Experiences of claiming pip on mental health grounds.

Lunar_tick

To be honest I found the lady from capita very pleasant so don't listen to all the horror stories you may get a friendly one good luck!��

Mrskitty

Hi

I am on ESA for depression and anxiety after losing my son at 24 weeks in 2015. I had to appeal the decision for that and had a assessment for it. I would like to try and get pip but am scare of having to go to assessment again as it never seen that bad so was looking for advice if it would be worth doing if I have to more stress on myself.

poppy12345

Mrskitty wrote: »

Hi

I am on ESA for depression and anxiety after losing my son at 24 weeks in 2015. I had to appeal the decision for that and had a assessment for it. I would like to try and get pip but am scare of having to go to assessment again as it never seen that bad so was looking for advice if it would be worth doing if I have to more stress on myself.

It would have been better if you had started your own thread with this question as it will attract more people and advice. I'll answer your question now though as it's here.

PIP isn't awarded based on a diagnosis, it's how those conditions affect you daily. You will need evidence to support a claim. This can be anything from letters from GP/Consultants, Letters from Social Worker/Support Worker, letter from someone that knows you well, a diary written by yourself, a recent print out of all current medication, things like this. Don't expect them to contact anyone for evidence because it rarely happens.

Most people have assessments for PIP, like ESA. It's rare to have a paper based assessment but it is possible. You'll need to send plenty of evidence to support your claim but even then the chances are very slim.

There's a PIP self test that you can complete online. It's not definite that you'll score those points but it will give you some idea.
Complete the test here. http://www.mybenefitsandwork.co.uk/pip/indexxx.php

Claim times vary depending on the back log in your area but don't expect it to be just a few weeks. Like ESA if a decision doesn't go in your favour you have the MR and Tribunal route.

Danday

Difficulties arising from mental health are indeed difficult to get over to an assessor - certainly for PIP in my experience. I have both, mental & physical and only the physical ones have given me the points. In fact in each of the three assessors reports it says that I do not have any mental health problems - yet I was assessed by a DWP doctor who confirmed I had and was awarded a different 40% disablement benefit for life!
The way I look at it, I fight what I can win (the physical difficulties) and ignore the one that I can't win (the mental health difficulties).

poppy12345

Mrskitty, please be aware of Dandy and his advice, it isn't the greatest. Lots of people claim PIP for mental health, my daughter for one. She claims Enhanced for both and is purely based on mental health. As i advised in my above post, evidence will be needed.

Alice_Holt

Mrskitty,

Rethink Mental Illness have a good guide on PIP.
https://www.rethink.org/about-us

As poppy says it is perfectly possible to get PIP on mental health grounds.

This is another good site:
https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/personal-independence-payment-pip
They have a comprehensive guide on claiming PIP on mental health grounds.
Membership costs c.£20 but is well worth it if you can't get help from an advice agency.

Good luck, and please don't be put off by PIP horror stories.

Danday

poppy12345 wrote: »

Mrskitty, please be aware of Dandy and his advice, it isn't the greatest. Lots of people claim PIP for mental health, my daughter for one. She claims Enhanced for both and is purely based on mental health. As i advised in my above post, evidence will be needed.

I don't believe I gave any advice as such, just my own experience of mental health and PIP. All of my awards relate entirely to physical difficulties. The assessment reports (3) within the past 5 years all state under the mental health section of the report that I do not have any mental illness - I didn't rock, I didn't sweat, etc etc 16 or so different one liners. The first time I tried to disprove all of those statements but got nowhere fast. Does everyone that has a mental illness rock when seated or sweat? I don't so therefore I am not mentally ill. Try it yourself trying to disprove each one of them - it's impossible..
Thankfully I have a DWP doctor agree that I do have mental health difficulties. Unfortunately the assessor refused to agree that that confirmation carred any weight.

My experience only. Others may well have had different scenarios.

w06

very sorry for your loss MrsKitty

It's worth completing the application and being open and honest both on the application and at the assessment.

I claimed PIP for physical health reasons, I don't recall whether I added depression on the form, woudln't have included it in a disability sense for me, but an antidepressant was on my medication list. The assessor at my face to face meeting picked up on that and asked all the appropriate questions even though I'd said it's not why I'm claiming, she was very on the ball about mental health and the mental health consequences of physical illness too.

Ames

Danday wrote: »

I don't believe I gave any advice as such, just my own experience of mental health and PIP. All of my awards relate entirely to physical difficulties. The assessment reports (3) within the past 5 years all state under the mental health section of the report that I do not have any mental illness - I didn't rock, I didn't sweat, etc etc 16 or so different one liners. The first time I tried to disprove all of those statements but got nowhere fast. Does everyone that has a mental illness rock when seated or sweat? I don't so therefore I am not mentally ill. Try it yourself trying to disprove each one of them - it's impossible..
Thankfully I have a DWP doctor agree that I do have mental health difficulties. Unfortunately the assessor refused to agree that that confirmation carred any weight.

My experience only. Others may well have had different scenarios.

The problem is, your 'experience' is completely different to everyone else's. And your reading of the rules is also often far too literal.

With this in mind you really shouldn't be advising people on here as you give a completely false impression of how the system works. Your 'advice' could lead to someone missing out on their entitlement, and almost certainly puts people through an unnecessary amount of stress.

---

"I think newcomers to this forum need to bear in mind that this is a public site on which anyone can post. You can't assume information is trustworthy, indeed some posters are known to disrupt, post disinformation, and tell tall stories.

I would caution newcomers to be wary of any advice supplied that doesn't contain a link to an authoritative site. Such sites include adviceguide, entitled to, turn2us, revenuebenefits.
Accredited benefit advice is available from local advice agencies such as Citizens Advice.

Please don't take horror stories about benefit assessments, appeals etc at face value. There are posters on here who whose aim seems to be to alarm, frighten, and generally dissuade OP's from pursuing sensible actions to claim / regain the right benefits.

Harmful and misleading posters are easily identified by the reaction to their posts."

bspm1

Danday wrote: »

I don't believe I gave any advice as such, just my own experience of mental health and PIP. All of my awards relate entirely to physical difficulties. The assessment reports (3) within the past 5 years all state under the mental health section of the report that I do not have any mental illness - I didn't rock, I didn't sweat, etc etc 16 or so different one liners. The first time I tried to disprove all of those statements but got nowhere fast. Does everyone that has a mental illness rock when seated or sweat? I don't so therefore I am not mentally ill. Try it yourself trying to disprove each one of them - it's impossible..
Thankfully I have a DWP doctor agree that I do have mental health difficulties. Unfortunately the assessor refused to agree that that confirmation carred any weight.

My experience only. Others may well have had different scenarios.

No it is not impossible, telling people it is will not help them much will it.

.............................................................................................................................................................................

"I think newcomers to this forum need to bear in mind that this is a public site on which anyone can post. You can't assume information is trustworthy, indeed some posters are known to disrupt, post disinformation, and tell tall stories.

I would caution newcomers to be wary of any advice supplied that doesn't contain a link to an authoritative site. Such sites include adviceguide, entitled to, turn2us, revenuebenefits.
Accredited benefit advice is available from local advice agencies such as Citizens Advice.

Please don't take horror stories about benefit assessments, appeals etc at face value. There are posters on here who whose aim seems to be to alarm, frighten, and generally dissuade OP's from pursuing sensible actions to claim / regain the right benefits.

Harmful and misleading posters are easily identified by the reaction to their posts."