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Driving myself to PIP appeal

Posted , 8 users are following.

patricia04797
patricia04797

I have my PIP appeal on Friday (16th) at 3.45pm. I have nobody to take me through and because DLA stopped mid-February I have had to ask my local Welfare Fund for help with electric and food this week after I managed to pay my oil bill, but this leaves me with no money until next week. 

So, I cannot pay for a taxi upfront (£60-£70) or train fares (there just isn't any money), whereas I do have just over a half a tank of petrol. I have no choice now but to drive myself through on the day if I feel well enough. My son would be with me otherwise I would just cancel.

Needless to say the stress is really building up. I have active Crohn's Disease but am not flaring at the moment.

What I want to know is, has anybody driven themselves to a PIP appeal before and what was the outcome?

0 likes, 41 replies

41 Replies

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  • linsabout
    linsabout patricia04797

    Posted

    Better luck with the new claim. Send pictures of your aids and appliances with this one, also proof of where and why you got them, such as social services. If you bought them yourself under advice then say that. It's not too soon to reapply especially if you include new info for your back. Send photo proof of hernia if you can. I sent photos of my feet. Don't only fill in the form but include extra pages each with your name and Nat ins number at the top. Good luc

    • patricia04797
      patricia04797 linsabout

      Posted

      Hi,

      No, I didn't buy them myself, I got them through social services. I do have the proof to send to them. Never thought about taking photos though! I guess every little helps.Thanks for that.

  • Twiglet.12
    Twiglet.12 patricia04797

    Posted

    Thanks all for your replies, AlexandriaGizmo, i will start building up my medical information on Monday,

    Do you or Denise15811know if I have to contact DWP, about PIP, now or can I ring them on 13-09-2017 after I have

    Received September payment?

    I was rewarded PIP, at a tribunal in June 2016, until 24-09-2017,

    Today I have received a letter through the post this afternoon from DWP,

    A164 ESA MAINTENANCE FORM:

    I was rewarded ESA Support group at Tribunal in April 2016, my review on 21-06-18,

    On the back of the the form they are asking me to get my bank statement updated showing all transactions from 05-05-2015,

    Are they expecting me to print off over 2 years of banks statements?

    I sent them my bank statements in February 2017, and they are saying they were not legible & seem to be out of day?

    What is going on? Help!

    Twiglet,

    • denise15811
      denise15811 Twiglet.12

      Posted

      Hi,

      As you PIP award is due to run out in September then i wouldn't leave till then to contact them. I'd do it asap because if you leave it till September then you'll be without money if the claim takes longer than you expect it to. The reason they've contacted you now is to warn you that if you don't recliam it will stop on that date.

      About that ESA letter. Are you doing any voluntary work or anthing? because this is what that letter is about, they obviously think your doing something (just googled that form) It seems like they're investigating something, or checking something. Yes you do need to send in what they ask for in your case it's 2 years of bank statements (yikes) either that or ring them if you don't know why you need to send these in. Hope this helps.

    • Twiglet.12
      Twiglet.12 denise15811

      Posted

      Thanks Denise15811 I will ring the DWP on Monday to find out what information they require. I have not done any volunteering work, but I transfer money in to another account to pay my rent/expenses in advance so it could be that, is there a limit to how much saving you can have? Also my cash card had expired and the bank sent me a new card, can it be as simple as that? What every the reason is I have sent in my statements on 4 occasions before and they have never questioned this before.

      Thanks Twiglet,

    • denise15811
      denise15811 Twiglet.12

      Posted

      For Income Related benefits the saving is £6000 before it affects your benefits. £16000 before it stops them completely. No it wouldn't ve the bank sending you a new casr that triggered this.

    • Twiglet.12
      Twiglet.12

      Posted

      Hi all I rang the Esa phone number at 08:45 yesterday about the A164 ESA form. lady email Service Centre to explain what information was needed, I got a call back 10 mins later and she explained that the copy of my building society passbook  I gave them was  unreadable. So I went to the building society got another copy and went straight to Job centre.
    • Twiglet.12
      Twiglet.12 denise15811

      Posted

      I rang DWP yesterday asking about my benefits and paying prescription,dentist, she said that I was on income related and contribution so I should not be paying for them. my saving are over £6000 but under £16000 I have a pre paid certificate and I have been paying for my treatment at the dentist. Any help would be great,  thank, Twiglet.

    • denise15811
      denise15811 Twiglet.12

      Posted

      The Income Related would be a topup but more than £6000 in savings rings alarm bells to me, but i'm guessing they must know about these savings? I'm afraid i can't answer your queation to prescription/dentists.

  • southwestie
    southwestie patricia04797

    Posted

    Did you know that they will come to you if you ask them ??
    • denise15811
      denise15811 southwestie

      Posted

      You most often need a letter from your GP for a home assessment stating the reasons why. ATOS especially won't just agree to the home assessment without it.

    • AlexandriaGizmo
      AlexandriaGizmo denise15811

      Posted

      I had home visit but had to ask immediately I received appointment date and time and had to like Denise said prove via documentation that I was physically unfit to attend and that if I had been forced to attend an office interview it would have caused great physical and mental pain and distress.

      Can I ask your reasons for not being able to attend.

  • patricia04797
    patricia04797

    Posted

    Update on PIP assessment. As you all know I reapplied for PIP straight away. I became very ill through the stress of waiting again for an assessment, which they said I would need. I asked them for a home assessment because of my illness and they spoke to my doctor. He told me that they had said if I could get to the assessment they would sort out the taxi and pay for it. A few days later I had a letter giving me a new date. I phoned and checked they were sorting out the taxi still and they said I would have to see to that myself. I asked the girl how I should pay for this because I had no money. She said "I don't know". Terrific. I lost it and demanded a home visit. After several more unproductive phone calls I'd had enough because during this time I was living off my credit card (maxed out now). I also had to ask the local council to help me pay for shopping one week and was on discretionary housing benefit for 6 months. Not a pleasant way to live. You can understand why some people commit suicide rather than go through this.

    I sat and wrote a formal letter of complaint. Two weeks later I had a paper based assessment on the phone, which went completely in my favour as I saw when they sent me a copy of the assessment report. After another week my nerves got the better of me and I phoned them to find out the result. I was told there was a problem with their system and lots of letter hadn't been sent out. I was put through to somebody else (might have been the decision maker - I can't remember now) and she went through the process of sending out the letter to me and told me the result. Standard for both care and mobility backdated to 23 June!

    But look what it took to get it! Now I will be paying off my debts .......!

    • sukes
      sukes patricia04797

      Posted

      Well done for perservering Patricia, but as you say, what has all the stress done to your body. frown

       

    • denise15811
      denise15811 patricia04797

      Posted

      Yes the whole process is very stressful. I went through the exact same thing for both my ESA and PIP claims and my children were younger and still in school at the time. I waited 1 year for my ESA assessment and with bearly any money to live off, i could hardly put food on the table most weeks. No family for support either. only my children. It was the worst time of my life but like yourself, we got through it and came out the other end. The saying is true, there's always light at the end of the tunnel, it can just take a little longer sometimes to find it.

      Great news on your PIP decision, well done.

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