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Personal Independence Payments (PIP)

NAS92024

My IAPT counsellor wants me to try to apply for PIP but I'm worried about:

  • stories of just how traumatising is the process of assessments, rejections and appeals
  • reports of third-party agencies on behalf of government "snooping" into people's bank accounts and spending, e.g. through the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill when it eventually becomes law
  • being evicted by my landlord/letting agent through section 21 as I've heard there may be not exaclty legal shared information amongst landlords so that they don't let to bad tenants, benefit claimants etc etc. Yes - I know in the fairytale ideal world people are not bad and nothing bad ever happens, but in the real world lots of people are unscrupulous and worse

Can anyone share their real-life experiences of the above please so I can try to make an informed decision on whether to go ahead?

  • in reply to AuTriker

    hmmm couldnt you have a document saved with all the list of things you cant do and just kinda use it every single time? that way you only thought about it once and written it once and you just use the same document all the time?

  • in reply to Caelus
    Caelus said:
    it shouldnt be traumatising at all

    Joy (badly named emoticon, I mean laughing and crying at the same time)

    Of course it is traumatising and meant to be, to put people off trying to get money. It is brutal, demeaning and cruel. I am surprised and disappointed it has not been challenged more in the courts, but the process is so life-sapping that by the time one comes out the other end, one is so chewed up one has no energy to sue them.

    I am physically disabled as well as autistic and I had been awarded DLA for life, so of course I felt entitled to it going in, and I did get it, but the process is truly vile, and now I am having to go through it all again to renew. It forces you to spend hours, days, weeks, thinking about all the things you can't do and writing those in a very pathologising manner quite the opposite of how therapists tell you to try and be positive about things. I dread to consider how many people must have been driven to suicide over it. Then they are not on your side trying to help, they are not believing you because they assume people exaggerate or lie (which is extra hard when one is naturally very truthful, and many of us autists have a need for exact precise accuracy so do not want to lie or even exaggerate) plus they twist your words and twist their own words to make things mean whatever is necessary to deny people help they need.

    All kinds of people with very visible and provable disabilities get it denied or removed all the time and have to go through tribunal to get it, which is usually successful, which must be costing the taxpayer more than if they were just less evil in the first place. Systems which find out true fakes would be much more appropriate than bullying genuine claimants.

    TL:DR to the original poster, is is very traumatising. Don't bother unless you really need it, but even then be prepared for it to be utterly vile.

  • Hi there, I've had PIP for a few years but applied before I was diagnosed with ASD. At the time I was diagnosed with BPD (which has now been corrected to C-PTSD). I had my care coordinator at the time help me to fill out my application and this was really helpful. The main advice people gave me that helped was to answer questions according to what you are like on your WORST day. Prepare yourself to have to answer a lot of long questions, and also you have to send back the application quite quickly after you receive it. So make sure you schedule in time to fill it out as soon as possible - with someone to help if you need. Be brutally honest in your answers about how your worst days can be. I really don't think this information can be shared with anyone by the way. Hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions!

  • in reply to NAS92024

    expect questions, expect scrutiny..... dont expect to be given pip and awarded it, like most people go into and put their entire life plans on... expect to not get it. then you shall avoid disappointment.

    basically common sense of dont expect a win, dont expect a positive outcome. expect the worst, and then you shall never find disappointment. if you expect the worst results then you will always be happy, when you get a win then its a bonus rather than a thing for granted. most people go in thinking they are entitled to things and get upset when they are refused. its the wrong mindset alot of people have and it applies to all aspects in life. always expect the worst case in everything.

  • in reply to Caelus

    "dont go into it with any expectations"

    Sorry, I'm confused. Does this mean, for example, should not expect to asked a question or that I should not expect to any questions asked to be in English?

  • dont go into it with any expectations and it wont be traumatising.... infact it shouldnt be traumatising at all, the only thing traumatising would be being granted it, then it being reviewed later and them saying actually you dont fit the requirements for it and then being accused of fraud later down the line.. .which can happen, and that will be traumatising lol

    also some landlords like benefit claimants as its more assured money... sure it can be late, but it always comes... a person with job may lose job then refuse to pay... the job center never refuses to pay, its guarunteed secure money for the landlord.