Claiming disability benefits (UK) (PIP)

[As sweet as-pie]

Hi all,
I've been out of education, employment or training for the past 2 years now. There is no way that I could get a job at this point, and I have tried to return to education several times now without success. This is a combination of both the fact I'm autistic and also other anxiety disorders such as social anxiety and PTSD.

Unfortunately, (without trying to get too political), the government have recently made a lot of cuts to disability benefits and especially specified that ATOS should discriminate against people with mental health issues.
For example someone who cannot walk and needs a wheelchair but can go out alone would get the mobility component whereas someone who cannot leave the house at all due to distress would not in most cases. I think this is completely wrong, mental disability is just as severe if not more as physical.

As far as the actual questions on the PIP form are concerned, I pretty much quality for everything as I suffer from executive dysfunction so I can't cook or eat or drink or shower etcetc without being reminded, I just get distracted doing something else. I noticed on the mobility questions and the questions about socialisation they asked if you experience severe anxiety or distress and I'm pretty sure this is a trick question given that you're less eligible if you experience anxiety. Perhaps this will be different because I have PTSD which is harder to cure but I doubt it. I just noted things about disorientation and meltdowns instead, hopefully that is enough.

I should have my assessment appointment soon but knowing what these people are like I'm worried I won't be awarded my benefits and will have to appeal, if I have to then I will but I really don't want to have to go through that if there's any way I can get them the first time round.

TL;DR Does anyone have any experience of PIP? (hopefully good ones...)
Is there any way I can convince them to award me my PIP the first time round given that I am undoubtedly disabled and should be given both components at the higher rate? (being disabled really isn't enough, their job is to decline as many people as possible unfortunately.) There is no other option, I can't work or study at this time.

 

[Streetwise]

What i did is apply for e.s.a
i was disallowed sounds so benign .
but won on appeal !
i too know how the fascistic atos works.
i applied for pip but am not terminally ill so you have to have the degrading distressing mandatory interview -so i refused if you refuse you have to wait six months to apply again.
if you go to the interview have evidence- have someone with you, DONT be the neurotypical mask and if you're in pain don't hide it -they watch you from the corridor the second they see you

 

[Streetwise]

TheY no longer act like humans aren't usually knowledgable about diseases or health problems
so take print outs about your problems- your doctors notes from the time you applied from not before that !!!!
Only your prescribed medicines make sure you've been taking them very recently -try to get a taxi .basically they want you to be near death
so they wont have to give you anything

 

[Streetwise]

Your gp may give you copies of your notes for free or charge you my gp did it for free.
make sure to get sick notes they are paper pushers !!!and if!!!!! they award you they can take weeks to pay you !!!,if you DONT have somewhere to stay find somewhere as backup as your housing benefit will be stopped , a lot of landlords are mercenary !.contact social services and get a slip to take to a foodbank from a socialworker or if you have no food go to the nearest foodbank tell them whats happened- its old news to them

TheY no longer act like humans aren't usually knowledgable about diseases or health problems
so take print outs about your problems- your doctors notes from the time you applied from not before that !!!!
Only your prescribed medicines make sure you've been taking them very recently -try to get a taxi .basically they want you to be near death
so they wont have to give you anything

 

[Streetwise]

I forgot make copies of everything sicknotes DONT write to the DWP as your only source of contact phone them they can avoid a letter and they bombard you with letters go to a welfare rights office
definitely tell them about aspergers or a.s.d if you've been or are awaiting diagnosis !!!

Your gp may give you copies of your notes for free or charge you my gp did it for free.
make sure to get sick notes they are paper pushers !!!and if!!!!! they award you they can take weeks to pay you !!!,if you DONT have somewhere to stay find somewhere as backup as your housing benefit will be stopped , a lot of landlords are mercenary !.contact social services and get a slip to take to a foodbank from a socialworker or if you have no food go to the nearest foodbank tell them whats happened- its old news to them

 

[toothless]

they wont give you higher rate mobility for mental issues such as mental health or aspergers/HFA unless its changed under PIP im basing this on my DLA knowledge, under the severe mental impairment category you have to have learning [intellectual] disability [although they call it 'mental impairment' but they mean intellectual impairment] with severe challenging behavior,i get DLA high rate mobility [not sure if ive been changed to PIP yet] under this category,but i also have had severe physical challenges for the past 5 odd years which ive never bothered passing onto them as ive had a life long award.

 

[Streetwise]

You should tell them as they are looking for any excuse ti disallow you
they are going to interview a blind man who was awarded for life decades ago

they wont give you higher rate mobility for mental issues such as mental health or aspergers/HFA unless its changed under PIP im basing this on my DLA knowledge, under the severe mental impairment category you have to have learning [intellectual] disability [although they call it 'mental impairment' but they mean intellectual impairment] with severe challenging behavior,i get DLA high rate mobility [not sure if ive been changed to PIP yet] under this category,but i also have had severe physical challenges for the past 5 odd years which ive never bothered passing onto them as ive had a life long award.

 

[xudo]

TL;DR Does anyone have any experience of PIP? (hopefully good ones...)

I have indirect experience. Sadly, not good. My best friend it HFA and has other complex problems, including social phobia and anxiety. She was turned down for PIP, and had to go to an appeal, which she (eventually) won. She basically doesn't leave the house and still lives at home. She does not qualify for the higher rate for mobility.

Is there any way I can convince them to award me my PIP the first time round given that I am undoubtedly disabled and should be given both components at the higher rate?

Essentially, no. You cannot convince them of anything, because ultimately they don't care about you. My Mum is physically disabled and was refused PIP (she didn't appeal even though I told her it was likely to be successful as the vast majority are). She also had her ESA taken away (again, didn't appeal) because they said she essentially wasn't disabled enough and was fit to work - she can hardly walk.

You are better off taking someone with you if possible, because at my Mum's last assessment (my sister went with her) they put things on the form they filled out during it that were wrong. I'm not saying they lied, but there were things which my Mum answered one way, and on the form were described another. There were also things that they just got wrong, like saying that she drove a manual car, when she drives an automatic because she cannot manage changing gears or using a clutch with her left foot.

I would also suggest getting some advice (if possible) from any Autism services in your area, or if that is not possible, from the National Autistic Society. The National Autistic Society | - NAS

 

[xudo]

You should tell them as they are looking for any excuse ti disallow you
they are going to interview a blind man who was awarded for life decades ago

Coincidentally, @VenomousAlbino is registered blind and has a lifetime DLA award. He has already been told that he will need to be reassessed when he gets switched to PIP. I'm not sure if they expect his sight to have miraculously returned, but there we are. He will also likely lose money as PIP has removed the middle band that previously existed under DLA.

 

[Streetwise]

It might be you IM talking about
my memory frightens me i forget things so quickly now
used to have a photographic memory been gone for 17 years now

Coincidentally, @VenomousAlbino is registered blind and has a lifetime DLA award. He has already been told that he will need to be reassessed when he gets switched to PIP. I'm not sure if they expect his sight to have miraculously returned, but there we are. He will also likely lose money as PIP has removed the middle band that previously existed under DLA.

 

[xudo]

It might be you IM talking about
my memory frightens me i forget things so quickly now
used to have a photographic memory been gone for 17 years now

Probably is me! One of my friend's has an Uncle who is missing a foot. He still has to go to be reassessed, as if they expect it to have grown back.

 

[Streetwise]

Probably is me! One of my friend's has an Uncle who is missing a foot. He still has to go to be reassessed, as if they expect it to have grown back.

Its the start of the fascist era
first the NAZIS gassed the retarded and mentally ill
then what they called ubermenschen

 

[Streetwise]

Sorry replace ubermenschen with UNTERMENSCHEN

 

[toothless]

You should tell them as they are looking for any excuse ti disallow you
they are going to interview a blind man who was awarded for life decades ago

hi streetwise! i am strongly thinking of adding it to the list,because... as you say they do look for any excuse to take away the benefit,years ago it took me two years to get high rate mobility as every time my carers applied,they were turned down with 'its only for wheelchair bound people' which was bull crap as i lived with multiple people who were on it under the severe mental impairment plus severe behavior difficulties criteria,i was represented by a manager and a social services worker in a tribunal and the three tribunal workers declared within 15 minutes that it should never have got this far and i clearly make the criteria and got awarded it for life.

however,the DWP dont do life awards anymore and anyone on a so called life award can be brought in to ATOS to harass them like the SS.
like i have always said,ATOS just dont give a toss,they know less than we do on mental impairment.

 

[Streetwise]

They know a lot less about a lot -some are nurses never bother to educate them selves as i said its just the Nazi thing they can stand can work -cant stand but lets not think about that

 

[Mr Allen]

18 months ago I was put on ESA and told by Government Doctors that I can't work, I was literally like, WTF?! So basically I've wasted the last 20 odd years volunteering for nearly every Charity in Sheffield?! Surely the fact I've done all that volunteering means I could work in SOME capacity, not 50 hours a week, but part time even?!

 

[Streetwise]

18 months ago I was put on ESA and told by Government Doctors that I can't work, I was literally like, WTF?! So basically I've wasted the last 20 odd years volunteering for nearly every Charity in Sheffield?! Surely the fact I've done all that volunteering means I could work in SOME capacity, not 50 hours a week, but part time even?!

You just DONT always get the result you hoped for you dont have to accept their decision