the ball rolling on reconsideration and also asked them for a copy of the full report and informed them that we do not agree with their decision. Additionally, we have contacted Welfare Rights and have also started complaint proceedings against the ATOS assessor.
Hopefully. We can get this overturned and avoid the tribunal process.
Let us know how you get on. Good luck.
Thanks.
Just to let you know. When we filled out the form. We really scrutinized the areas in which I struggle and zoned in on those. Apart from social engagement questions, which I struggle with anyhow to the point of only really going to supported environments. We looked at my executive functioning and the problems that cause me, which is preparing meals from scratch. It needs a bit of prompting for that to be possible. But generally, we wrote tons and tons of information on the areas where I struggled with and could not do.
We also photocopied the form once I had completed filling it out. So we do have a copy of the completed PIP form that we can use. Getting hold of my diagnosis report will be fairly easy.
That's a good start. I support people to complete many of these forms in for my employment. I have had success at mandatory reconsideration stage only if backed up with good supporting evidence. It is always worth taking your appeal to tribunal if you are unsuccessful. Don't forget, to analyse every part of how your conditions affect your life based on your worst possible day. The PIP system is designed to look at what you can do rather than the old DLA system of what you can't do. Good luck.
A friend of mine who suffers from Depression and other stuff. Don't know what. Only really know him from a community poetry group that I attend. Well, he lost all his DLA and had a struggle getting onto ESA. He recommended I contact welfare rights, but he also recommended I get in touch with DPac as well.
I just want to get it sorted so I can at the very least resume my guitar tuition. Guitar keeps me sane.
Brilliant IanC, it might not be ‘right’ but we have to fight for our rights, not only for ourselves but for others like us. The welfare/disability rights groups are amazing. I’m joining them as soon as I can.