New PIP award - worth challenging scorings?

AlwaysLearnin

We have received a PIP decision for our daughter today, awarding her enhanced for both daily living and mobility. She's moving from DLA.

Although we're happy that enhanced for both reflects her situation overall, we don't believe that some of the scorings for individual categories accurately reflect her abilities (being marked down).  As she has reached the threshold for an enhanced award anyway, is it worth challenging the scorings, i.e. could it have an impact on anything else in future?  Obviously we don't want to impact the current award though, hence asking for opinions here before doing anything.

In case it's relevant, she's been given a 5 year award (so we appreciate some things could change prior to the next review anyway).

Many thanks.

Alice_Holt

No,  it's not.

You risk having the award reduced or ended. 

I have seen this happen many times at my local Citizens Advice, and then the client has a long and stressful wait for a tribunal to try to get the MR decision reversed.

Leave well alone, your daughter has the maximum award possible.

AlwaysLearnin

Thanks for that - no ambiguity there! . 

That was our gut feel, but just didn't want to miss something we perhaps weren't aware of.

HillStreetBlues

AlwaysLearnin said:

Thanks for that - no ambiguity there! . 

That was our gut feel, but just didn't want to miss something we perhaps weren't aware of.

Totally agree with Alice_Holt

The only reason to challenge a decision would be Mobility and being marked down so stopped an automatic Blue Badge.
But the risk is just too great, better to get your local council assess if that's the case.

poppy12345

Agree with the others here. She has the maximum award and no amount of extra points will get her a higher award. My daughter has the same award and scored less than she really should have but there's nothing to challenge so it's been left alone since 2017.

calcotti

Even at a tribunal they would not necessarily look at every descriptor - once enough points are reached they usually stop looking.

Spoonie_Turtle

HillStreetBlues said:

AlwaysLearnin said:

Thanks for that - no ambiguity there! . 

That was our gut feel, but just didn't want to miss something we perhaps weren't aware of.

Totally agree with Alice_Holt

The only reason to challenge a decision would be Mobility and being marked down so stopped an automatic Blue Badge.

OP says the award was enhanced for both.

HillStreetBlues

Spoonie_Turtle said:

HillStreetBlues said:

AlwaysLearnin said:

Thanks for that - no ambiguity there! . 

That was our gut feel, but just didn't want to miss something we perhaps weren't aware of.

Totally agree with Alice_Holt

The only reason to challenge a decision would be Mobility and being marked down so stopped an automatic Blue Badge.

OP says the award was enhanced for both.

But that doesn't mean an automatic Blue Badge award.

poppy12345

HillStreetBlues said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

HillStreetBlues said:

AlwaysLearnin said:

Thanks for that - no ambiguity there! . 

That was our gut feel, but just didn't want to miss something we perhaps weren't aware of.

Totally agree with Alice_Holt

The only reason to challenge a decision would be Mobility and being marked down so stopped an automatic Blue Badge.

OP says the award was enhanced for both.

But that doesn't mean an automatic Blue Badge award.

No it doesn't but challenging an award for this reason is quite odd. As pointed out by calcotti, even at Tribunal they don't always look at every descriptor. Once you reach maximum points for Enhanced, they very often stop at that.

HillStreetBlues

poppy12345 said:

HillStreetBlues said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

HillStreetBlues said:

AlwaysLearnin said:

Thanks for that - no ambiguity there! . 

That was our gut feel, but just didn't want to miss something we perhaps weren't aware of.

Totally agree with Alice_Holt

The only reason to challenge a decision would be Mobility and being marked down so stopped an automatic Blue Badge.

OP says the award was enhanced for both.

But that doesn't mean an automatic Blue Badge award.

No it doesn't but challenging an award for this reason is quite odd. As pointed out by calcotti, even at Tribunal they don't always look at every descriptor. Once you reach maximum points for Enhanced, they very often stop at that.

Which I already stated wouldn't be wise.

Muttleythefrog

Chalk it up to experience... the system is imperfect. What I ended up doing in similar circumstances is putting in a MR request which resulted in no change (as is most common). I would have appealed but wife threatened divorce. The reason I pursued was for my own mental health rather than the overall award (which was correct)... on one hand I'm arguing I suffer difficulties with activities regarding an obsession with correctness and propriety which is disabling me (e.g. when dressing) and then on the other hand expect to simply accept incorrectness and impropriety... doesn't work like that. I suffered for years with what I considered was a flawed benefit award and the associated guilt, paranoia, fear and anxiety of that... so much so I considered several times cancelling the claim and losing the entire award... again my wife was persuasive against.

However the award will be reviewed and most likely in the year before current expires... as mine was. At that time once again complete the form, this time the review one, and describe difficulties including if there have been no changes. That review could result in different descriptors being selected - this is what happened to me.... they actually decided that my difficulties had not changed (as described) and justified their choice of descriptors saying that there had been no change.... however... they actually applied all the correct descriptors in all activities... they did not keep the same descriptors despite saying otherwise.... the disinterested Decision Maker simply rubber stamped a paper based assessment that actually seriously considered what I had said and agreed with me completely. I'm actually in the middle of my latest review and I argued all current descriptors awarded remain correct... let's hope they agree!

So my advice, unless there is some burning need otherwise, is to accept the overall award is correct and that underlying detail over time may well be ironed out... plus as you point to change can happen anyway. 

Perhaps turn focus to how the money can be used to improve her life... and also look at some of the added benefits of the award... for example being able to take a carer to many venues...free entry to some others... getting disabled railcard... possible blue badge (may or may not qualify automatically)... concessionary bus pass... etc... although if she's been on DLA then perhaps many of these things have already been thought of.