Thanks for that, i guess this is a new way, as mine was not done that way at all. I got no letter to phone up just the PIP form though the post.

Hi Tim, just wanted to get PIP over and done with, i would have probably got the forms sometime this year anyway,

Phoned on 9th spent 20 or so minutes on phone where they asked questions but nothing about my disabilities got text just after saying thanks for applying, got text 10th saying forms have been sent out.

Phepia, i remember you saying you are also receiving esa in the support group, will this affect it too No doubt you will appeal this pip descision as you did with your esa descision ?

Is your husband still working or is he now your carer, as you say he makes all the meals and i presume does other household chores too? A friend of mine was on dla indefinite award mobility and care but they knew they wouldnt qualify under the new pip rules as the criterai is different to what is was back then so she has been gradually weaning herself from relying on the dla payment then she wont miss it when she is refused pip, she has infact decided to decline her offer of pip. She doesnt want to face the ordeal of ATOS assessment.

Its not that long since you were awarded your pip offer so very strange that your health has altered so much for them to say you no longer qualify . Do you personally think your mobility or care needs have altered in any way? Did you take with you letters from doc, consultants, pysio, hospital results etc, surely they will vouch for your mobility and care needs. If you need your ibrufen and gabapentin for the pain then why are you asking your doc to take you off them, that will only make you feel worse.

Let us know how you get on with your appeal

Thank you for your kind words. The way I am feeling right now I am in two minds not to appeal. I broke down in the GP's office and have been shoved onto antidepressants as I had admitted to her opening a bottle and drinking it all, along with all my medication I take. Understandably she was unimpressed with the dwp but has agreed to change my medication so I can manage to look for some work once the side effects of the gabapentin I take is out of my system.
My husband does cook yes, and does all the chores , and even with or without Pip that won't change.
I sent in my evidence with my form, and the assessor either hadn't read or didn't have access to my notes as she didn't know I had lost my bus and car driving licenses due to the side effects of the medication. It makes me dizzy, drowsy and I can fall asleep mid sentence most days when I am talking with someone. Since the initial award I now have uring urgency and tendinitis or the right shoulder. Along with OA in both shoulders and neck, tendinitis and frozen shoulder recovery in the left(the frozen shoulder is almost better though) Anxiety, hyperhidrosis and dry eyes. Now back to being depressed thanks to Crapita and dwp.

I have a appointment arranged with the benefits advisor attached to the gp's, which the practice manager sorted an appointment out for me. Thankfully she has been around since I got started on this benefits nightmare so had been there as moral support.

Having a benefit adviser at a GP surgery is a fantastic idea! I'd love to know how that is funded.

I really think you should appeal, Phepia, there is so much you can't do. The drowsiness alone means you can't cook safely or use public transport, that's 4 daily living points and 2 mobility points straight away.

Ring up and ask for your mandatory reconsideration. It almost certainly won't change anything but you have to do that before you can appeal.

I'd agree with that and it's an excellent example of proper joined up thinking when it comes to service provision.

While I remember, people can test out their eligibility for the new Personal Independence Payment using this test here: http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/per.../pip-self-test

It looks like it is funded through the local council. https://marketplace.mycareinbirmingh...ice/Details/97
The gentleman I spoke to said according to his reasoning I should get enhanced care, but no mobility so that what they are going to support me for.
I got my report through today, it seems alot of lies. According to her report I can put my arms behind my head, which is impossible for me due to the OA.
And as I was observed to be scratching my nose with my right finger and the top of my head with my left I can cook. God knows how I managed the left hand reaching the top of my head, it seems like I am cured /sarcasm. ad using the hand the scratch a nose doesn't even use the shoulder joint, just the hands and elbow. Both of which I have zero problems with.
Even if I did do that (which I certainly did not) how does that tie in with being able to lift pans,chop etc.
Same reasoning with cutting up food, the response was just copied and pasted more or less the whole report.
Mobility side I can see why the benefit advisor claimed I wouldn't get as I have no physical problems with lower body but the side effects that cause all of my problems with balance, drowsiness and weaving when I walk. As the medication can be changed (and I am weaning myself off the gabapentin now) he couldn't see how I could claim that.

It has long been my belief that when these so called "Medical Professionals" who work at places like ATOS and Capita lie and/or change the answers and evidence you give them, either on questionnaires or at the assessments. That they should be fined, and so should the DWP who are telling them to lie in order to get people off of benefits. Instead, and speaking as somebody who has gone through this and has won two separate appeals with regards to ESA, they just always say they will look in to the matter and nothing bloody well changes. After both of my appeals hearings they were sent very strongly worded letters written by the independent Solicitor and Doctor, stating how disgusting their behaviour had been. And that they needed to change the way they are doing things, as the system is obviously not working as it should.

So hit the scumbags where it hurts, fine them a nice amount of money for every single lie. Give the money from the fine's to the people they have caused to suffer serious undue stress and further complications of their medical conditions. Or to the families of people who felt they could suffer no longer without getting the help they were in desperate need of and entitled too. Let's see how quickly these heartless drone's are going to lie and fabricate everything to suit them and their financial needs, when it is all being taken away. Do things above board, and on the level and you have no problems, treat people like dirt and crap on the bottom of your shoe's you get punished.

I am seriously dreading getting the questionnaire for my ESA renewal, as I know what is going to happen. But when it does happen I sure as hell will not be laying down without a fight, just like the last two times I will be challenging every single decision they make.

I urge anyone and everyone who is suffering due to these ridiculous decisions to fight, show them that you are not just a number. I know it can be tough, and you are scared of the outcome. But if you are on the up and up, and are completely honest when it comes time for your appeal to be heard by the tribunal, you will win. Add to that your actions and bravery could eventually help somebody else to fight them, and give them hope. Your choice to fight them on the decisions they have made at some point could be the proverbial straw that breaks the camels back and forces the change that is needed. Yes it's a long shot that, that will happen, but at some point it has to.

Sorry if this came across as a rant, but these things needed to be said.

I agree. At the moment, 58% of appeals are succeeding. I know that a lot of people who are too ill to accept "fit for work" decisions, because they are too ill to cope with an appeal. I reckon if everyone who had a case appealed, that figure would be way higher. If 75% of appeals were successful, they'd have to change the system.

There's some reports flying around in the March Budget the current WCA are being scrapped. with a new test brought in its place also some speculation that the 3 year review thing might be extended for people with lifelong/Chronic illness disabilities like PIP upto 10 years (but must stress this is only speculation at present). But it does seem the current WCA are going to be replaced with a new test.

I hate to be gloom merchant, but "a new test" invariably seems to mean a tougher test with this lot.

The vast majority of ESA claimants who aren't found fit for work are put in the support group. They cost a lot more money than people in the the WRAG, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if the support group criteria were made a lot tougher.

LakieLady, I know you're got loads of expertise in this field, but is this really the case? My experience (as a CAB advisor) is that there are more people in WRAG than in the Support group. I was also wondering where to get the statistics from.

I got this info just the other week at a training course run by CPAG. I was pretty gobsmacked, too, as I mostly deal with people in the WRAG.

However, it later occurred to me that people who get put in the support group probably don't need our advice - after all, it's not as though they can get a better result!

I'll try and dig out the training materials and see what the trainer's source was.

duplicate post

Found this, courtesy of my friend Google:

WCA outcomes:

Fit for work 27%
WRAG 16%
Support group 57%

So, of people who are out of the assessment phase but still getting ESA, SG outnumbers WRAG by more than 3.5:1. If I could find a bloody calculator, I'd work out the percentage!

Source: http://www.publications.parliament.u.../302/30205.htm

Thanks! I obviously asked Google the wrong question. That's really interesting and not at all what I'd have expected. But you're right, it's the boundary between being deemed Fit for work & WRAG that's the problematic one.

It also makes you wonder why the government are cutting the WRAG component so drastically, when it's not going to make massive savings. They'd save more by cancelling the severe disability premium.

Mind you, I suppose they're doing that anyway with Universal Credit.

I suppose you've heard that they're proposing that a PIP award is treated as a major change of circs and will trigger a move from ESA to UC?

That's effectively a cut of at least £61.85 a week in lost premiums for a single disabled person.

Well yes, and the various tweaks to WRAG may have been one of the reasons for my assumption that it was the largest group. I wonder if they'll try to make any savings to the Support group? If they limited contribution-based claims to 12 months, as they did with WRAG, they might save a bit.

Hadn't heard that about PIP / change of circs. That's so underhand isn't it? Like the way Osborne appeared to relent about tax credit changes and simply shifted the savings to UC. Of course premiums are so complicated that no-one understands them unless they're getting them, and probably not then.

The latest ESA caseload figures can be seen on the DWP tabulation tool. As at August 2015;

Total caseload - 2,355,160

Assessment Phase - 432,310

WRAG - 465,860

Support Group - 1,380,500

Unknown - 76,490

http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/10...sex_aug15.html

What? I lose my premiums if I move to UC ? I'm with my partner who claims careers. I got my PIP in may last year for 3 years and no indication that would be moved over.

A!so its now getting on to roughly 4 years since my first and on!y medical for ESA obvious!y don't want phone them but won!d this mean I'm getting passed without the need for a medical ?

I just copied this from Citizens Advice -

Will you be worse off under Universal Credit?

If you’re already getting one or more of the benefits to be replaced by UC, your claim will eventually be transferred to UC. If the amount of UC will be less than you’re getting now in existing benefits, you’ll get more UC to make up the difference, unless your circumstances have changed. This is called transitional protection.

However, it's possible that you may be affected by the benefit cap, which will limit benefit income for some people. This will be a £350 maximum payment for a single person and £500 for a couple with or without children.

So it shouldn't affect us then should it?

There's no enhanced or severe disability premium under UC. You wouldn't get the SDP anyway, as your partner claims carer's. The WRAG and support components are the same under UC as ESA.

This will only apply to people who get new PIP awards, and I don't think it's definite. When the migration of ESA claimants eventually happens (I think they will migrate JSA claimants first, and possibly IS claimants), they will have transitional protection.

Apologies for any alarm caused by my lack of clarity!

Yes there is transitional protection for claimants with SDP. I am hoping to get TP when I'm migrated to UC.

Seems likely as the WCA is difficult to pass without being bad enough for the support group on top.

The WRAG also vanishes each year - as the contributory element there ends after 12 months and people then fail to qualify on family income , or savings. The support group grows with new arrivals and falls only with death.

They tend to retain criteria that existed when you started recieving the benefit on issues like whats counted againts it, and whether it remains contributory. IDS has been talking about testing for what people can do, rather than what they can't do . That could take the tests further, on the principle that if I can type this I can work, regardless of when, where, or issues like mobility , or pain, or mood, or medical risks holding down a job with normal hours.