John self-referred to us after the manager of his sheltered housing give him our number. John needed help at his PIP Appeal Tribunal at the local magistrate’s court. He had been working in the hospitality industry for over 30 years.
About 8 years ago, John started suffering neck and shoulder pain which resulted in headaches. After years of investigations, no source of the pain could be found. He was signed off work. The pain spread and despite stronger painkillers and physio, nothing was helping.
John applied for PIP and did not get enough points for daily living or mobility. He put in a Mandatory Reconsideration which was turned down. An appeal submission was completed. John had several appeals adjourned due to wanting further medical evidence or the tribunal date was changed.
John had not been through the appeal process before and had found the whole process so far overwhelming. Having an experienced advocate to help John through the appeal tribunal process helped to alleviate his stress and anxiety to improve his health and wellbeing.
Our independent advocate helped John to prepare for the appeal by meeting with him and going through his court bundle prior to his appeal. Together they looked at what John was not happy with and why. It was important to stress to John that he had to answer the panel’s questions based on how his health conditions were affecting him on the day of his assessment which was well over a year ago.
On the day of the tribunal, John was able to answer the questions confidently due to the preparation he had done with his advocate beforehand. His advocate was able to give additional information to the judge, before the panel made the decision, when they asked if there was anything else either of them wanted to add.
The judge awarded John points for him to get standard daily living and standard mobility. He was just short of points to get the enhanced award for both.
If John had had independent advocacy support at the form filling stage, he would have had an experienced advocate to complete the form and enable him to gather sufficient medical evidence to support his PIP claim. For the assessment, the advocate would have prepared him for this and supported him to explain how his health conditions impacted him daily. This would have increased his chances of getting his PIP award.
‘I’ve slept a lot better since the appeal, and without your support I’d have had the wrong things in my mind to say because I’d have thought about how I am now, not how I was when I had my assessment. With the back pay, I can now pay the money I owe for council tax, and my energy company. I’ve always worked and paid my bills, and having debt is something I’m not used to. The anguish of thinking, “What am I going to do?”, has gone, and I feel much easier, and more relaxed. I’ve not snapped as much in the past few days, and I feel massively relieved.’ – John.
‘I can see how people do find themselves at an appeal tribunal. People struggle to find organisations who can help them through the PIP process from the form filling stage through to the health assessment. Having our independent advocacy input and support in the beginning would make a big difference and prevent fewer people reaching the appeal tribunal stage.’ –ICANN Independent Advocate.
Howick House, Howick Park Avenue, Penwortham, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 0LS
Tel: 01772 746 061
Email: admin@i-cann.org.uk
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