So I sent a mandatory reconsideration notice and loads of evidence from the doctors and everything. Got the results back today from DWP with absolutely no acknowledgement of the evidence provided and a reworded statement that’s just like the first one. Going to have to take this to tribunal through Citizens advice bureau when the weather and timing allows. Any advice on how to cope? PIP is for my wife, whom I care for 24 hours a day. When I saw the letter today I was not just gutted, but just so angry. I feel like I let her down because what I sent wasn’t good enough for DWP. But I tried everything. They won’t even acknowledge her COPD by saying in the letter that she used her inhaler twice but wasn’t breathless. Honestly, I’ve never wanted to just scream into the wind so much in my life. Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with this and any advice for the tribunal?
There are time limits so check them out.
Involve your local MP they have direct lines of communications.
I don’t have personal experience of this, but from what I’ve read many times on here it seems to be the current policy of the DWP to deny anyone anything that is so obviously due for as long as possible.
In the majority of cases they eventually cave in.
I can only assume that in the short term it makes their figure look better. It’s despicable, and high time it was stopped.
The whole idea of government being led by statistics is wrong, it’s done nothing good for schools or the health service or the benefits system.
I agree. It seems surreal when you find yourself in the same situation that you see reported from the media with other people having the same problem. I just can’t get my head around the audacity of it all. Her condition has actually gotten worse, but now I’ve lost my carers allowance and she’s had her benefits cut. I can only afford the absolute basics. I can’t even buy myself or her any clothes for winter, and a lot of our clothes have holes in them from so much wear. No washing machine so I’m hand washing things. Can’t keep the heating on because the electric is too expensive now. And most of the time I’m scraping by to make sure we have enough money for a bus ride if anything goes wrong or she needs the doctor. I’m disgusted. And totally off topic but my dog is the friendliest boy ever. But when the assessor came in I had to lock him in another room because he growled at the assessor and he was trying to stop her going near my wife. I’ve never seen him do that before. He’s literally never ever done that with any visitors ever. That gave me a bad feeling from the get go. I guess my dog was right. Lol
I’ve never spoken with an MP before. It’s an intimidating thought. How does one go about contacting an MP?
Just Google “contact my mp”. It is so easy online!
Okay, thank you so much. I’ve never done this before so thanks.
Dogs have incredible senses that we can only wonder at. We had a Boxer from about '73 to '85, very friendly, very rarely barked and usually only with frustration when he couldn’t catch whippets!
I was in a pub once with him when a small group of people walked in, there was one person in this group that he took exception to and growled at, (it was more of a rumble than a growl, cos that’s what he did) after a couple of minutes it was clear that this person had a speech impediment and the dog had picked that up instantly (without a word being spoken), he repeated the same feat some years later, different place, different person. How the hell can a dog see a speech impediment?
The same dog was about 10 years old when our son was born, he had no experience of human babies as there were none in our family at the time. One day, baby only a couple of weeks old, my wife came home with him in the pram and left baby and dog by the side gate of the house while she opened the front door and went through to the back to take baby and dog in through the side gate. Our neighbours wife, who the dog had known for at least three years was cowering by her own side gate with dog standing in front of her growling - he wouldn’t let her anywhere near the pram.
The link is above.
I think that’s awesome! The dog protecting your baby. I bet the boxer was a right softy around the baby too. That’s really cool!
It’s weird how in tune they are with things. My other older and smaller Staffy was coming for a walk one day with me at night. I went through this small public garden full of trees and it was really dark. I’d lived there for ages and its a low crime area so I wasn’t worried about anything sinister. It’s like a village kind of place. Anyway, long story short, I have never heard my Staffy make a noise like it before or since. He’d bared his teeth and just did this thunder type growl in the dark at something. Turns out a drunken man was hiding in the bushes nearby and my dog saw him as a threat. He just bolted. Was probably taking a nap but my dog scared him so much he just ran.
So I think they know. If dogs take a dislike to someone that much, I instantly don’t trust them either.
Dear Shaun
All I can say to you is to take the help of the CAB and take your case to a tribunal with their support.
I have read many stories like yours and I have had harsh experience of this punitive system myself.
I have felt your anger, despair and sheer frustration myself and due to the enormous stress of it all and having 2 men that had almost lost their lives within 6 months of each other to care for, I didn’t appeal!
We desperately needed the money just to survive our basic needs. I felt the same as you did in as much as that I’d let my Husband down and questioned all that I had sent in for proof, alongside the forms and I even questioned my own behaviour. I beat myself up even today for what I didn’t do back in 2014.
We were verbally abused at my Husbands assessment so much that my Husband had tears running down his face when it was over. In that assessment I went to pass the young male assessor extra information, he was sitting on an office chair with wheels, he scooted over on this chair his legs wide open and got so close to me I could feel my knees touching his thighs, I couldn’t move back as we were sitting on chairs that where against the wall, then he leant closer and said quietly, “I cant take those papers you could have just made anything up!” This was emasculating to watch/experience for my Husband. I felt violated and abused in a number of ways! This young mans attitude throughout this assessment was condescending. He abused his position of power!
Carers are vulnerable people and some may not agree but we have so much to cope with day and night, leaving us physically and mentally drained! We are never considered in amongst all of this punitive system and where would this country be without the Carers army!
Too much power is given to people who have little or no knowledge of how a health problem affects people and their Carers too. How many have had benefits sanctioned; people who are the most vulnerable, poorest members of our society! Sadly Errol Graham the most recent!
From what I have read, you have done everything humanly possible to help and support your Wife. Sheer exhaustion with caring and the cruel benefits system cannot be avoided sadly.
I hope that all of the support that you have here will spur you on.
Kind regards
Hello
I would like to say that over the years I was in receipt of DLA middle rate care - full rate mobility with long term award.
When PIP came in after attending review despite having Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia I failed to get any mobility.
I went to CAB and the lady helped me do appeal up to setting up Tribunal - but did not go with me so I went alone.
Needless to say nothing changed and I still didn’t get any mobility
My health deteriorated and again I went for another assessment but actually fell in the corridor from waiting room to the office.
The report said i walked safely and securely to and from the office so no mobility
I requested a mandatory reassessment but nothing changed.
I made the decision to find a solicitor to help me. They are very rare Solicitors who specifically deal with benefits but found a brilliant one in Sheffield!
They allowed me to psy the fees in instalments and importantly listened carefully to my case.
She has pulled the assessment and DWP apart big time and raised very important points which the Assessor reported but failed to mark = points which would have given me higher care but importantly mobility.
She is also attending my forthcoming tribunal hearing to put my legal challenge forward to the panel before they speak to me.
Whilst CAB is mostly very good with benefits, if you can somehow afford a solicitor to help I would recommend getting one because a solicitor looks at every aspect of your health, how it affects you and the Assessors records.
I hope this helps and good luck
Excellent information - thanks for sharing. This I hope encourages people to keep going on and challenging.