PIP refusal

So true Robert124. Like many other aspects of our medical care it's a "box ticking excercise!".

Excellent post and advice Behind the Mask. Delighted to hear you were successful and so sorry to hear how much the process took out of you - I know the feeling very well!

Only been a member of this community for a couple of days and not yet diagnosed but some of the stuff I read here really strikes a chord with me . I have had an issue with socialising/recognising people for as long as I can remember and I've never known why. I regularly don't recognise or notice people I know when I'm out and about and end up being ostricized as people think I am aloof/doing it intentionally. It has had a massive negative impact on my life.

I'm on standard. No mobility. I have a reconsideration in right now as ESA just agreed I'm unfit for work and I'm hoping that, with my dismissal letters from work, will get them to add mobility. I cannot go anywhere alone. I only go out to walk the dog.  You have to write your answers so that they meet the criteria. Be concise and honest. I think I failed to get mobility because I didn't tell them how bad I am out of the house which I didn't do originally because I wasn't diagnosed with anything and my meltdowns are so violent I was scared of being sectioned. I had citizens advice help me the first time, a friend who has a 100% success record with clients pip applications helped me this time. She works for a charity that supports young adults, so I assume other charities will offer the same service. 

Remember they reject most applications but a huge percentage get it on reconsideration. So put in for one and get citizens advice to give you a hand. 

I have had various levels of PIP awards over quite a number of years when my diagnoses have been purely mental health related ones - severe anxiety and depression and some related comorbidities, and nervous breakdown.

Just recently it was brought to my attention that I could be autistic (I have no doubt that I am) and going back over my medical history I realised that autism as an umbrella term covered or explained many if not most of my "issues" as well as many lifelong traits and behaviours.

In my most recent application for PIP, filled in nearly 2 years ago before any ASD diagnosis, I received the basic award, but my mental health is currently very poor, so I went for mandatory reconsideration and gained 2 more points, but I still felt wrongly assessed, so now I am awaiting a Tribunal. (My anxiety has skyrocketed) 

The thing that is important is to make it clear how your life is impacted rather than any diagnosis. How often can you do something, how safely, how reliably etc. Can you do it only for less than half the time - that is for <50% of the year?

The person doing the assessment probably has no idea about autism so focus on the symptoms. Even my Mental Health Nurse and Psychiatrist admit to not fully understanding the implications of being autistic so the likelihood of a physical health nurse, or an occupational therapist, on the end of a phone, understanding is extremely unlikely.

Incidentally, I have kept paperwork relating to previous PIP awards. Consistently, they remark on my inability to make eye contact, and my fidgeting. (One of my stims is stroking textured fabric or my dog) Autistic pointers being observed but no one would look for autism in a middle-aged woman back then.

Anyway, just to underline, focus on how your life is impacted, your symptoms. The diagnosis is more or less irrelevant. Supporting evidence can come from friends and family as well as professionals.

Thank you so much I’m so sorry I missed your reply I will have a look now. 

I don’t think you need to worry - the nurse asked you after all if it was a good time so she must have been prepared for you to say no. As far as the length of the call is concerned it depends how thorough your application was and how many things remain to be clarified - I was awarded PIP without any phonecall.

I got a call from them today after submitting my forms about 8 weeks ago. 

The lady on the phone said she's a nurse and is calling regarding my PIP application. She asked if it was a good time - unfortunately it was really not, someone had just arrived at my door and I was in the middle of a work day - so I said unfortunately I wasn't able to talk and could she call me back. 

I asked how long it would take and she said approx 15 minutes - everything else I have read online says it is 1hr? Also other people have said it was a video call, not a telephone call? I am not great at talking on the phone...

I requested the call tomorrow morning after a particular time. Now I'm worried I've messed up by saying I can't talk, I was just so flustered and with other people in my house I couldn't speak freely...

Any advice welcome. 

I was awarded PIP this year, before the mental health team referred me for an ASD diagnosis. Although I have prior conditions, I had no real evidence, as I am only on waiting lists to see specialist consultants and my terrible doctors surgery didn't respond to the DWP request for information. In my case, the CAB's help consisted of a 15 minute phone call to tell me what I already knew.

The PIP application is a traumatic experience for me, as I only survive in life by actively starting each day with a glass half full outlook. PIP requires the exact opposite.

• You may consider employing a professional service to handle your PIP application. Many offer a no win, no fee arrangement. Personally, I find it outrageous that a growing industry is required to help people obtain what they are entitled to but my daughter who has used a service several times, say's it saves her so much angst and the net financial gain is well worth it.
• There is a website called Work and Benefits. They have an extensive and detailed guide to claiming PIP, based on legal rulings and written by trained professionals. You can view the guide online or pay annual subscription (about £20) which allows you to download all of their guides, sample documents etc.
• Set up a ChatGPT account. Enter each PIP activity/question that apply to you, one at a time and ask it to write a brief discription of the problems your health condition causes you with the activity. Copy and paste the answer, re-writing it in your own words. Works a treat and took alot of pain out of the process.

I wish you the very best of luck, you deserve it.

I have emailed citizens advice and they said they will help me I just need to call them to prove my eligibility for PIP. 

if you are turned down at the initial stage ask for a mandatory review and if you are still turned down go to Tribunal. Your chances of being successful improve at each stage - maybe 1 in 4 at MR and 3 in 4 at Tribunal although obviously this does not mean you are guaranteed to be successful. The government / DWP count on people accepting the first answer they are given and giving up. The assessors and the assessment companies are in effect paid to turn  down a high proportion of claims although the government and DWP will deny this.

i actually didn't claim benefits at one point in my life when i was too ill to claim and definitely would have qualified and only claimed benefits (successfully) when i had recovered and arguably no longer qualified.

DWP are capable of ignoring all and any evidence including medical evidence at the initial assessment and mandatory review stages. It is only when a case goes to a Tribunal which is independent and has at least one medical professional on the panel you can guarantee that evidence will be taken into account.

I wasn’t trying to teach you to suck eggs as you put it but I can’t stop you taking it that way.

Alternatively if you agree with what I have posted why did you post what you posted?

if you don’t want your posts to be challenged don’t post on a public forum.

like you I also received pip for 7 years until I decided not to renew my claim based on research I did at the time.

I am also a member of a Facebook group helping people claim benefits so I have the knowledge, experience and understanding of over 1000 people in addition to my own. This is how i know it is possible to get pip without a diagnosis because at least one member of the group has done just that.

If your post is typical of how you react to people with different knowledge, understanding and experience to your own I am not surprised you have access to a CMHT.

I also find the first part of your profile name appropriate.

I was completely honest as well and just tried to let them see my daily struggles. I really hope that you get a better outcome than I did. 

I am in the PIP system. I've sent in all my forms and letters and now waiting outcome. I have literally no clue on whether I've said the right things or not? I've just tried to be honest. I'm following this thread for more info. 

yeah exactly.... you need to actually lie to get pip with autism as the autistic traits are seperated under a social section that is seperate for points..... at most you can get under the points on physical, but the points on social that could have tipped you into pip are then seperated under social and are different point segment, meaning you will be under physical and social points in each section... ofcourse you can lie or stretch the truth, claim you can navigate as that navigation one is pretty vague and anyone can actually say they cant navigate, despite the fact i dont think they mean that by how im thinking, but i can say my navigation is bad and get points on that despite the fact they more mean it as something else like severe instand forgetting memory to the point of alzheimers by that one i think.

you can do pip tests online and see the points required and each point for the section.... if done honestly, then yes, autism actually never attains enough points for pip, you have to really lie and claim you need someone to wipe your *** and change your clothes to qualify for pip... and i dunno, that type of lying would be beneath alot of people with autism, and to others would feel like gambling a prison sentence especially if you had past experience with how the jobcenter handles people and how quick they turn on you if they suspect you are not eligable for a benefit your claiming.

I agree cos I’ve never been able to put into words how I feel and how I experience different things cos it’s all so hard to explain. 

Thank you I will go through it again it took me so long to fill in the form and I thought I had covered things but I can’t of.