A person has taken to social media to ask for advice after they were left feeling disappointed by a Personal Independance Payment (PIP) assessment. They explained in a Reddit post that they were seeking the financial help from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) due to their severe obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety.
Following an assessment, they were declined PIP despite saying that they have issues completing daily tasks. The person claimed that their assessor did not believe them despite letters from doctors.
The person wrote: “I think the PIP system is awful. Obviously there is always people who claim it and try and be fraud. But the thing is there is genuinely people who need it and they don’t even care. I did a PIP assessment for my extremely bad OCD and anxiety which makes me not even leave the house and do basic living tasks.
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“I stated these things in my assessment and then when I got my form back, I was declined PIP. I was told I said I had issues with these daily tasks but the assessment person has decided I can do them.
“What the heck!! They don’t know me! That’s legit the opposite to what I said and they just decided they don’t believe me. I give examples, doctors letters and psychiatrists opinions and they still just decided nah she can do that for no good reason! What the heck is with this!”
In response, other Reddit users suggested they challenge the decisaion. One said: “That’s their opinion and you disagree so challenge the decision via a mandatory reconsideration and then an appeal if needed.”
Another added: “I assume that the purpose of the PIP assessment is to deny you any help and then you have to fight your corner through the MR/tribunal process. It seems to be deliberately trying to make the process as long winded and difficult as possible so that people give up.”
A third wrote: “As soon as they know you have a mental health condition it’s like they hope the appeal process is off-putting enough that you won’t do it and they’ve got a free decline towards their targets.”
One person claimed that a similar thing had happened to them. They said: “The same happened to me a couple of weeks ago, mine was a review. Despite my conditions being permenant and unchanging they suddenly decided i should go from 23 points to 0.”
The GOV website states that after you have applied for PIP you might be invited to an assessment with a health professional if more information is needed.
They’ll ask about:
- how your condition affects your daily living and mobility tasks
- any treatments you’ve had or will have
They might ask you to do some simple movements to show how you manage some activities. The assessment can be in person, over the phone or by video call. It usually takes 1 hour. You can read Citizens Advice’s help on preparing for an assessment.
You’ll get a letter that tells you whether you’ll get PIP and the date of your first payment. If you disagree with a decision you can challenge a decision about your claim. This is called asking for ‘mandatory reconsideration’.