Don’t give up. PIP Tribunal Success for ME/CFS

Don’t give up. PIP Tribunal Success for ME/CFS condition. From 0 points to 18 points

I want to say a massive thank you for your help, because without your clear guidelines and forums I would not have challenge this.

1. My Girlfriend has ME/CFS, she scored 0 points at her PIP medical assessment . (even though for the past 5 years she has been receiving DLA standard rate for both the mobility and daily living component.)

2. We asked for a mandatory reconsideration and I used your guidelines to challenge the PIP medical report and to write the appeals submission. This was also unsuccessful.

3. At this point we felt like giving up, but I went back to the guidelines and went through the section about the tribunal process, step by step and we decided to try it.

4. The tribunal meeting took an hour. Everyone was very professional and we both felt we were treated with respect and listened to. My girlfriend went from 0 points to 18 points and was awarded standard rate for both daily living and mobility for the next 5 years. She was given a written decision notice stating what they had decided and we both cried.

5. My advice to anyone worried about the tribunal is to see it as an opportunity to explain as much as you can as to how your condition affects your ME/CFS. My girlfriend was able to give ‘credible oral evidence’. I would advise you to take someone with you for moral support and for them to avoid answering questions on your behalf unless they are asked directly from the panel.

6. It takes around 6 weeks to hear back from DWP. I did not know this and as I hadn’t heard anything for a few weeks, I gave them a call and they had not received the decision notice, so could not proceed. However the tribunal had sent them both email and letter on the same day as the tribunal. I sent them a copy by recorded delivery and rang again to check that it had been received. It took another 2 weeks before we finally received the letter telling us my girlfriend will be receiving standard rate for both daily living and mobility allowance.

That's great news! Thanks for letting us know, seeing favourable results does give our members hope. Thanks also for your kind words about B+W