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PIP supporting evidence
- Maggie
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Please can you advise me re DLA to PIP transfer?
Had ESA paper reassessment in June then straight into PIP. I'm afraid the months of strain are making it almost impossible to cope, now having to see GP & counsellor weekly, short prescriptions, self harming, suicidal & full blown panic attacks. I'm finding it hard to go outside now. I can do better than this!
After a long struggle & £50 I have managed to get hold of my Comm Mental Health Team notes which I was hoping to use to support my PIP application.I knew they would be incompetent but the latest assessment Dec 2015 even got the name of my medication & diagnosis wrong.
My main worry is that they also correctly state how important my dog is to me as I live alone & have PTSD & severe depression/anxiety. My dog died in August.
I obviously can't use these notes & assessments in their current form. If I redact or edit the sentence about the dog being a protective factor & source of emotional support will this be construed as fraudulent/ suspicious? Will anyone actually read them?
I made a mistake with someone's surname in the ESA which has been picked up on.
My counsellor doesn't feel she can give much information about my everyday activities & doesn't seem to understand the 'reliably,safely, repeatedly,time & standard' bit.
Thank you.
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- Gordon
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Susie
I don't see why you cannot use these notes in their current form. If the content is still correct then a simple covering letter explaining the loss of your dog and the effect your conditions are now having on you, should cover any issues in regard to the support that you dog used to provide. If the notes are not reflective of how you currently effected then I would have thought that you would not want to send them anyway. As a general note, poor or unsupporting evidence can be worse than not providing any evidence.
Gordon
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
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- Maggie
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I read in the HP guidelines that having a dog would be held against me:' if you can care for, feed & walk a dog (albeit elderly) you can look after yourself.'
She was all I had to comfort me at night with flashbacks & selfharm etc. All I had to get me up in the morning & go out. I'm distraught without her & then all this ESA/PIP at the same time.
Have I misinterpreted the cruelty of the benefit system: I didn't think the rules would allow me to have another companion/support pet, even if I could afford it?
I'm just so petrified. I'll have another look at the CMHT notes.
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- Gordon
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susie wrote: Thank you Gordon,
I read in the HP guidelines that having a dog would be held against me:' if you can care for, feed & walk a dog (albeit elderly) you can look after yourself.'
She was all I had to comfort me at night with flashbacks & selfharm etc. All I had to get me up in the morning & go out. I'm distraught without her & then all this ESA/PIP at the same time.
Have I misinterpreted the cruelty of the benefit system: I didn't think the rules would allow me to have another companion/support pet, even if I could afford it?
I'm just so petrified. I'll have another look at the CMHT notes.
The DWP do make assumptions about owning a pet and dogs in particular, but the easiest way to deal with this is to explain how you manage this with your conditions upfront, it's not so easy for them to make assumptions when you have already included how it does not contradict your limitations.
Gordon
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- Maggie
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