DWP decide my Personal Independence Payment
My Personal Independence Payment
This morning I received a brown envelope from Belfast. I knew the contents straightaway, the DWP had made a decision. I had already read the assessor ‘s report. How will the DWP decide my Personal Independence Payment benefits.
A normal life
I did not know if the DWP decision was going to be a mere formality, just rubber stamp the assessors report. I have to admit I was a tad nervous. Could the DWP overrule the decision of the assessor?
Admitting disability
Answering the 14 questions evaluating my disability wasn’t easy. My MS definitely gets worse very slowly but very steadily. Every aid that I use is essential. I need them: a reluctant admission that my life is changing. They are vital if I am to lead a ‘normal’ life.
DWP decide my Personal Independence Payment
Disabilities are part of my life. I don’t think of them as anything out of the ordinary. Okay seeing a friend of mine run across the road was painful to witness but I soon put it to the back of my mind. MrsB still leaves stuff scattered about the house that I have to negotiate. I shout, she apologises and then moves them out of the way. Will this convince the DWP?
Stress, sweat and tears
I can no longer write legibly with the pen so I use Dragon dictation software. It took me over 12 hours to dictate the report. Afterwards Daughter One who has worked in the charity sector read my answers, gave me some tips and hints and now it was version 38.
Next I went to the CAB office and now we are onto version 40. I don’t for a moment begrudge the time and effort they offered to me. MrsB wrote a 900 word statement called ‘Ways in which my life has been affected by Patrick’s disability’. It was a team effort.
Fast forward to today
It’s 10.30 in the morning. I’m holding this brown envelope in my right hand.
I think to myself, ‘Do I open it or do I pass it to MrsB?’
‘Come on Patrick don’t bottle it. You’ve got to open it’ I mutter under my breath.
I opened the envelope. I pull out the contents. The DWP have looked at my claim and decided my PIP benefits: standard rate for daily living needs and enhanced rate for mobility needs. This is exactly the same as my DLA benefits.
“All that hard work for nothing” I say to MrsB.
“Only because of all your hard work, well done darling”.
Related articles
I cannot do things I once took for granted
.
.
.
.
.
MS claims another activity, this time a close shave
.
.
.
.
.
September 2018
Congrats Patrick.
Capita kept me waiting half a year for an appointment, and long story short we managed to get it changed to a Paper based assessment. They fed the usual nonsense about not having enough evidence for paper based blah blah(We included a lot, the DWP even said so..). And magically a few phonecalls made it possible.
DWP have had my report for around 2 weeks and so far I haven’t heard anything. It’s honestly the most stressful experience of my life. But hey ho, over half a year in limbo. They just don’t care.
Hello Mathew,
Yup it is a very stressful experience especially with all the bad press. I do believe it is a bit of a postcode lottery, people who live in Wales do seem to be unfairly disadvantaged.
Don’t feel frightened about contacting the DWP to see how your case is progressing. Almost becomes a full-time job but keep at it.
I hope it all works out for you
Well done the Patrick Team.
Hello Roland,
Much harder work than I anticipated
You did well. I didn’t look hard enough at my disablilities when filling in forms and typing up answers, finally sat down for several days and wrote my own report of my disabilities and sourced each as you have. I had to go to Court of Tribunal and ended up with the same as you got. Standard and Higher.
Well done for getting it right first time. Is yours ongoing / indefinite as mine is or do you have to keep going through all thsi again every few years?
Hello Sue,
I had an inkling of what to expect and needed doing but no idea it would be this stressful and difficult. A friend of mine is going to the court of tribunal. I think the entire process is shocking and humiliating. It’s attacking the soft underbelly of society.
My PIP has to be re-evaluated in August 2022. I suspect things will be very different by then. It appears that the DWP do not want to award benefits indefinitely even if you have a progressive illness such as MS. Will there be a cure by then?
Well done , now you can enjoy your holiday .
Hello Denise,
Yep, good but fair result. Looking forward to Aus.
Hi Patrick.So pleased you were awarded PIP-same as your DLA,.
I was on DLA for nigh on 20 years and because the assessor lied throughout his report ,I was not awarded PIP.What made it worse was that I was awarded ESA aurtomatically from IB and ESA was awarded three months before my PIP assessment -yet the same things dismissed for PIP.A year on and I am still waiting tribunal date.My symptoms have got worse this year with nerve problems-I cant do anything with my hands -like you-only hold a pen for a few words and writing illegible.
Hello Rose,
DLA was fairer but I suspect it was abused. Now the pendulum has swung the other way. I would love to know what goes on in the mind of some of the assessors.
Some of the decisions are a travesty of justice. Maybe it is a way for the private companies that do the assessments to milk money from the government. Am I being acidic or a realist? Unfortunately it’s the soft underbelly of our society that is really being hurt by these cuts and savings.
Good luck with the tribunal. Remember to write about your capability on a really bad day. Remember to talk to a friend or partner about the worst days and also talk to the CAB.
I really doubt they read the evidence & forms properly when deciding what sort of assessment is necessary. That or the people doing them aren’t qualified to be doing them in the first place and don’t understand the complex needs of people and their conditions.
Honestly the Tories and their war against the disabled needs to end. Hopefully this Brexit nonsense will yield another general election so people can vote them out.
Hello Matthew,
I must agree with you on the time taken to read the paperwork by the assessors. I have heard about some truly appalling stories where the assessor writes the assessment, the evidence and processes the report in a few minutes. It can be a very disheartening process especially when the assessor writes things that are patiently not true.
I really don’t believe it matters which political party is in power when it comes to the needs of the disabled. Too many people in society treat disabled people unfairly and with complete indifference. It is almost a form of bullying, treating the disabled as if they with the soft underbelly of society that cannot defend itself