PIP Tribunal- adjournment no 2!!

tgj137

Hi all,
Diagnosed with CFS (2018), depression (1996), and anxiety (2016), I’ve been fighting for PIP since a 0-point assessment (Nov 2023). My evidence is I believe robust.
My tribunal has now faced two adjournments:
• March 19, 2025: DWP failed to provide evidence (LCWRA, PIP 2017, ESA). This delay worsened my anxiety/depression.
• June 5, 2025: Postponed due to an incomplete panel / judge illness.
I requested a DWP settlement pre-June 5, but got no response. Delays are causing financial stress (CCJ, supporting wife and four kids). I’ve sent an urgent hearing request to HMCTS, citing my crisis. Any advice on pushing DWP or expediting the hearing? How long for an urgent request decision?
Thanks,

HillStreetBlues

tgj137 said:

Hi all,
Diagnosed with CFS (2018), depression (1996), and anxiety (2016), I’ve been fighting for PIP since a 0-point assessment (Nov 2023). My evidence is I believe robust.
My tribunal has now faced two adjournments:
• March 19, 2025: DWP failed to provide evidence (LCWRA, PIP 2017, ESA). This delay worsened my anxiety/depression.
• June 5, 2025: Postponed due to an incomplete panel / judge illness.
I requested a DWP settlement pre-June 5, but got no response. Delays are causing financial stress (CCJ, supporting wife and four kids). I’ve sent an urgent hearing request to HMCTS, citing my crisis. Any advice on pushing DWP or expediting the hearing? How long for an urgent request decision?
Thanks,

I don't recall seeing a post about someone requesting an urgent hearing. The only thing I could think of is getting tour MP involved, but not sure that would quicken anything up.

Muttleythefrog

As above my only immediate thought is MP involvement

peteuk

tgj137 said:

Hi all,
Diagnosed with CFS (2018), depression (1996), and anxiety (2016), I’ve been fighting for PIP since a 0-point assessment (Nov 2023). My evidence is I believe robust.
My tribunal has now faced two adjournments:
• March 19, 2025: DWP failed to provide evidence (LCWRA, PIP 2017, ESA). This delay worsened my anxiety/depression.
• June 5, 2025: Postponed due to an incomplete panel / judge illness.
I requested a DWP settlement pre-June 5, but got no response. Delays are causing financial stress (CCJ, supporting wife and four kids). I’ve sent an urgent hearing request to HMCTS, citing my crisis. Any advice on pushing DWP or expediting the hearing? How long for an urgent request decision?
Thanks,

Can I check, your assessment/outcome was November 2023, you’ve gone down the MR/tribunal route and are awaiting the date?

what was your PIP 2017 outcome?  LCWRA AND ESA assessment don’t really come into PIP…

So I’m assuming that PIP assessment 2017, was for the two conditions.  Which the assessor now feels are not a factor in life, to the point that it occurs the majority of the time.  Hence the nil point assessment.

You May feel that your evidence is robust, but if it’s the evidence provided for PIP assessment then this may well not be the case.  Use this time wisely to review the situation, ensure you’ve evidence is all together and that you’ve got notes for if they ask you questions at the tribunal.

Head over to the debt forums for help in other areas of life…

tgj137

PIP awarded at Tribunal 2017 for two years. Thought I had cracked CFS until relapse in 2023 when I reapplied.
Then MR and on to Tribual in March 2025. The Tribunal was specifically adjourned because the panel had looked at my evidence and stated reports of ESA and LCWRA should have been included in evidence as they show recognition of my condition by the DWP. 

Muttleythefrog

peteuk said:

tgj137 said:

Hi all,
Diagnosed with CFS (2018), depression (1996), and anxiety (2016), I’ve been fighting for PIP since a 0-point assessment (Nov 2023). My evidence is I believe robust.
My tribunal has now faced two adjournments:
• March 19, 2025: DWP failed to provide evidence (LCWRA, PIP 2017, ESA). This delay worsened my anxiety/depression.
• June 5, 2025: Postponed due to an incomplete panel / judge illness.
I requested a DWP settlement pre-June 5, but got no response. Delays are causing financial stress (CCJ, supporting wife and four kids). I’ve sent an urgent hearing request to HMCTS, citing my crisis. Any advice on pushing DWP or expediting the hearing? How long for an urgent request decision?
Thanks,

what was your PIP 2017 outcome?  LCWRA AND ESA assessment don’t really come into PIP…

They regularly do...as surely you must recognise.. either submitted by claimant and considered (I'm one and there can be no denial the evidence has been used interchangeably as assessors have listed it as evidence considered and referred to/quoted from it in giving opinion.. and the decisions have repeated same)... or sometimes considered by Tribunals (even if not supplied by claimant - we've had the lengthy threads by a particular member who has faced tribunal that considered findings from the other benefit to their detriment).

There's a near limitless number of reasons they may be considered relevant for evidence but given both PIP and the WCA look at illnesses and disablements, and their durability and treatment etc, suffered (or claimed to be suffered) by a claimant and considered by the same government department there's going to be potential for cross referencing. Obviously we don't see the details here in this case, and they're not relevant to their query which is about timely appeal tribunal given two postponements, but suggestion that there may have been rejection of sufferance of particular problems that had already been assessed to exist by the DWP perhaps... I would not be surprised a tribunal would want to see full details if this sort of thing has arisen.

And vice versa... WCA can involve PIP material. 

I mean imagine a claimant has LCWRA because they "Cannot convey food or drink to the claimant’s own mouth without receiving physical assistance from someone else" and PIP assessment later concludes "Can take nutrition unaided" then at face value there's a problem... the descriptors would stand out as seemingly at some conflict... probably not both true... or would need explanation such as changed health/treatment to become both true but at different times assessed.

(Note the government plan to eliminate the WCA and use PIP assessments as a primary driver for determining eligibility for work related disablement payments and it is possible they'll make them more similar in criteria  before this happens).

tgj137

Thank you for your reply. I must admit I was somewhat confused by the comment that LCWRA and ESA don't really come into PIP. It would seem to me that an award for LCWRA alone would be a significant piece of evidence if awarded for the same diagnosis as a claim for PIP - this was the reason for the adjournment in the first place!
The judge was actually quite apologetic on the day when I asked if we couldn't proceed without it. 
I will push for a case manager to reasses my claim and push for an offer prior to a new hearing- whenever that is - but won't hold my breath. I will at the lest submit the request through the HMCTS portal so it is also recorded as evidence.

Muttleythefrog

tgj137 said:

Thank you for your reply. I must admit I was somewhat confused by the comment that LCWRA and ESA don't really come into PIP. It would seem to me that an award for LCWRA alone would be a significant piece of evidence if awarded for the same diagnosis as a claim for PIP - this was the reason for the adjournment in the first place!
The judge was actually quite apologetic on the day when I asked if we couldn't proceed without it. 
I will push for a case manager to reasses my claim and push for an offer prior to a new hearing- whenever that is - but won't hold my breath. I will at the lest submit the request through the HMCTS portal so it is also recorded as evidence.

Crucially in all this focus on the descriptors....the statements of disability...how are you disabled... how does that play out for the activities looked at... underlying diagnosis is important but in helping explain the problems and to underpin a justification for choice of descriptor in assessing what applies. So just be a little careful in terms of..hmmm...oversimplification... probably not the right word.. but keep in mind PIP won't be awarded because of a diagnosis (unless for example terminal cancer for Daily Living) as such.. and nor will LCWRA... but diagnosis might help explain the disablements. It's likely the tribunal are interested in material beyond diagnosis in paperwork they postponed in the absence of.. not least as there would be more reliable ways to verify diagnosis typically such as letters from specialists who actually diagnosed or treat you which you may well have supplied as evidence. So be prepared for them looking through those documents to see what has previously been determined about your abilities and disablements. You should be absolutely in the knowledge about what is contained in documents the tribunal will see and understand full details surrounding the LCWRA award (the descriptor awarded (or descriptors) that got you LCWRA could be important in playing a role to arguing for many disablements in PIP such as because of inability to perform a couple of sequential actions... or specific ones such as the eating example I gave in previous post).

Have clear in your mind which point scoring descriptors you feel apply to you and be ready to explain in detail how disablement plays out in relation to them. Also... given your conditions... it's especially important to have in mind the reliability criteria... in order to be considered able to complete a task you must be able to do it safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in reasonable time. So for example if you get dressed but it takes you 2 hours then that's not in reasonable time and so you aren't considered able to get dressed. Often with conditions like anxiety and depression it's about impressing on assessors or tribunals etc the difficulties you face through trying to initiate (many require prompting by another person or encouragement) and perform tasks properly (often things like anxiety disorders dramatically add complexity and barriers to progressing successfully or safely through a task) that at face value physically you should have no barrier to doing.

I might be repeating here a lot of 'yes I know all that' but it could be helpful for other readers and is worth reminding ahead of what I hope is an imminent tribunal.