I'm sorry to hear you are having all this horrible hassle with these clowns, Buster. And you too, Elen, and glad to hear you are getting support.
Some interesting info to consider, Buster:
In the first quarter of 2013/14, the success rate for DLA claimants was 40% of 16,229 appeals. This has risen to 56% of claimants winning 2,435 appeals in the first quarter of 2015/16.
The picture for ESA is very similar.
ESA success rates have risen from 42% of 77,289 appeals in the first quarter of 2013/14up to 58% of 12,101 appeals in the first quarter of 2015/16.
PIP success rates for claimants have risen from 26% of 81 appeals in quarter 4 of 2013/14 – the first time there were any PIP appeals - to 57% of 7,931 appeals in the first quarter of 2015/16.
AND
According to statistics from the Tribunal Service, the success rate for PIP appeals in the last quarter of 2015/16 is 63%; up from 53% in the same period of the year before.
The rate of successful appeals has gone up quarter by quarter since PIP was introduced – and the number of appeals heard has also gone up very significantly, from 3,826 to 15,971. The DWP introduced the “mandatory reconsideration” as an extra step claimants have to complete before going to appeal, but even with this, a clear majority of cases that go to appeal find in favour of the claimant.
AND
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments have been branded a “total failure” as 69% of people appealing them at a tribunal now win their case.
That is the highest percentage success rate ever recorded since the benefit launched in 2013.
Today’s figures show that between October and December 2017, 20,144 benefit tribunals were completed – and 13,881 ended in victory for the claimant.
It may seem like an impossible battle but look just how many who fight back win their cases?
The quality of some of these "assessors" can't be beyond that of a hospital porter so it's worrying why so many mess it up but it's also about people without any real knowledge making assessments. They don't have to be trained in the area they are assessing...they might as well get any admin clerk doing it!
I cam completely understand how this is too much to take on. There were people at the walk-in groups going through this with ESA when I was there and they found the form filling daunting let alone the meetings themselves. One of the coordinators had been through it and reassured the group the appeals process was much smoother with people who understood the issues and were more understanding to the claimant.
This issue has always been a national disgrace, present & previous governments, Labour & Tory. A total mess. From listening to others and reading about the cases in the press I've always seen it as a sieve process. A "kick them all off and see who takes us to task" approach. The trouble is, it doesn't just boot off the scammers that were loathed but also people like us who find it daunting. And the process was never any use for mental health, it was all about physical problems. I've heard some utterly worthless tests the assessors do to assess fitness (one was if the claimant with anxiety could use a pen and cook for themselves they were fit) as well as support workers/nurses talk about people mentally disabled who couldn't even cross the street alone being signed off!
And then there are the lovely healthcare staff working as assessors who actively lie causing great distress like yours. Paying them commission seemed to pull in the scumbags who do it for money and don't care about people.