A woman who suffers from anxiety and depression which led to two suicide attempts has told how she was turned down for a Personal Independent Payment (PIP) because she “had a university degree” and smiled during the assessment.
Kate, 38, got her PIP payments back after a tribunal but told off i she now lives in ‘abject fear’ that the DWP is trying to withdraw her payments.
She then shared her story i spoke to PIP whistleblowers who are concerned about the assessment process and claim the system is “on track for failure”, with assessors under intense pressure to meet daily targets.
Whistleblowers have previously said they were even told to note claimants’ appearance and ‘how they smelled’, with one former assessor describing how they were encouraged to write down things such as: ‘Looked well dressed, didn’t smoke, so they must be able to wash themselves.”
Kate, who lives in Cardiff, has asked that her real name be protected for fear of repercussions from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). She said i she has been on the DWP benefits system since she was 26.
She completed her master’s degree while working for a supermarket, but became ill and ended up spending time in the hospital. Her GP wrote her off due to severe anxiety and depression. She subsequently attempted suicide and was later also diagnosed with PTSD.
About six months later, in 2012, Kate started receiving Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). In 2014, her counselor helped her get a PIP.
The benefit is intended to help with additional living costs for someone who has a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability and has difficulty carrying out daily tasks or getting around.
However, two years later, following a new investigation, her PIP payments were withdrawn. On the advice of a charity’s welfare officer, she took part in a mandatory review and received a letter back saying the decision was upheld.
“Their reasons for rejecting my PIP were that I had a university degree and that I had smiled during the assessment – which I actually don’t remember at all. I laughed politely at the end of the assessment because the assessor made a joke about my T-shirt,” said Kate.
“They tried to say that my anxiety had clearly decreased by the end of the study. But even if I were to smile or laugh, are they saying that people with anxiety and depression can never smile or laugh?”
Kate won her PIP back after a court ruling in 2017. The date was initially set for before Christmas but was canceled just before the date.
“I was so scared that they were trying to find a reason to deny my PIP after what they said about my smile, that I stopped taking my medication for over a month in front of the tribunal so they could see me for what I was without medication. ,” she said.
“I ended up in hospital two weeks before the tribunal after another suicide attempt because I couldn’t face the thought of the tribunal.”
The hearing took place in January 2017 and Kate said it was a complete blur and she couldn’t remember much about it. However, she not only got her PIP back, but also received an improved PIP for one part of it.
“Apparently the judge said I got my master’s degree before I got sick, so it didn’t count as a reason, and he also said the reason I was smiling was probably relief,” Kate added.
She suffered even more pain in 2021 when she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and asked for a telephone PIP assessment the day before she was due to have surgery. When she asked if her partner could speak on her behalf, as she was unable to do so, they refused, so she eventually withdrew.
In January 2022, she was told that they had marked her as a no-show due to her assessment and threatened to take her PIP away from her. At that time she had also been diagnosed with autism and was told by an autism representative that it was not true that her partner could not speak on her behalf.
Kate has recovered her PIP and is currently on benefits for depression, anxiety, autism and being in remission from cancer. However, she says she is constantly afraid it will be taken away from her.
“I am absolutely terrified and always waiting for the knock on the door, the phone call or the letter telling me my PIP is going to be taken away from me,” she said. “Or that I will be arrested for fraud, even though I know I have done nothing wrong.
“If they can use reasons like having a degree or smiling as an excuse to take my PIP from me, heaven forbid they knew I had gone to a cafe to meet a friend.
“It has made me so afraid to do normal things and I feel like I can’t live my life anymore. I am too afraid to leave my house or go anywhere unless it is health related, such as a doctor’s appointment or a hospital appointment.
“It has a huge impact on my mental health. Every time a PIP assessment occurs I am back to square one and have to heal myself again from the psychological blows I have endured.
PIP is currently in the spotlight after the government revealed it was considering an overhaul of the system, which could see some people’s benefits reduced or scrapped altogether.
Kate says that PIP is already terrible and she hopes that the Conservative government will not win the general election, and that whoever comes into power next will abandon the planned reforms.
“There is a rhetoric that people on PIP are lazy, work-shy, greedy individuals who want to extort the state and sit on their butts all day watching television or messing around on social media,” she said. “But this couldn’t be further from the truth and the PIP system is instilling fear in people.”
That’s what the DWP said i it is modernizing its disability benefits system to ensure people with health conditions and disabilities receive the right support.
It added that it encourages everyone to respond to their consultation on the proposed reforms, which includes questions about how the PIP assessment process could be changed.
It says that health professionals are trained to treat claimants fairly and with respect, and that they are professional doctors who use their skills in history taking, informal observation and examination to provide an unbiased, independent and factual assessment to the DWP .
PIP is awarded based on how the circumstances affect the claimant, and is intended to cover additional living expenses incurred as a result of the health condition, the department said.
If you have been affected by this story and would like to talk to someone, please contact the Samaritans by calling 116 123 or visit samaritans.org. You can also contact Suicide Prevention UK on 0800 689 5652 or visit their website here for additional help.