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My PIP tribunal and tips I gleaned.

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6 years 7 months ago #195344 by Judy
I arrived in good time at the Court and was ushered through the security arch, of course it went off due to my metal mobility scooter but that was no bother. Anything in your pockets has to go into a tray, my notes were in a box file so that was opened and looked at very briefly. Then I was shown through a doorway into a waiting room.

The waiting room had a big camera high up on the wall, all was quiet then about five minutes before my time to go in the Clerk came out and introduced herself and asked if I had my bundle with me, which I did have, and then she asked me if I had any questions. She also informed me that the DWP were not there.

She left me in the waiting room with my companion who came purely for moral support. Then it was time to enter the court room, which was a room with two rows of tables, the Judge was seated in the middle and he introduced me to the disabled expert and then the Doctor sitting on his other side, I nodded my acknowledgement to them.

The Judge was all smiles and very friendly, he raised his hand and said don't bother getting off your scooter because I have very good news for you and I want to save you all the bother of getting off it. He said that he found my notes to be very helpful and in fact he was guided by them. He said I had been awarded a huge amount of points in my original PIP but as I really only need 12 points that is all he would give me because he didn't want to over egg the pudding, plus he was(in my opinion) trying to save me from the DWP getting all humpy and appealing his decision.

I didn't have any up to date doctors notes, all I had to offer the tribunal was my points of why I deserved the descriptor I was asking for, going into great detail of how my disability affects me and what help I need and what would happen if I didn't get that help ie; if I didn't get my medication administered in a timely fashion my health would quickly deteriorate and I would end up in hospital on a steroid drip.

I then had three witness letters from family and a friend who told in the letters what they have observed and how I carry out each of my days and how it affects me. I also just had an up to date prescription showing that my conditions have worsened and the medication was increased because of it. The Judge noted this he said and told me that quite clearly my condition has worsened over time and will not get better.
I then used the diary templates from B and W and filled them in. I submitted three weeks worth of how I was on that day and how I coped, what visitors if any I had and how I spent that day, either in pain lying on my bed or if I was able to go out how I mobilised. I noted the top of the diary as Week One Monday.... then if I was too ill for the next few days and couldn't fill it in I put Week one: Thursday. and filled that day in. So they didn't get a full weeks worth of diary as I just wasn't up to it, then Week Two and so on. Only do what you can, it is very helpful to them. It gives them a good insight to your daily struggles.
My next tip is to not be greedy and ask for points for every single descriptor. I got the feeling he was impressed that I wasn't asking for any changes to some of the descriptors that the DWP had downgraded me to. He said he'd noted that I wasn't asking for SOME of my downgraded points to be upped back up to what they had been. He liked that I wasn't being greedy and milking it (my words).
I was only asked two question and that was "Your health hasn't improved, it has got worse hasn't it?" And I replied "Yes", that was all he needed to know and he said "All you want is your benefits back to what they were yes?" and I said "Yes" And he said "You have your full benefits back" and then he winked at me! I thanked the panel and left. I then had to wait back in the waiting room until the Clerk had typed up my award notes. I saw that the award noted specifically had a barbed comment re the DWP because they hadn't bothered to turn up.
I got the impression the Judge was on my side and wasn't impressed with all the downgrading that has been going on, even though he never said so.

I hope this instils some confidence in those of you that will be encountering your Tribunals and for those of you who are scared and unsure whether to pursue a Tribunal hearing or not.
The following user(s) said Thank You: AlexBloomsbury, Healing Concepts, ivyfox, KathyS

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6 years 7 months ago #195422 by Judy
Replied by Judy on topic My PIP tribunal and tips I gleaned.
I have informed the DWP that I won my Tribunal and they already have it, it arrived this morning. I was told that they have 28 days to appeal the decision but that they rarely do. I'm fairly confident they won't as my Tribunal notes were very detailed.

I also informed the ESA that I'd won and they said that as soon as they get confirmation I will get my money upped and payback payments. They said this could take a few weeks.

This I knew already thanks to this site.
The following user(s) said Thank You: slugsta

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6 years 7 months ago #196018 by Linda
Replied by Linda on topic My PIP tribunal and tips I gleaned.
That's fantastic how you were treated by everyone there Judy and we should be. Congratulations!

Loo
The following user(s) said Thank You: Judy

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