PIP Appeal details

A brief update on the PIP claim...

They acknowledged my request for a mandatory reconsideration. No idea how long it will take as there is no statutory deadline for them. Its nearly a year though since I first sent off for the application form.

I finally got a copy of the medical assessment report. My MP was able to get an apology out of the DWP and an assurance that the report had been posted a week earlier. It eventually turned up a couple of days ago. Only took 4 months in total.

"Fingers crossed" for good luck.

Right, I got it in the post yesterday. Wish me luck.

I think there's enough written there that if I have to go to a tribunal I can just use the same letter again.

I have no extra advice, but just wanted to say that I got mine on appeal by submitting only one letter - one from my boss 10yrs earlier saying I'd fallen asleep in a meeting - which got me the 2 points I needed for standard rate. Maybe the appeal won't be as hard as you think. Do consider using a charity to help you though - I think it speaks against us if we can fill out the form for ourselves - they somehow don't take into account how much we struggle 

Much prayers for you 

OK, I've written out my mandatory reconsideration letter (which will also serve as an appeal letter when the refuse the MR). I'll copy and paste it below in case it either helps anyone else who is going through the same thing, or if anyone wants to point out anything which doesn't make sense.

I am writing to request a mandatory reconsideration of the PIP decision dated 17th July 2025 (which was not received until the 25th).

I would have expected more points to be awarded for both Daily Living and Mobility.

Firstly, the decision maker states that I claimed difficulty with preparing food, taking nutrition, washing and bathing and dressing and undressing. I did not claim any difficulty with these which suggests that the decision maker did not bother to read my claim form.

Managing Treatments:
The decision maker states “you have no prescribed medications or therapy”. This is in contradiction to my claim form which states that medication and therapy has been recommended, and that I struggle to understand changes to my depression symptoms. The fact that I do not receive any treatment at the current time does not mean that I don’t struggle with them when I do.

See pages 18 and 39 of the claim form as well as the medical evidence supplied.

Making Budgeting Decisions:
I would have difficulty managing a household budget due to issues with planning and concentration, caused by Aspergers Syndrome. In practise, I live with relatives who manage most of the utility bills etc.

Planning/Following Journeys:
I stand by the comments made on page 35 of the claim form, which the decision maker has taken no notice of.

I have difficulty planning journeys. I stick to well known routes/places where possible so I don’t have to spend a very long time planning or getting anxious about what might happen.

The decision maker states that “evidence shows that you are leaving the house the majority of days”. It is not clear what this evidence is as it certainly contradicts my own experience:-
1. I am a very active person and cannot cope with being sat in a chair staring at the wall for 20 hours a day. Even if I am too depressed to feel up to going out somewhere, or to know where I am going, some compromise has to be made.
2. I have been a victim of harassment in my local area and in my own house and have to get away from it.
3. It is not uncommon that I do not feel up to going anywhere at all and will be stuck here most of the week.
4. I almost jumped in front of a car a few months ago and often listen to loud music in an attempt to shut out intrusive suicidal thoughts.

Other items of note:
The decision maker comments multiple times that I have had driving lessons. This was 17 years ago and I’m not sure what its relevance is to a PIP claim today. He also makes repeated references to attending appointments. It is not clear what/where/when these appointments are or what their relevance is. If I remember rightly, I have only had two ‘appointments’ this year.

I do not particularly remember how I felt at or after the medical assessment but according to my diary I was very tired, felt suicidal, and was angry and upset about being reminded of my illnesses. The ‘healthcare professional’, who did not give her name or job title, did not appear to have a copy of my claim form. She was, however, polite and courteous, which did make it much easier than other DWP assessments I’ve been to.

I have asked the DWP twice to supply me with a copy of the medical report from the assessment, but after 3 months, they have not done so. I have now forwarded a complaint about this to my M.P. It is difficult to write an appeal letter when I cannot see all the evidence which has been used.

I have never understood Aspergers Syndrome (or Autism) particularly well, and I have to go to an incredible amount of effort to try and explain it. It took me a considerable amount of time to fill in the claim form, and to write this letter, and I had to seek some independent advice in order to do so. My previous psychotherapist (who specialised in the field of Autism) told me that autistic people tend to experience feelings in a ‘more extreme’ way than others, and often have trouble identifying and naming those feelings.

Hopefully that will suffice. I'll send it by recorded delivery tomorrow.

Thanks.

Regarding the report, my MP dealt with a complaint a while back so I expect she will be able to get a report for me without me having to sue them for it :).

These things are very difficult to explain but I think I did quite a good job of explaining things in my claim form. Reading the decision notice, it is actually quite clear that the decision maker didn't bother to read the claim form (or chose to completely disregard it).

mp500 said:

The 8 point one requires you to have "overwhelming psychological distress". I'm not sure what this means or whether it would apply to me. The problem I have with social situations is that I have considerable social anxiety and often go out of my way to avoid people (even people I know),

In your shoes I would interprit this as higher than 4 points but less than 8. Point out that psychological distress is reached quickly in spite of being initially able to cope.

Better to start with a high score and let them try to argue it down I feel.

mp500 said:

I would like to consider having treatment again if any is available but I will need help to access this

I would put 4 points here. The fact you are not currently on any treatments does not mean you struggle with them (so it is quite accurate).

mp500 said:

The decision maker brought up the fact that I had driving lessons.

I would point out that these were traumatising for me and I cannot drive without a support person in the car, and even then in stressful situations (traffic jam, witnessing an accident etc) I would not be able to cope. I would say this is why I do not drive but was pushed to learn by my parents and had no choice in the matter.

For your medical report from the DWP I would send a written request by recorded delivery and make a point that their failure to respond to previous requests means this request is recorded and will be used to back legal action for failure to respond within a reasonable time.

Keep copies of the receipts from the Post Office to prove the sending, the confirmation of delivery and copies of the letter just in case you decide to prosecute them. I would expect them to respond quickly with this threat.

You may want to record your appeal and have a witness with you (to operate the recording) but make sure you tell the assessor that you want to record it (I believe this is a legal requirement) and lastly make sure you take notes on all the things you want to talk about or contest with you.

It can be stressful but if you get the right person to support you then this can help a lot.

I am not an expert on this, but I read the info on the gov.uk website and the medical report would be something you supplied to them in the original application, so they would expect you to know.

If you didn't supply one, they won't have it. They could have asked your doctor for additional information if they needed it.

Managing treatments is related to whether you need help to take any medicine, to stop you forgetting, or whether you have problems attending any treatment sessions. It is not about whether you would like or need more. I think this would be managed by your GP.

I would expect journeys to include going to the shops. If you can leave your house every few days, walk to the shops, buy food etc. even if you don't talk to people, then you can manage being out and about.  If a trip left you unable to do anything else then this may count, but this is what the assessment meeting should have looked at.

If you want to ask for a decision to be reviewed (Mandatory Reconsideration) you are usually supposed to appeal within 1 month, but it can be longer if there is a good reason.