Starting the DLA to PIP Battle

Hello, my name is Rich. I am a new member and first time poster.

We recently got the dreaded letter about my wife transferring from DLA to PIP. Sleepless nights before even making the initial phone call!

We are lucky because I have been her unpaid carer for a few years so I am able to make this pretty much a full-time job. I don’t know how people manage with no one to help them with this. I am treating it like a military campaign.

I have made an appointment at a local CAB office where I am told they are spending most of their time completing PIP and ESA forms.

I think there are some activities that my wife will get no points for even though she struggles with them. I will focus on the ones where she absolutely should qualify.

I will type up my answers to those questions and refer to the relevant evidence that we have using the guide from here. I will take my answers along with all the evidence to the CAB interview. We can see if they can be improved or added to.

Naturally I will keep copies of everything that we send to the DWP.

I am already thinking ahead to a F2F assessment and I am prepared for the fact that she might get no points and we have to go for MR and appeal. We will do whatever it takes.

It took a year and a whole new application to get DLA but we did it. They don’t know who they are dealing with.


Just one question. On the initial phone call, I was asked if we would be getting assistance with the form. I mentioned CAB and they asked which particular office. That seemed a bit odd to me. Should I be worried?

Cheers

Rich

Only a year Rich!

It took me a horrendous nearly 7 years including the 6 months statutory waiting time between each time when I took it as far as I could go. It was a terrible journey with appeals of appeals. Meek and mild me was driven to despair when the heartless head of the panel woman brought the decision to me (to save me trying to walk back down) that turned me down yet again. I totally lost it. I cried and screamed at her (not the best thing but I had been through so much); asking why genuine people were being turned down when their own staff had looked out of the window at applicants they had suspected weren't genuine to see them punching them air shouting, 'Yes! and running down the street. She just looked very uncomfortable and murmured something about, 'Well, this is the final decision, I'm sorry.' I did eventually get it after yet another 6 month wait without any appeals etc so go figure! Now it starts all over again which I am dreading.

Capyboppy, 7 years? That's insane.

This is such a random process. I keep swinging between everything is going to be fine and she will probably get no points. Mostly when I am lying awake in bed.

The government said that the aim was to reduce the cost of this benefit by 20% and it seems to be at the expense of the most vulnerable. We definitely need to stick together and support each other in this.

Rich

Good luck Rich. The documents available on this website advising how to fill in the PIP 2 form are extremely valuable. Make sure you get plenty of evidence from Health professionals, and don't forget you can also submit evidence as her carer. Target your evidence to meet the various descriptors. Answer all questions on the PIP2 form in as much detail as you can.

Good luck!

Rich wrote: Capyboppy, 7 years? That's insane.

Rich

Indeed! I went through 2 different CAB legal advisors it took that long. There was the initial application followed by asking for a re-decision; followed by an appeal; followed by an appeal of the appeal (where there is an error of law; in my case the pain I was in hadn't been taken into account when walking repeatedly - and I still lost!). If it has gone as far as an appeal of the appeal and one is still turned down; you can or could apply again after 6 months if there was new evidence to support your claim. The length of time between each stage after re-applying just dragged it out. Add to that the 6 months each complete failure; that is what made it so long. Yet when I was finally awarded DLA there had been no interviews at all, just a checking up with the Dr and that was it. I am sure part of it is done by how the assessor is on the day:ohmy: