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.
I got a letter from the Tribunal office on Christmas Eve (thanks!) which turned me down for an appeal to the Upper Tribunal. But I can apply to them directly and I have a form to complete; part of which can be completed by a solicitor if you have one. So I will contact the Law Centre for London and the South East again for their advice. And I will also find out about Legal Aid and getting a solicitor to help with the next steps. Will keep posting on the forum with news to help others. A Happy New Year to those who use the forum and success to those who are fighting to get PIP like me.