Final Statement To Tribunal

Today I received in the post a copy of a final statement submitted by the benefits advisor to the PIP tribunal after the hearing (which was an unexpected pleasant surprise!)— a last-ditch effort to sway the judge in my favour:

Robin is a very complex individual who even though highly intelligent has an array of different disabilities that cause many and substantial difficulties with his daily living and mobility needs. His cognitive impairments shouldn’t be in doubt in my opinion but a lack of understanding of how they co-exist and a willingness to ignore his obvious OCD traits because of no diagnosis at the time of an assessment meant a very poor and incorrect outcome which was supported by the DWP decision maker.

I believe this combination of disabilities and his physical and chronic knee condition should have seen him considered for points in daily living activities 1,3.4.6 and 9 and both elements of mobility.

Please take these comments and the views expressed by us all at the tribunal today and hopefully award both elements of Personal independence payments. He is finally looking to get his life back on track after a number of hectic years lacking any form of support in his life at all so please do your part in making that happen by upholding this long-awaited appeal.

Well that’s pretty vindicating, my benefits advisor has done such a great job. And I am motivated to get the brutal truth out there about how support is non-existant here. This statement rams it home perfectly. It’s something I was always aware of long before needing to ask for such help, through reading many horror stories in news articles. But it is not generally known by those in the UK who haven’t had to seek help themselves. You can receive such brutal treatment from once-friends or acquaintances who simply keep asserting to you that you need to ask for help…😏. But this is the result as long as mental health care remains extremely under-funded here, or if we don’t look out for each other. We have to help ourselves.

Meanwhile I received an email from the Courts service that the decision was made and a letter is on the way…should probably arrive tomorrow!

🌪