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PIP Award declined after review

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6 years 8 months ago #194481 by A Arnold
PIP Award declined after review was created by A Arnold
Hello Benefits & Work,
I suffer from depression and anxiety - to the extent that I was medically dismissed from my job a few years back. On top of that the high dose of medication (3x usual) I take for the anxiety, to allow me to actually get out of the house without panic attacks, causes side-effects that affect my memory and concentration.
In 2015, I had a home face-to-face assessment and was awarded 11 points for the daily living component and so received the standard rate PIP. Although it was awarded until 2018, I've had my review a year early (which I understand is fairly normal) and managed to get a face-to-face assessment at a local centre which I attended with my husband.
A completely different experience to last time! The HP was a general nurse,she rushed through the questions and - after requesting and reading the resultant report - has quite clearly discounted any functional difficulties relating to my mental illness or the side-effects of my medication; her main argument appears to be that I can "walk at a normal speed and gait", I have "no history of cognitive impairment" and that I "attained qualifications at school" so therefore I must be able to prepare a meal, get dressed, communicate easily with strangers etc. Among other things, she does note that I spend all day in my pyjamas and use a phone app to manage medication but then fails to relate these to the scored activities.
I submitted a complaint to Independant Assessment Services and got the usual standard response about it all being the HP's personal opinion and that they don't record what was said in the assessment.
I'm about to submit a Mandatory Reconsideration to DWP and have gone into quite a lot of detail for each scored activity that I believe I should have received points, giving examples from my day-to-day life and showing how they relate to the descriptors. I've also included a diary sheet for a typical day based on your template.
My question is: are the DWP likely to take any notice of this further information (and the GP and consultant psychatric report previously submitted) or are they going to doggedly rely on this recent face-to-face assessment full of inaccuracies, inconsistencies and mental health discrimination? Is there anything more I can add to help my case? Am I going to have to prepare myself for the horrendous ordeal or an appeal? I just don't understand how the DWP can accept two significantly differing assessments (2015 v. 2017) despite my health and daily experience ramining the same.
Sorry for rambling on, I'm just so distressed by the blatant disregard for my "invisible" illness and the resultant effect on my PIP Award.
Best wishes,

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6 years 8 months ago #194525 by Gordon
Replied by Gordon on topic PIP Award declined after review
A

Revision rates at MR are low but they do happen, it will depend on how well you can explain your problems with the PIP activities and how your evidence supports your statements. I would certainly refer back to your 2015 assessment and query why the new report is so radically different.

An appeal will look at your claim from scratch and the panel normally look at all the evidence in a much more balanced way.

Gordon

Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
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6 years 8 months ago #194590 by A Arnold
Replied by A Arnold on topic PIP Award declined after review
Many thanks for responding Gordon,

I've now gone through the B&W Guide "Best possible ways to challenge a PIP medical report" and added a few things to my Mandatory Reconsideration that I hadn't thought of - the HP couldn't even record what my medication is for correctly!

In the post now so fingers crossed.
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