Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi,
I am new to the forum as my daughter was only diagnosed with Austistic Spectrum Disorder last summer, after a year and a half of assessments. We applied for PIP last April (I am her appointee) and have just been sent a letter saying she will not receive it, despite never going out alone and not being able to cope with communication with people other than her immediate family, and that is limited. She scored 4 points for 'engaging with other people face to face' and 4 points for 'planning and following journeys'. Zero points for everything else, despite a face to face assessment where I explained that she goes out on average once a week, sometimes less, and is always accompanied. She has lots of sensitivities, particularly with food.
Has anyone else experienced this? I am preparing an appeal. It says on the covering letter ' I realise you have a disability or health condition and receiving this decision isn't the news you were hoping for'. It's a joke.
Rather bears out a long standing view of the benefits system.
Back at the end of the 70s after leaving university I took two temporary jobs, before going on to full time work. Before the temporary jobs I had signed on for a week or so.
I found out later that in those days I was entitled to a bridging pay out, which no-one mentioned to me at the time. Apparently students were entitled to money to help them over the gap between the grant and the first job. Bet that doesn't happen nowadays.
Someone showed me a booklet in circulation at the time "How to beat the benefits system". It was, contrary to appearances, quite a legitimate guide to internal procedures for the vulnerable and unaware public. I wonder if something like it exists today.
I asked to have the bridging payment back paid - they refused. On the advice of the booklet I asked to go to Appeal. They offered me half the payment if I backed down, but encouraged by the booklet I hung on. They then gave me all the payment. The booklet said they are very reluctant to go to appeal because it gets them into trouble.
My own view of the benefits system is that DHSS/DWP seems to be staffed by disillusioned frumps whose only entertainment is stopping people from getting their entitlements out of spite.
I suspect the benefits culture that Cameron is so obsessed about has grown up around having to "cheat" just in order to get what people are entitled to. If the system wasn't so polarised (ie if it was properly and responsibly managed) the country would be a lot better off.
Your experience seems to bear this out. They make up ridiculous reasons for not paying people what they are entitled to, hoping they are too scared to take it as far as appeal. As you've found the DWP had been needlessly obstructive and had wasted the court's time.
If the DHSS/DWP was honestly managed, perhaps a lot less money would be wasted.