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Not enough representatives for tribunal

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6 years 9 months ago #191028 by Rosie45**
Not enough representatives for tribunal was created by Rosie45**
Further to this subject. I had my tribunal today. The 3 people on the panel were lovely, but I have been grilled by each one. I was kept waiting for 30 mins before going in, and I was in there about 1 hour. They are writing to me with the decision, so still waiting.I still think it would have been easier if the Welfare Rights representative had been with me.
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6 years 9 months ago #191053 by Gordon
Replied by Gordon on topic Not enough representatives for tribunal

Northern lass wrote: Further to this subject. I had my tribunal today. The 3 people on the panel were lovely, but I have been grilled by each one. I was kept waiting for 30 mins before going in, and I was in there about 1 hour. They are writing to me with the decision, so still waiting.I still think it would have been easier if the Welfare Rights representative had been with me.


it usually takes the Decision Letter 2-3 days to arrive, hoping it's good news.

Gordon

Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems

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6 years 9 months ago #191106 by Misty68
Replied by Misty68 on topic Not enough representatives for tribunal
Hi, I had my tribunal today and I agree that experienced representatives are essential. I could not find help; my CAB are so busy they are just not able to help. I went with my parents, even though they are in their seventies and found it hard. I have fibromyalgia and SLE Lupus. I went blank under all the intense questioning. The room was very formal, with the panel facing us, sitting on a separate table, like a interrogation. It felt very much like a court situation, with microphones and a stern atmosphere. I went to pieces, having read that these hearings are supposed to be informal and (hopefully) friendly. Worse still, I arrived in a wheelchair and the room was in a basement with difficult access. We struggled to get my wheelchair through the court airport style security scanners and only just fitted in the very small lift. The building dates from the 1960s. None of the doors had buttons for auto opening and my chair was bumping into everything! The waiting room had a heavy chair immediately behind the inward opening door and other chairs all in the way, which my parents had to move to get me in. If I had been on my own, I would not have coped at all. Large CCTV cameras were pointed right at us, just metres away. By the time we got in the hearing room, I was already exhausted from lack of sleep and the emotional impact. I struggled to answer questions that I have practised for 8 months! Then my Mum started crying under the strain, which set me off! The worse cross examination came from the "disability specialist" who I was not told anything about, so I had no idea what her special experience was. But she was constantly trying to catch me out and it felt like the ATOS assessment all over again. Despite being the first case of the day (and the week) I did not get their decision and was told by the court clerk it would be posted. I do not feel it went well. If I had known it would be this intense and formal a gruelling, I would have only attended in person with a professional representative, or just appealed on papers only. I am posting all this so others going through the appeal process can make an informed decision about whether to attend in person. Some tribunals do treat it like a court interrogation and I felt over-whelmed. For me, with my memory and cognitive function problems when talking, I felt I made a huge mistake attending in person and wish I had done it on papers only :(
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6 years 9 months ago #191122 by Gordon
Replied by Gordon on topic Not enough representatives for tribunal
Misty

I'm sorry to hear that your Tribunal was not what you expected, hopefully it will still result in the award that wanted. It usually takes the letter 2-3 days to arrive.

Gordon

Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
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6 years 9 months ago #191167 by Misty68
Replied by Misty68 on topic Not enough representatives for tribunal
Thanks Gordon. I have had time to reflect on it all today. I waited 8 months from my DLA stopping, only to have the appeal panel throw a whole load of questions at me without giving me the chance to put my own. I had all the relevant UT rulings noted, bullet notes of the issues I wished to discuss and supporting evidence of my challenge to the ATOS report but the panel did not give me the chance to discuss any of it. They did not refer to the ATOS or DWP Decision makers reports at all. I know the tribunals are in a hurry to get through all the cases, but I feel a bit cheated right now. The questioning part (once the formalities were over) lasted about 25 minutes. They also spent time just writing things down without speaking. The whole hearing was 40 minutes. It would not put me off appealing again in the future but I would question whether it was actually worth me appearing in person.
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6 years 9 months ago #191186 by Rosie45**
Replied by Rosie45** on topic Not enough representatives for tribunal
Misty, I totally agree with everything you said! I also have Fibromyalgia and I got so confused and my mind went blank. I feel so angry with Welfare rights!

I have just received my decision and I lost the appeal. They have left me with the award that I had originally, so I suppose that's something.
Good luck for your decision.

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