Diary of a benefit claimant.

Whiff, it sounds like you've had a really tough time, and I hope the PIP claim is concluded soon. And it's good that you've been offered (and accepted) assistance with fitting practical items that will hopefully make things a little easier for you. I can't imagine why anyone would disapprove.

Your neighbour sounds lovely, MissAdventure!

Good morning, Whiff

Would you consider writing to your Member of Parliament about this please? He or she might possibly be able to get you some sort of payment, maybe an ex gratia payment as you have been ill and the medical people could not name it.

There is an online way to find a way to contact him or her.

LINK > www.parliament.uk/business/commons/

There is a search faci;ity to find who is your MP and his or her contact details at the right hand side of the page.

You may be able to send an email.

If you do send an email please be sure to put your full name, full postal address and postcode in the email, as there are strict rules about an MP can only represent his or her own constituents and their staff need to check that. An email without that information might get a request for it or might just be discarded.

It is also a good idea to include something like the following.

I am happy for you to forward this email to the relevant Secretary of State.

That is because of the way data protection rules are sometimes interpreted. The easier it is for the MP to get things moving the better it may be for you.

The key thing to getting results is to make helping you as quick and easy as possible. An MP gets lots of correspondence, the quicker and easier it is to resolve what you are asking to be done the beter are your chances of things moving along.

An MP told me years ago that if an individual writes to a Minister, then a civil servant deals with it. But if an MP writes to a Minister, although the civil servants may look into it and draft a reply, a Minister (maybe a junior Minister, but a Minister) must see it and sign it.

I know that Parliament goes into recess for the summer but MPs are still active and their offices are running and the MPs have access to Ministers.

You seem quite effective at writing, but if you are stuck as to how to phrase it or whatever, just ask here and at least one of us will try to help you.

There will be no need for you to tell us who is your MP or the name of ny doctor or hospital, we could get you a draft with placeholder names and then you could do a copy and paste and change te placeholder names for the real ones without us knowing what they are.

I hope this helps.

bump to get into the active list

double bump so that this is in the active list in the hope that Whiff sees my post

what is wrong with this system,

triple bump

StarDreamer thank you very much I will do as you as you have suggested and thank you for the link.

Will let you know if I hear anything back. Will send an email today . Will note down every thing you have said to do so I can word the email just right. ? Flowers are both for men as well as women.

Thank you.

One other thing.

I tend to think that is always best to say exactly what you are wanting.

So NOT

Please investigate this and take action about it.

More like

Could you ask the Secretary of State to investigate and to consider paying me the money that I would have received if the name of the medical condition that I have, namely XXXXXXX, had been known at the time please.

Where you put the name of the medical condition where I have put XXXXXXX as a placeholder.

Please note that the word please is at the end, not as in

Could you please ask ... etc

as, in my opinion that sounds as if it has a tang of indignation in it, as in

Could you please stop making that racket with your drum kit!!!!!

Also, try to what I call "de-seize" what you write.

What I mean is, avoid anything that someone could seize upon to try to fob you off.

For example, if you were to put "serious medical condition" then someone might try to seize on that and say, that there are many conditions that are more serious.

I am not saying that that seizeing upon would be justified, but best not to give them the chance to generate a thicket of objections.

And I am not saying that it is not a serious condition but if you put 'serious' then they could say that you are not qualified to say so et cetera et cetera.

Try reading it through before you send it and imagine that you are trying to reply and fob you off. If you can see a way to fob you off, then change it before you send it.

bump, what is wrong with the software?

Is it possible to reason with a software system?

Could you possibly move this thread to the top of the active list please?

Well the triple bump worked before. Will it this time?

Try reading it through before you send it and imagine that you are trying to reply and fob you off. If you can see a way to fob you off, then change it before you send it.

An excellent idea!

I am somewhat concerned about the wording because PIP is awarded according to very specific criteria, based on how your disability or health condition affects you, NOT on the basis of a diagnosis.

A previous tip for writing to officialdom (e.g. Consultants) was to use coloured notepaper so that it stuck out from other correspondence?

StarDreamer once again thank you.

Cabbie when I had my telephone appointment with PIP. I took notice of all the advice people had given on here since MissA started the thread. And my neurologist told me to say about what my worse day was like. The lady I spoke to was a nurse and was patience with me went through everything with me. Was on the phone for hour 46,mins. Heard later the same day PIP had received her report.

It is true that you no longer need a diagnosis in order to receive pip.
I think that is a fairly recent change, though?

I would have thought it best to see when the award is given from, and then appeal if you feel it is unfair in any way.

I have been advised by a care coordinator that I should have got the highest mobility component award, but I am not going to appeal against it.

ixion

A previous tip for writing to officialdom (e.g. Consultants) was to use coloured notepaper so that it stuck out from other correspondence?

Was that one of my suggestions, it sounds like what I might say.

MissA understand why you might not wish to go through an appeal after all that’s gone on, but appeals are often successful.

Whiff, I can’t quite see what can be achieved writing to your MP before you have had a decision about PIP.
The regulations do not permit backdating any further than the date of your claim, the date you rang for the form to be sent.

If your claim is successful this time, that might be the time to write to question why a lack of diagnosis led to previous rejection, but as MissA says, it is a relatively recent change. I am not sure when exactly.
And yes, it is always worth appealing if you have nothing to lose, ie 0 points, but if you have an award of Standard rate, I can see most people would not want to put that at risk by appealing. My clients tell me that Tribunals are so much more understanding than the DWP, however.
I helped with the first of a run of 3 appeals today, all with 0 points, despite clear evidence of difficulties.

Ah, didn’t realise there was a risk of losing what had already been agreed.

It's brilliant isn't it silverlining? Designed to intimidate the claimant at every point.

It's like a tv quiz show where the contestant can risk what he or she has won so far to try for the jackpot prize.

I don't understand the mentality.

If you passed an "O" level, then later took the "A" level but didn't pass it, you didn't lose the "O" level.

Yes, exactly that.
Gambling what you've "won" at the risk of losing it all.
It has happened to people, too.

Sorry I do not have any statistics to share, nor have I personally been involved with anyone who lost a valid claim at Tribunal, but I think it highly unlikely that anyone with a genuine claim would lose out by going to Tribunal.

If it is likely that an award will be reduced, the judge usually advises them in advance and they then have the opportunity to withdraw their appeal, so if they have got any sense, they withdraw and keep what they have got.

Those who don’t succeed have probably not fully understood the criteria for getting an award and have a false expectation. I have drafted appeals for claimants who I have warned do not have a strong case, but it their right to appeal, so we help them to understand the process.

Unfortunately we rarely get feedback after the event, but overall, the vast majority, over 70%, do succeed in increasing their award at Tribunal.

The Tribunal panel is completely independent of the DWP and consists of a judge, a doctor and someone with experience of disability, maybe disabled themselves, or a support worker, for example. They start from scratch with fresh, impartial eyes.

StarDreamer

It's like a tv quiz show where the contestant can risk what he or she has won so far to try for the jackpot prize.

I don't understand the mentality.

If you passed an "O" level, then later took the "A" level but didn't pass it, you didn't lose the "O" level.

But if you appealed against the grade you achieved, your new grade could be lower as well as higher.
That’s appeals for you.

Seems terribly unfair and has reminded me of a criminal injuries case offer which solicitor felt was too low so advised an appeal. However case was lost, together with the original offer. A dreadful experience, and yes dear reader, that was me.

However still think, in terms of benefits, an appeal is worth it ( as long as you don’t lose first offer).