PIP total mess up and What’s a VCC and is it a good or bad thing

Hi all new here recently joined
My partner has been receiving PIP for a number of years now, she’s has BPD, PTSD very bad Pysriosis and other things I won’t list them all, we’ve had many assessments over years and had to do many MRs I won’t go into it all I think if your here you know how it all goes but this time around it’s been very VERY different I will Try keep this as short as possible
So In April 2021 she has her usual review they kicked her off with all the usual lies etc etc I did a MR they awarded her it back at standard and we said no she was on higher and had always been nothings changed so she should remain on that she she doesn’t get any mobility just daily (I don’t agree with it but that’s another story) so when they awarded her standard back from the MR we filed it for Tribunal, about a week or so before it was due they rang and they gave her it back and higher so it never ended up going to the actual tribunal, not fast forward to now she’s due a review again as the awards in 2021 was only until 2023 this is where it all becomes messed up, so they have ended her claim and said she needs to reapply as a new claim? We was so confused as to why but we did what we was told, she went to her face to face and the report was all copy and pasted and full of lies, we rang up to see if we could figure out why it was a new claim and not a review, we ended up speaking to the decision maker and explaining everything he said it was wrong and she should not have been put on for a new claim it should have been a review he apologised and said he would do her decision that day so she could bang the MR right in as we knew and he knew with the negative report from the face to face the outcome was to be disallowed, he explained that when a case goes to tribunal and a decision is overturned at tribunal the claim ends on the date they say and you have to reapply, but we didn’t actually go to tribunal so this should not have happened, anyway we have been in contact with them loads as my partner is really worried about it all we have had so much conflicting info from them we don’t know if we are coming or going trying to get the MR sorted asap given the total mess up so far and they have come back today saying they are putting her forward for a venerable person champion? I have never heard of this can anybody explain with this is and how it helps or any advise what I can do or should we now just wait

Just offering a guess. I think they may have meant/said Vulnerable [not venerable] person Champion.
Though I have not heard of this before, but DWP have had a lot of bad publicity over mistreatment of vulnerable claimants..
Best wishes to you both,
Denby

Hello Gary and Lb777

I did a little research on google and according to this Freedom of Information request a VCC is short for "Vulnerable Customer Champions"
See link to the FOI Request www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/internal_vcc_referrals_within_di

Hope that helps
Waxwing

Hi thanks for your reply
Yes we asked for the report as soon as it was available and received it fairly quick it was just all copy and pasted and all 0 points
I’ve done the MR with help of this site and the guides it ended up being 9 pages long by time I had finished picking everything apart and had challenged all the assumptions and incorrect information the HP had put in

As for the VCC this is something I’ve never heard off until yesterday so I have no idea what it is or whether it’s any use or what, currently waiting to hear from them to see what’s what.

Hi that’s for your reply
Sorry yes we asked for the report as soon as we possibly could and received it fairly quick, I have done and sent the MR with the help from the guides on here it ended up being 9 pages long by the time I picked everything apart and wrote why we done agree and what we thing she should or got etc. they yesterday confirmed they have received that.

As for the VCC I don’t understand this bit I’ve never heard of one of these until yesterday so am not sure what is it or if it’s a benefit to her or what.

Currently waiting to hear from someone today they did ring a few times yesterday to keep us updated and they couldn’t apologise enough but it was the final call off the day when she said she had permission from a manager to request a VCC so That’s the last we have heard upto now

It’s got us so stressed out I tell you that they just won’t make it easy for people so they