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PIP for ADHD - anxiety

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Comments

  • OP - what I'm saying is be prepared to discuss these issues, because you may be questioned about them

    I do not have any interest in your travelling activity, but having gone through the PIP process myself, supported a partner going through it and another family member for all aspects, I have seen and read assessor reports and been at a tribunal. 

    I don't dismiss your difficulties - what I'm trying to stress here is that the assessor may choose this point as something to jump on and probe. 

    I'm not at all questioning your difficulties and issues. I'm trying to explain from my experience what to be prepared to answer. Because assessors can take a single point, and use it as justification to why you "should" be able to do something else. I've just gone through this for 13 months supporting my partner's appeal based on much more mundane points. 

    I'm trying to provide you with advice on what possibly may happen. 
  • OP - what I'm saying is be prepared to discuss these issues, because you may be questioned about them

    I do not have any interest in your travelling activity, but having gone through the PIP process myself, supported a partner going through it and another family member for all aspects, I have seen and read assessor reports and been at a tribunal. 

    I don't dismiss your difficulties - what I'm trying to stress here is that the assessor may choose this point as something to jump on and probe. 

    I'm not at all questioning your difficulties and issues. I'm trying to explain from my experience what to be prepared to answer. Because assessors can take a single point, and use it as justification to why you "should" be able to do something else. I've just gone through this for 13 months supporting my partner's appeal based on much more mundane points. 

    I'm trying to provide you with advice on what possibly may happen. 
    Yes, I know. I'm well aware they'll likely use anything they can to deny me. 

    It's just all so depressing. I've never claimed any benefits in my entire life, have tried to do my best, get by without help, and now I'm at a point where I've reached rock bottom and am struggling to keep going.

    What's ridiculous to me is that I'm also sure they'll use the fact I work against me, when the whole point of PIP is it's not means tested and it's supposed to just cover some of the costs your disability means you incur. I'm quite close to being signed off sick right now, and if I lose my job, I'll be costing the country much more in benefits than I would for getting a bit of support to help me work full time. It would make a world of difference to me to be able to afford to buy things that would almost definitely improve my life and mitigate the effects of my disability - meal prep, a cleaner, regular therapy with someone specialising in ADHD, maybe some kind of coaching. I could be so much productive than I currently am. With the right support, I could be earning more money, contributing more, costing the NHS less (through fewer appointments due to the effects of my disability on my physical health) and much, much happier, but they make it so hard. 

    It's just all so ridiculous. 
  • Charles_Foxtrot
    Charles_Foxtrot Posts: 58 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 10 Posts Photogenic Combo Breaker
    edited 28 August 2023 at 4:04PM
    I completely understand your frustration, and having to deal with the process for about 14 months with my partner I empathise with your worries. 

    After looking back at this whole fiasco we went through since June 2022, and all the paperwork, it seems that in our case (this is an anecdote, I can’t speak for everyone) that the assessor was very specific and hung up on asking my partner what CAN you do, in regards to every descriptor. The language they use seems designed to tease out what you can do, rather than what you CAN’T do. 

    The language in the assessor report was not lies or false statements, but misinterpretations and some contradictions. We used those errors to challenge the decision and won. But it was a long long slog. In retrospect I wish we asked for it to be recorded, but we were able to cross reference all the info in the assessor report, DWP decision, and initial application to unequivocally prove things were not recorded correctly.

    And there wasn’t much room for discussion about frequency, etc. my impression having gone through it myself, with my partner, and a close friend is that you need to be prepared for every little question and focus on explaining what you can’t do in a reasonable period of time, to an acceptable standard, and safely over half the time. 

    This is where it gets nebulous - the “over half the time” can be over the course of a week (4/7 days) or over a month (16/30 days) or even seasonal. 

    So to reiterate, I am in no way criticising your travelling or what you can or cannot do, just having gone through this PIP mill three times in four years I have seen how the assessments are done, questions that are asked, and importantly how the “bias” in the questions is geared to WHAT CAN YOU DO first. So what I was trying to say to is that if they bring up travel, they are likely to hone in and focus on “ok you can travel abroad, so what’s your problem getting around at home?”

    I think I mentioned it already, but in my partner’s case they used the fact that she can use a mobile phone as “proof” that they have dexterity to peel and chop vegetables. Despite the voluminous paperwork about her fibromyalgia, arthritis, etc. And the fact they described they couldn’t do it in the initial application. 

    When we filed the appeal after the MR was refused, DWP then said that the whole not being able to peel and chop vegetables was a new condition and the entire case should be dismissed. When we went to tribunal, I swear 30% of the time we spent in the room with the judge, doctor and some other person was hung up on potatoes. 

    You just can’t make this stuff up.

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