PIP renewal

Hi Gordon,

I'm seeing my CBT therapist and I'm going to ask her if she will do me a letter of support around the issues that the assessor has listed as justifications for my award.

he has acknowledged that I'm receiving input for CFS and that it is progressive illness but has disregarded that in the justification for length of award and is highlighting the fact that I am receving no specialist input for anxiety and no medication so is recommending 1 year for review as could be expected to improve after counselling.

There is two issues with that the first that my functioning in terms of the descriptors is affected by my CFS, anxiety and depression and I have documented this on PIP form at assessment and have FME and as I'm receiving specialist CFS input I feel that the assessor has discounted all of this and is foucussing on that I'm receiving no input for anxiety which is not accurate anyway.
Another issue Along side throughout the report in the main body and justification boxes he is referring to me as no anxiety at assessment and looking tired but not fatigued is challenging the fact that I have these conditions and how therefore how they effect me. Also in the justification boxes he using informal observations which are not accurate and lies and because he is using the informal observations as evidence we are getting into the territory of what happened at assessment is inaccurate in term of me being highly anxious and breaking down several times at interview and shaking to which I have a welfare offiicer as witness and I have a recording.
I know you said just to focus on what would get me points rather than the recording etc but as he is using inaccuracies in the justification boxes from the informal observational to justify the descriptors he has given me, isn't it right in this case that I need to challenge this? I'm not sure how to do this without mentioning the recording and what actually happened? As what actually happened proves I was showing signs of anxiety at assessent.

Also could you advise me as I want the assessor to look at my length of award also on the basis that it is significantly worsed my mental health. I only have a limited number of CBT sessions due to funding which is coming to an end and then my doctor will be able to re-refer but will have to wait again. But during my course of CBT session I have had to use up a considerable amount of my sessions due to heighten distress and anxiety due to the PIP process and the therapist has also had to call me outside of sessions due to the immense anxiety. On top of this I feel that my anxiety has significantly worsened due to the PIP process.
Can you help suggest what I can and my therapist can argue in terms of my length of award and impact on my Mental health? What kind of thing is grounds for evidence of this that I can ask my therapist to comment on?

thanks
AC

Thank you Gordon.

What can I say and my therapist regarding my mental health and my length of award. I have my last session with her tomorrow and I have just spoken to her regarding all of this. I'm having to spend my last session tomorrow with her regarding PIP and my distress, again instead of my scheduled CBT session, she is going to try and draft a letter to discuss tomorrow. She has said that the PIP process has dominated my therapy and used up many of my sessions unfortunately and I feel that i feel that it has made my mental health significantly worse and I have not improved with the CBT and now I will need to wait to be able to get a re-referral and for the CBT component of the CFS, the waiting list is about a year.
I cannot cope mentally with the distress and anxiety relentless having to go through this in a year or less time. It is not fair as I recently overtuned my last assessment at tribunal to be in this position again. the assessor on the recording said I know you're not likely to improve and that he would acknowledge it on the report and then blatantly gave me a year. What can I do re: getting a longer award on the basis of MH if they are not interested in CFS?

thanks
AC

Hi Gordon,
yes true but given I've given my full history in detail of my conditions and treatment that I have had for a long time and they have not changed.

Also the 1 year justification for the award (previous was given 2yrs) says that with counselling I would be expected to imnprove - for one why? I've had counselling and psychotherapy over the years and I have stayed the same, so why would another course make a miraculous difference.
Also I have my last session today of second round of CBT and things are the same. Thats just the mental health side of things. The CFS has been dismissed he say it's a progressive illness and that I have input but then dismissed it on grounds that I do not have specialist input for anxiety. They are two separate conditions and my CFS input which is under the same team as CBT in CFS team has finished and the CFS FME says there has been no improvement. I'm seeing my CBT therapist today for my last session and see if she can comment that there has been no improvement but as far as I'm concerened there has not and will be getting a re-referal as due to funding the team cannot see people on a ongoing basis after there number of sessions have finished and have to be discharged and re-reffered.

I'm just a my wits end with it all

thanks

AC